Why do many pop songs have so many different songwriters listed?

Question

I see so many songs with 3-5 or more listed in the credits. I always thought sometimes one person wrote music, and another wrote lyrics. Why can it take around 5 people to write a song?

In: 120

Answer 1

Many of these pop stars aren’t secret musical geniuses, they’re a manufactured product for mass market appeal.

They can’t write lyrics, or read sheet music, or play an instrument.

Someone else, or a team of people, has to do all that work behind the scenes.