Ah yes, the classic "coulda woulda" of pop penning: from TLC passing on Britney's "...Baby One More Time" to P!nk (and Hilary Duff) skipping Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," there's no shortage of stories about smash hits that nearly went to entirely different artists. (Hell, Sia made a whole album dedicated to that.)

As of today (Feb. 9), we've got yet another addition to the Hits That Were Almost Other People’s Hits mythology: Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman" wasn't originally intended for the pint-sized pop princess, but rather...Carrie Underwood.

Hmm!

Shocking as that may sound, "Dangerous Woman" co-writer Ross Golan revealed in an interview with CBS This Morning posted today (Feb. 9) that he originally penned the track with the Louisville slugger-toting "Before He Cheats" country superstar in mind.

"I actually thought it was going to be more country," Golan said. "I was kind of hoping Carrie Underwood would cut it. If Carrie Underwood's listening: please cut it," he joked.

In fact, Ari wasn't even his second pick to cut the track: he also considered Alicia Keys and Rihanna.

In the end, it was the My Everything singer's persistence — and her respect for the craft of songwriting — that won him over.

"There aren't a lot of artists that are appreciative of the songwriters, but the ones you want to work with are people like Ariana, who came in the room and said 'Please let me try this song. And if I do, I promise I'll treat it well.' It's the name of her album and the name of her tour now."

See? Everything happens for a reason. It's kismet.

Watch Golan explain the "Dangerous Woman" writing process below.

See Photos from Ari's Dangerous Woman Tour:

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