Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars

“Uptown Funk” – Single by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars from the album Uptown Special. Released November 10, 2014.

“Uptown Funk” is a song by British record producer Mark Ronson, featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars.

The first single from Uptown Special, this exuberant track features vocals and co-writing credits by Bruno Mars and was produced by Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Drake, Alicia Keys). The same trio previously collaborated on Mars’ hit tune “Locked Out of Heaven.”

The song originated from a lick that Mars and his band were playing on tour. “When we hit on that opening line – ‘This s–t, that ice cold. Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold’ – we knew that we had the seed of this really exciting idea,” Ronson told Billboard magazine. “I pushed myself much more than I have on anything else in the past.”

Mars and Ronson create a monster party vibe in this song, starting with the title: “Uptown” implies high class (as Prince or Billy Joel could tell you), while “funk” is the rhythm and release. The lyrics are way over-the-top, with Mars explaining that he’s so hot he’s forcing dragons into retirement. It’s clever, fun and outrageous, but also meticulously constructed with a mix of rhyming patterns. For instance:

“Stop wait a minute
Fill my cup put some liquor in it”

“Minute” and “liquor-in-it” aren’t typical rhymes, but you can get away with it if you have the funk on your side.

Another example:

“Ride to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson Mississippi
If we show up we gonna show out
Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy”

In this case, “Mississippi” and “Skippy” sandwich (get it?) a line that doesn’t rhyme with any others. In that line, however, “show” is repeated twice, creating an inline rhyme.

The lyrics all sound like they’re improvised after a few libations, but every syllable has a place in the rhythm.

The song’s music video was filmed by frequent Bruno Mars’ director Cameron Duddy. The clip stars Ronson, Mars and the Hawaiian singer’s backing band, The Hooligans. It was shot in various cities where Mars was touring as well as the 20th Century Fox New York street backlot in Los Angeles.

The line “gotta kiss myself I’m so pretty” is something that boxing champ Larry Holmes said in an interview where he started talking about how much he loves himself – he then proceeded to kiss his own arms to make his point. Before Holmes, Muhammad Ali often boasted, “I’m so pretty.”

Note that after Bruno Mars says the line, he makes a kissing sound to punctuate it.

This won for Best Male Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

The song was the best-selling single of 2015 in both the US and UK.

This won Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2016 ceremony.

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Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars

Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (Official Video) ft. Bruno Mars04:31

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