Uptown funk

Story of Song

The song originated from a lick that Mars and his band were playing on tour. Mark Ronson told Billboard Magazine:”When we hit on that opening line (This shit, that ice cold, Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold) we knew that we had the seed of this really exciting idea”, “I pushed myself much more than I have on anything else in the past”. Ronson explained that when he and Bruno first came up with the instrumental track and a few lines of what would become the hit song ‘Uptown Funk’ the room was filled with electricity.  Ronson also told Terry Gross from Fresh Air radio show “There’s nothing more exciting than that period of the song, because the potential is unlimited”. But then the process turned long and labored for the co-writers. Mars, Ronson and Jeff Bhasker would meet up in Los Angeles or London or Memphis and work on it, but the energy wasn’t the same. “You can never get that spirit back,” Ronson says. “You try to write another verse, and it seems forced, because the first one was so natural.” There was a moment when Mark Ronson thought that this song was just not meant to be. But Ronson knew there was potential, so he fought for it. “I’d wait maybe a month until everyone’s nerves cooled down and be like, ‘Hey, can we get back in and try to work on that song again?” Eventually, we did get it.”

The title: “Uptown” implies high class while “funk” is the rhythm and release. The lyrics say that he’s so hot that he called the police and a fireman, and dragons are going into retirement. The lyrics were constructed with a mix of rhyming patterns, take a look at the lyrics:
“Stop wait a minute
Fill my cup put some liquor in it”
“Ride to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson Mississippi
If we show up we’ gon show out
Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy“
Some of the lyrics are actually quotes from the boxing champion Larry Holmes. “Gotta kiss myself I’m so pretty”, Larry said in an interview and actually kissed his arm after he said that.

Mark Ronson was walking down a London street when he got a text from his manager saying this was the new number 1 single in the States. Ronson told Billboard Magazine: “I called Bruno, we talked for a minute, and I said, ‘I’m going to let out a primal scream right now if that’s OK.’ I cupped the phone to protect his golden ears, and that’s what I did”.

Release date

It was released on November 10, 2014

Songwriter/s

eff Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy, Lonnie Simmons, Ronnie Wilson, Charles Wilson, Robert Wilson, Rudolph Taylor

Label

RCA

Chart Rankings

US – 1

UK – 1

GERMANY  – 3

In the single week of 25 January 2015, this song was streamed 2.34 million  in the UK in January 2015, a record only broken by Ellie Goulding‘s “Love Me like You Do” with 2.58 million streams.

Uptown Funk spent fourteen consecutive weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, seven weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and topped the charts in several other countries including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and New Zealand.

Artist’s age on release date

Bruno mars is  29 years old, Mark Ronson 30 years old,

Cover Versions

Uptown Funk original release version is still the only version released and it hasn’t been remade or remixed.