[2] Lyricists have often added words to an established tune, as Johnny Burke did with the Erroll Garner jazz standard "Misty".
[3] Some partnerships work almost totally independently, for example, Bernie Taupin would write lyrics and hand them over to Elton John, who composed the music to go with it, with minimum interaction between the two writers.
[4] The collaboration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney is widely considered the most successful songwriting partnership in history, with their songs making up the majority of The Beatles' catalog.
[5] In the Christian hymn-singing tradition, many of the popular pieces have words written to fit existing melodies.
[citation needed] In opera, the librettist is responsible for all text, whether spoken or sung in recitative or aria.