Calvin Harris: Facts you probably didn't know about his biggest hits

He's had so many great songs

Calvin Harris
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 25th Jul 2024
Last updated 26th Jul 2024

We all know and love Calvin Harris' hits, including this year's 'Lovers In a Past Life' with Rag'n'Bone Man, and last year's 'Desire' with Sam Smith and 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding, back to huge tunes with Katy Perry, Rihanna and Dua Lipa.

As Calvin has now released his latest song called 'Free' with Ellie Goulding, here we take a look at some of Calvin Harris' biggest hits... The stories behind them and the facts that you might not know about them, such as who they were written by, what they're about and how they were created.

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's 'Miracle'

Calvin Harris' big hit of 2023 was 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding. The BRIT Award-winning song was a trance-inspired hit and the DJ opened up in an interview about the inspiration behind his hit. As reported by Rolling Stone, Calvin said: "When I started making music, I was 14. It was 1998 and ’98, ’99, 2000, 2001 was for me kind of formative trance and house era.

"So what I did usually was just take bits from that and put it in a new context. But this time I thought maybe I’ll just try and maybe more recreate something that could be from back then… The only thing that I think makes it not sound like it’s from 1996 is the kick drum, because the kick drum’s pretty banging."

He went on to say: "I definitely have very defined sort of likes and dislikes for music and artists. And one of my likes is an Ellie Goulding angelic vocal. One of a kind. You’re not going to get this from anyone else. Ellie can do a lot of different things, for me, this is my absolute favourite thing that she does, and only she can do it, in my opinion."

In an interview with us, Calvin also revealed there were three good things about working with Ellie, he said: "(There are) three good things about working with somebody. A spectacular unique voice and delivery that can carry a song emotionally, and you’re a laugh!"

Ellie then added: "I feel like we just have a 'thing', I don’t know what it is, it’s hard to explain."

Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa's 'One Kiss'

Calvin Harris' collaboration with Dua Lipa, ‘One Kiss’, was the biggest selling single of 2018. So it’s no surprise at all the accompanying video for the track takes the title of the most played video of 2018.

The song is said to be about someone who falls in love after just one kiss. Calvin revealed in a behind the scenes video, how the collaboration came about. He said: "I first met Dua maybe two years ago, I think she had just put out 'Be The One'. Two years later I had this 'kinda' half finished song, and I thought it would be perfect for her."

Who wrote 'This Is What You Came For'?

'This Is What You Came For' was written by Calvin Harris along with Taylor Swift and sung by Rihanna. The song was originally released using the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg instead of Taylor's name, but it wasn't long before fans had worked out the true identity of Nils.

As well as co-writing the song and lyrics, Taylor also provides the backing vocals on the track.

Is 'My Way' about Taylor Swift?

Despite rumours that his 2016 song 'My Way' was written about his ex Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris revealed in an interview it's actually about leaving his job at a supermarket before he made it famous.

Speaking to an American radio station he said: "It’s breaking out of a situation. I thought of the concept years ago, when I left Safeway. I was trying to move to London and I was working in the store in Scotland, I was trying to go on and make music for a living but I couldn’t because I didn’t have any money. I was like, damn this grocery store! If I could break out of this I could have enough time to work on music and get good."

Calvin Harris once said in an interview that he doesn't write songs about his experiences, "I'm not an autobiographical singer. I'm very vague with my messages," he explained.

WATCH: Calvin Harris - 'My Way' (Official Video)

Who is the girl in 'How Deep Is Your Love'?

One of Calvin’s most iconic videos has to be for his 2015 hit with Disciples ‘How Deep Is Your Love'. The video has over 1.5 billion views on YouTube (and counting).

It features supermodel Gigi Hadid looking absolutely gorgeous as she awakes on a table before stumbling into a series of parties looking rather confused. Don’t sweat Gigi, your hair looks great. The singer's name is Ina Christine Wroldsen, who also sang on 'Breathe' by Jax Jones and 'Places' by Martin Solveig.

WATCH: 'How Deep Is Your Love' - Calvin Harris and Disciples (Official Video)

Calvin Harris and Rag 'n' Bone Man's 'Giant'

Calvin Harris released his epic Rag 'n’ Bone man collaboration, ‘Giant’ in January 2019, on release it quickly shot into the Top 10. The DJ posted on his Instagram that the track was his 40th Top 40 production. Writing ‘Giant is my 40th top 40 production! What a great birthday present. Thank you!!!’ Talk about dominating the game!

The song was written by Calvin along with Rag 'n' Bone Man, along with some songwriters. It was also produced by Calvin. The song was also nominated for a BRIT Award in the Song of The Year category, but it lost out to Lewis Capaldi's 'Someone You Loved'.

Calvin Harris and Katy Perry's 'Feels'

So what do you do when things have ended very badly with an ex? Well, if you are Calvin Harris, team up with their arch nemesis on a track that will become the sound of the Summer. Calvin recruited Taylor’s enemy Katy Perry for his album ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1’, back in 2017.

Along with rapper Big Sean and Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry features on track ‘Feels’ which was released in June 2017. The song quickly claimed the top spot and stayed put for a number of weeks.

Calvin Harris: Songs with Rita Ora, Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding

Calvin Harris has worked many of his former girlfriends. While dating Rita Ora back in 2013 to 2014 he wrote and produced her single ‘Never Let You Down’. However things turned a bit nasty when the pair split, with Calvin not giving Rita legal permission to perform the track. The decision pulled the plug on Rita's Teen Choice Awards performance just days before she was set to take the stage. Eek!

And who can forget all that ‘This Is What You Came For’ drama. As mentioned above, the song was written by Calvin and Taylor, however, there was drama following Calvin and Taylor's split.

Taylor quickly had a new romance with actor Tom Hiddleston, the pair were at war over who wrote Calvin’s hit ‘This Is What You Came For’, which features Rihanna on vocals. It finally emerged Taylor had co-written the track under the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg, but that’s not before a whole hell of mud was slug on Twitter (now X).

While things ended BADLY with a capital B when Calvin broke up with Taylor and Rita, he’s still good friends with ex Ellie Goulding.

The pair have worked on three songs now, ‘I Need Your Love’, 'Outside' and 'Miracle'. The pair dated briefly in 2013, Ellie even takes credit for setting Calvin up with Taylor! She told a newspaper in 2015: "I did play matchmaker that’s true. Calvin is a really great mate and he’s fantastic, and Taylor is such a cool person who I love."

Take a look through Calvin Harris' amazing collaborations:

'Dance wiv Me' - Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome, 2008

After releasing his debut album 'I Created Disco' in 2007, Calvin and Dizzee met at a festival that year. Dizzee had been a huge fan of 'Acceptable in the '80s', and the pair discussed working together. Calvin said of the collaboration: "Dizzee texted me, saying he'd done this a cappella over someone else's music, but his verse was too good for their music, so could he do it with me instead? So I spent a long time on it, to make sure it lived up to his expectations. I sent him the track, and he called me at 2 in the morning to say it was amazing, so I knew it was good."


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Bounce' - featuring Kelis, 2011

Calvin's next major collab came in the form of 2011 summer anthem 'Bounce' starring Kelis. The first single from his third album '18 Months', 'Bounce' peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts after being kept off the top spot by Example's 'Changed the Way You Kiss Me'.


The song also marked Calvin's decision to stop singing on his tracks; he said: "I'll do tracks with people who can sing well – proper artists, proper performers. I can focus on what I'm much better at, which is making music. I'm just not cut out for that role. I kind of fell into it a few years ago – the live show had to happen, I had to be the frontman because I was doing the vocals on the songs. It went all right. I spent a few years trying to get it really properly good, but it dawned on me it wasn't going to get much better. I've taken the singing thing as far as I can."


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'We Found Love' - Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris, 2011

Teaming up with Rihanna for another 2011 summer banger, 'We Found Love' went to Number 1 in the UK and was certified 5x Platinum, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. Former X Factor star Leona Lewis was originally going to sing the song, but she didn't commit and it went to Rihanna instead.


Calvin said of the song: "'We Found Love,' is the most successful thing I've done ever... It's not strictly a song by me, obviously, it's by Rihanna. She sings it...It was great to work with her... No one could have taken it as far as she did. You can't escape it in America. I've heard it a lot. I've heard it probably more times today than I did when I was mixing it. Which is a good thing."


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Let's Go' - featuring Ne-Yo, 2012

Calvin worked with Ne-Yo on 'Let's Go', released in March 2012 from his third album '18 Months'. The track peaked at Number 2 in the UK, being held off the top spot by 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'We'll Be Coming Back' - featuring Example, 2012

Calvin and Example's collaboration on 'We'll Be Coming Back' in July 2012 was a huge hit, peaking at Number 2 after being held off Number 1 by Wiley's 'Heatwave'. It appeared on both Calvin's album '18 Months' as well as Example's fourth album, 'The Evolution of Man'.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Sweet Nothing' - featuring Florence Welch, 2012

After working on a remix of Florence and the Machine's 2012 single 'Spectrum' from their second album 'Ceremonials', Calvin became interested in working with lead singer Florence Welch. She wasn't immediately available, but he finally tracked her down and they worked together on 'Sweet Nothing'.


He said: "With Florence, she was really busy at that time. She was in the middle of a tour and she had like three days to record something, so I wasn't there, anything could've come back. I didn't think she'd do it. She seemed a really unattainable artist to reach for. I think she would've done it if the song was right and the people were right and it was all at the right time."


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Drinking from the Bottle' - featuring Tinie Tempah, 2013

Calvin worked with Tinie Tempah on 2013 single 'Drinking from the Bottle' which appeared on his album '18 Months', peaking at Number 5.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'I Need Your Love' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2013

Ellie and Calvin sparked dating rumours with their collaboration 'I Need Your Love' in 2012, appearing on '18 Months' as well as Ellie's album 'Halcyon'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK, and was nominated for both British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards 2014.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Blame' - featuring John Newman, 2014

Calvin worked with John Newman on 'Blame', which appeared on his fourth album 'Motion'. The artists worked together to write the song, along with John's brother James Newman - it peaked at Number 1.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Outside' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2014

Calvin and Ellie worked together again in 2014 following the success of 'I Need Your Love', releasing 'Outside' in October that year. It appeared on Calvin's album 'Motion' and Ellie's album 'Delirium'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'How Deep Is Your Love' - with Disciples, 2015

Calvin teamed up with Disciples for 'How Deep Is Your Love' in 2015, featuring vocals from Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen. It peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts, starring model Gigi Hadid in the music video.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'This Is What You Came For' - featuring Rihanna, 2016

Calvin once again teamed up with Rihanna for 2016 single 'This Is What You Came For', peaking at Number 2 in the UK. It was co-written by Calvin's former girlfriend Taylor Swift, who used pseudonym Nils Sjöberg initially as she did not want their relationship to overshadow the success of the song. It has since been changed.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Slide' - featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, 2017

'Slide' was the lead single from Calvin's fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1', featuring Frank Ocean and hip hop trio Migos, released in February 2017. It peaked at Number 10 in the UK charts.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Heatstroke' - featuring Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande, 2017

The Scottish DJ worked with rapper Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande on 'Heatstroke' from his 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' album. The song was certified Silver in the UK.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Feels' - featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean, 2017

Calvin worked with Pharrell Williams, Big Sean and Katy Perry on 'Feels' for his fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' in 2017, peaking at Number 1 and being certified 2X Platinum in the UK.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'One Kiss' - with Dua Lipa, 2018

'One Kiss' was a worldwide smash hit, peaking at Number 1 in the UK and spending a whopping eight weeks at the top. It was the biggest-selling song of 2018, and was also the third longest-running Number 1 of the century by a female artist. It also won Best British Single at the BRIT Awards 2019.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Promises' - with Sam Smith featuring Jessie Reyez, 2018

Calvin's next big collaboration was with Sam Smith - 'Promises' was released in August 2018, and will appear on Sam's upcoming third album, due to be released in 2020. It peaked at Number 1 in the UK and was certified 2X Platinum.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Giant' - with Rag'n'Bone Man, 2019

Calvin got together with Rag'n'Bone Man in 2019, putting out 'Giant' which peaked at Number 2 in the UK and was kept off the top spot by Lewis Capaldi's 'Someone You Loved'. The pair performed the song at the 2019 BRIT Awards.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Over Now' - with The Weeknd

The Weeknd teamed up with Calvin for 2020 single 'Over Now', which peaked at Number 33 in the UK.


Watch the video on YouTube here.

'By Your Side' - with Tom Grennan

'By Your Side' was a Top 10 hit for Calvin Harris and Tom Grennan in 2021.
Watch the video on YouTube here.

'Potion' - with Dua Lip and Young Thug

After the HUGE success of 'One Kiss', Calvin and Dua Lipa teamed up again to bring out 'Potion' with Young Thug in May 2022.
Watch the video for 'Potion' on YouTube

'New Money' featuring 21 Savage

21 Savage and Calvin Harris joined forces for 'New Money' which is included on the DJ's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'.

'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell

'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell was released in July 2022, the song is one of two collabs the artists have recorded for Calvin's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'. The second song is called 'Stay With Me (Part 2)'.

'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset

Calvin Harris' 'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset was released on 29th July 2022. The song's lyric video was also released with a tropical theme which showed old TVs in a jungle setting.

'Miracle' with Ellie Goudling

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for their third collab in 2023. The song called 'Miracle' was released on 10th March.

'Desire' with Sam Smith

Following the success of 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding, at the end of July 2023, Calvin dropped huge single 'Desire' with Sam Smith!

'Lovers In A Past Life' with Rag'n'Bone Man

Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man teamed up on the fifth anniversary of their hit 'Giant', to announce another song called 'Lovers In A Past Life'. It was released in February 2024, peaking at Number 13 in the UK charts and was certified Silver by the BPI with 200,000 UK sales in May 2024.
Watch the video on YouTube.

'(When I'm With You I'm) Free' with Ellie Goulding

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for the fourth time on their song '(When I'm With You I'm) Free'. They premiered their new song together at Ushuaïa nightclub in Ibiza, and the crowd went wild.

Has Calvin Harris written songs for other artists?

Calvin has written a number of songs for other artists that you might not now about. He also is a very talented producer, musician, and singer, as revealed in a tweet.

He explained to a fan how he makes his money as he does pretty much everything himself.

You can hear Calvin Harris' songs on Downtown Radio.

Now read:

Everything you need to know about Calvin Harris

22 HUGE Calvin Harris career highlights so far 🎶

26 of Calvin Harris' fantastic collaborations 🎶

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