Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars debut "Uptown Funk"

A week after premiering the audio, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars bring their groovy, retro-inspired new collaboration "Uptown Funk" to life with an equally retro and rather fun loving video. The fly and flashy days of the '70s and '80s are brought to Hollywood in the fun-filled, dance-heavy clip features soul-pop sweetheart Mars and packs the punch of a feel-good, old-school funk number, is the first release off UK Grammy-winning producer's fourth album "Uptown Special," which will hit stores on January 27 via RCA Records.
The joyous, groove-heavy collaborative, "Uptown Funk," was took over a half a year to be completed as Ronson spent a lot of time traveling across the States as he tried to pin Mars down. "It was six or seven months of chasing Bruno around on tour," he said. The Time-spiced track's sinewy slap-bass and galactic synths is highly contagious. Pushed by these incredible melodies and fresh drum work that makes a nice home for Mars to let his vocals loose upon. And the video goes flawlessly with track, bring its fun loving ways to life effortlessly.
The duo get their hair permed, shoeshines and jive confidently next to a stretch limo, shoeshines in the high-voltage and goofy clip, shot in New York City, Mars steals the spotlight with his pink blazer and smooth moves, while Ronson serves as his suave, silent sidekick on trips to the hair salon and shoe shiners. Wearing shades and a salmon-colored blazer, the electric Mars, his band The Hooligans, and Ronson prowl around city streets in their throwback attire, performing choreographed moves before getting their shoes shined, and stopping by the salon for a fresh perm. Ronson mostly lingers in the background, with Mars taking the spotlight as he belts the track's feel-good lyrics. The visual recalls the street-clearing dance routines of '80s funkdom with an updated soundtrack to put a strut into your morning haul.

Bruno Mars turns up the heat in "Gorilla"

Bruno Mars doubles as a seedy strip-club singer in his just-released visual via Facebook for his banging tune "Gorilla" the fourth single from the 14-time Grammy nominee's platinum sophomore studio album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," which reached No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March. The 28-year-old Mars has been deemed family-friendly enough to headline the upcoming Super Bowl halftime extravaganza, but the pop crooner sports a more R-rated side in the music video for the 'making sex like animals'-themed "Gorilla."

"Gorilla" an absolutely arena-sized sex jam, is a mid-tempo rock, soft rock and quiet storm song, where Mars sings about making love like animals and that he's feeling like he is high off of cocaine and drunk off of liquor and he feels great. Mars said that it was "the first song we wrote for this album and it really set the tone for the entire project and it kind of became the mascot," stating that it was the reason why there's a gorilla on the cover of the album. Musically, the song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics who praised its early 80's arena rock tendencies fused with power pop hooks, though "Gorilla" has been bashed for its explicit lyrical content.
Co-directed by the Hawaiian crooner and his longtime collaborator Cameron Buddy, the visuals follow the boundary-pushing nature of the track's lyrics, offering a raunchy video, which opens with two women speaking in Spanish while applying lipstick backstage at a gentleman's club called La Jungla. Actor Luis Guzman cameos as the club's seriously sleazy owner, and Mars and his mates serve as the house band performing the epic "Unorthodox Jukebox" cut, and practically every frame of the video drips with both sweat and sex, which, again, is probably the point.
After an introduction by Guzmán, Mars kicks things into gear and "Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto, an exotic dancer, begins pulling off some gravity-defying spins on the stripper pole with her entire sexual being. As his band bangs out some mid-tempo steamy soft-rock piano stabs, Mars pushes practically everything to the max, mugs at her intensely, singing "You and me baby making love like gorillas," as she disrobes and sparks fall from the ceiling. Then it cuts to the two of them heating up with in the backseat of a steamy car. The video ends somewhat ambiguously, with the woman setting the guitar on fire and Mars merely singing as if nothing is happening.

Bruno Mars hits the time machine in "Treasure"

Steps back in time, Bruno Mars has personally released the brand new but definitely old school video via Twitter for his sprightly disco thumper, "Treasure." The groovy disco-funk track serves as the official third single from the Hawaiian's sophomore album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," which, as of this post, is en route to hit the 1.5 million copies sold mark in the US. Again, Mars gives the retro, VHS recording look to his new clip, which is basically a performance one as Mars and his band, all dressed in matching in red suits, groove, jam and bop to the might "Treasure" beat and lyrics.
On May 19, Mars began the 2013 Billboard Music Awards with a performance of the single. Described as funky, retro and amusing, the performance was reminiscent of classic Jackson 5 stage shows, from the matching ensembles to the simple, in-line choreography that Mars and his band employed. The song itself is an energetic disco thumper, one of several genres that Mars utilized on "Unorthodox Jukebox." "This is me locking myself in the studio and being free recording whatever it is I want to record," Mars told VH1 about the record. "Just being inspired by all different styles of music, and isn't that what music should be?"
The 27-year-old entertainer insists over sugary early '80s smooth funk guitars and retro-styled disco beats, before declaring his woman, his "treasure" and "golden star" with a sense of unabashed affection. With its grand harmonies, classically kooky hooks and slyly sexual undertones, "Treasure," is stripper-theme funk-pop with gooey synth pads and enormous slap-bass fills that punch through like air-humps. It's a creamy Michael Jackson/Prince-schooled disco soul and the musical mode that makes Mars the happiest. The song makes silk-jumpsuit disco feel contemporary, and the result sounds like a modern day "Rock With You," a feat that few could get away with pulling off so authentically.
The throwback video was shot in Las Vegas on the day after the band's performance on the Billboard Music Awards. Mars directed the video alongside Cameron Duddy, shot it in somewhat Jackson-esque fashion, as treats us to a little time-traveling, which hurls us right into the late '70s with more sparkly suits and disco guitars than we know what to do with. The Hawaiian hitmaker dances under a disco ball with his full band, the Hooligans, in matching red suits and leopard-print shirts, rainbow graphics, grainy camera pictures and charms a young lady in the grainy visuals, which are reminiscent of a VHS recording.

Bruno Mars regrets past "When I Was Your Man"

Bruno Mars has unveiled the official visuals for his bare break-up piano ballad, "When I Was Your Man," a cut from his latest sophomore album "Unorthodox Jukebox." The three-and-a-half minute clip was co-directed Mars himself and Cameron Duddy, who has also directed the videos for Mars' previous hits "Locked Out of Heaven," "The Lazy Song" and "The Other Side." The simply-executed video embellished only with a generous amount of cross-fades, accompanies the emotional soul piano ballad about love and loss.

Mars has been on an absolutely incredible hot-streak since the release of "Locked Out of Heaven" a few months ago. The monster lead single helped catapult the 27-year-old singer to the largest level of success than he's seen in his career to date. His first-class sophomore album "Unorthodox Jukebox" has scanned 700k in the US with less than two months in stores and steadily remains in the Billboard 200 album charts seven weeks after it first debuted. The "When I Was Your Man" is looking to be another smash for the pop songwriter.
Old-school charm still gets Mars the furthest, and the best thing here is the classic torch song "When I Was Your Man," which shows off Mars' sweet vocals finds singer singing about a pre-fame heartbreak as he regrets a girl that he let get away, expressing his earnest hope that her new man is giving her all the love and attention he was unwilling, or unable to provide when they were together. It starts with rolling piano riff and near-scat vocal cadence as Mars sings about his prior failure to do right by his woman and changes all the things he "shoulda" done into things he hopes his ex’s new man does for her, concluding "Do all of the things I should have done / When I was your man."
Mars plays a lonely balladeer who sits behind a grand piano in a pair of aviators with a half-empty glass of whiskey on top and belts out the heartbreaking ballad, reminiscing on all the things he could have done to keep his lover around in the retro-themed which continues with Mars' throwback vibe and retro effects for the entire era - playing Mars off like a 70s crooner. The video is simple, yet effective as Mars looking dapper in a casual suit, rocking the afro and wearing a pair of his trademark aviator shades, playing and singing his heart out. Simple fades and kaleidoscope effects add a visual touch to the minimalistic clip.

Bruno Mars feels like "Locked Out Of Heaven"

After much hype, Bruno Mars  makes a comeback from his short hiatus with his brand new retro-styled video for his funky new wave jam, "Locked Out of Heaven," the lead single from Mars' upcoming sophomore studio effort, "Unorthodox Jukebox," due December 11. It's so old school! The 27-year-old enthusiastic crooner has been tapped to host and perform on this coming "Saturday Night Live," where he will perform "Locked Out Of Heaven" for the first time live.
"Locked Out Of Heaven," is an uptempo, irresistible funky workout that possesses a sound familiar to those who have seen Mars live in concert. It goes for more of a new wave energy, with a choppy guitar and bass combo. The lyrics describe the rapturous feelings brought about by a relationship infused with positive emotions involved with falling in love, being in romantic relationships, as well as good sex that takes him to paradise. The narrator feels like he was "locked out of heaven" before he met his lover, who, based on the single art, looks to be made for sin.
Like "Just the Way You Are," Mars loves this particular lady just the way she is, but don't think for one second that he's reassuring her of her beauty - he more seems into loving what she does, if you get our drift. The sexy track has a vintage rock n’ roll feel, and it has a raunchy yet subtle attitude to match. Mars said that the single's exploration of feeling and being in love fits into the "sensual, sensual and sensual" theme of the album. Needless to say, it is a complete change-up from his prior singles, shows an interesting musical evolution, and one of the most fun, dynamic and exciting pop singles of the year. This is a solid return for Mars.
And that straightforward approach is also apparent in the intentionally grainy clip itself, a sweaty, stripped-back affair that evokes all the nostalgic Betamax fuzz of great '70s-era soul feel, as Mars performs in small, crowded club where everyone's sweat is mingling together and you can't tell where your body ends and the next person's begins. It's hot as hell, but everyone is jumping and jiving and loving every minute. "The concept is just old-fashioned fun. No story line, it's not me singing to a girl, you get a good sense of what you're going to get live," as Mars explained, the Cameron Duddy directed clip is meant to give fans a taste of what they can expect on "Unorthodox Jukebox."

Bruno Mars Loses His Sunlight In "It Will Rain"

Follow up Christina Perri's video for "A Thousand Years," Bruno Mars has finally unveiled his delayed video on MTV for "It Will Rain," which opens with a pivotal scene from "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" movie soundtrack. The new clip feels more like a denim brand's lookbook than a peek at the vampire franchise's fourth film. Mars taps his songwriting skills to win his girl back after they go through a lot of drama, but there's no sunlight for the ballad singer in the video as it appears his on-screen love life is shattered.
"It Will Rain" has the dated feel of a song from the '80s, perhaps because of the drum track. Speaking to Billboard magazine, Mars explained that "the Twilight movies, "for me [are] a love story. But it's a dark love story. And I think the best way to describe the song is: it's the darker side of love. I think that pretty much sums it up. 'It Will Rain' started off with me and the guitar, and I just had this melody in my head and basically laid it down after I saw the film." Rolling Stone saying Mars' clean-cut looks and gently scuffed croon make him an ideal nonthreatening crush with its desperately yearning melody. It sounds a little bit like "Wild Horses," and a lot like Mars' next radio juggernaut.
The Phil Pinto-directed clip displays the emotional quality of the song. Mars deals with the subject of love gone awry and all of the positive and negatives that come along with being in a serious relationship that eventually self destructs. Both love and division coexist. It's an emotional tug of war in the tortured love song with a few clips from the movie sprinkled in. After the opening sequence with Bella and Edward getting married in front of their friends and family, the video cuts to a love story between Mars and his lovely leading lady. The couple experience the many joys, trials and tribulations of being in a relationship. And as is often the case in real life, things starts out cute; every little moment and snuggle is more romantic than the one before.
But at some point, the pair begin to fight, though Mars isn't going to let her go that easily: He uses his songwriting skills to persuade her to stay with him. The heartbreak expressed on the track is mirrored in solo shots of Mars standing around looking sullen. As the video closes out, we see that the song Mars wrote while his lady was asleep turned out to be romantic enough to win her back. However, at the very end, he is all alone standing in front of a rainy window, and this scene reflects his true loneliness. Mars does a great job of conveying the lyrics of "It Will Rain" in a visual form, giving us glimpses of deep pain and joy.

Bad Meets Evil Enlist Bruno Mars For "Lighters"

Bad Meets Evil have released a music video for "Lighters," the second single from Detroit hip hop duo's debut EP, "Hell: The Sequel," which has been in stores since June. When old friends and former collaborators Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" reunited to form Bad Meets Evil, it seemed like a no-brainer. But what did cause at least some trepidation was the Bruno Mars-featuring "Lighters." The song, though, seems to be doing fairly well on the Billboard Hot 100, so the success train continues onward with a video for the power anthem.
This soft-hop track, which has been said by critics to incorporate soul music with influences of synthpop, features Mars and was produced by his production team The Smeezingtons along with Eminem and Battle Roy. Mars' refrain gives the tune similar dynamics to his collaboration with B.O.B., "Nothin' on You." Royce's verse finds him recalling his dad hanging up his postal carrier uniform. "I cried plenty tears, my daddy gotta bad back," he rap-sings. "So it's only right, that I write till he can march right/In to that post office and tell 'em to hang it up." Royce explained to The Boombox: "It was always a goal of mine to hopefully retire my father someday."
The Rich Lee-directed video opens with frustrated Eminem lounging on a messy room while attempting to write lyrics. Feeling trapped, he climbs down a ladder to an underground tunnel in hopes to escape his frustration. The same goes with his partner Royce. The Slaughterhouse is locked down somewhere behind bars counting down the day when he will finally be free again. He gets his hope up when finding a secret portal and taking a chance to explore it. At the end of their dark path, both of them find a clearing with thousands of floating lanterns lighting up the sky.
While the Detroit rappers get cinematic scene of finding a path to escape their troubles, Mars simply sits behind a piano playing it and crooning the hook. The Grammy-winning singer once told MTV that the video has an underlying message which will "leave fans inspired." As Mars sings the bridge, the two rappers find their way out of the tunnels and finally get their sky full of lighters after going through a long, dark path. The video was met with positive reception for its positive and inspirational message: leave the dark and negative behind and move toward the glowing and positive.

Bruno Mars Monkeys Around In "The Lazy Song"

After breaking out as a solo artist with elaborate videos for "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade," Bruno Mars appropriately dials back with the help of five monkey-masked companions in the cheeky clip for "The Lazy Single," the third proper single from the Honolulu born multi-instrumentalist's debut studio album, "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" that captured the laid-back groove.
Musically, "The Lazy Song" displays influences of roots reggae and jawaiian music with elements of pop and R&B. The song has a moderate reggae beat and it humorously kicks reality out the door for a romanticized view of a day in which the protagonist will not do anything. This song is basically about how the 25-year-old singer doesn't want to do anything except sit around and be lazy. The song features the sunny, stress-free Hawaiian sound that Mars grew up with, and is about taking time to relax. Even the instrumentation emphasizes this, with a single upbeat guitar riff, spare drumming and not much else, save for Mars' relaxed, golden crooning rising above the rhythms.
The idea is, as Mars says, to "let everything hang loose," even if that first lazy day stretches into another, and another. He explained where the track came from: "That song just came out of the studio. We were trying to make a song that was better than the Beatles. We were trying to be magical and historic. After five hours, it all turned to rubbish. The frustration got to me and I said, 'Today I don't feel like doing anything at all.' That opened up everyone's eyes. When you're overshooting, you get the worst work. When you're relaxed, you have your best. I'm a light kind of guy."
The plot for the video is simplistic, but extremely random and also somewhat entertaining. Directed by Nez, the video features Poreotics disguised as monkeys. The whole video is one shot of Mars singing in a bedroom and his crew of monkey-masked homeboys dancing and goofing off at his house, ditching whatever responsibilities they've got in the clip. It's a thrifty offering, yet what it lacks in budget is made up for in fun; Mars and the boys thought up some pretty zany choreography and do it all in one unbroken camera shot.

Bruno Mars Trips Out In His "Liquor Store Blues"

The "Grenade" hitmaker Bruno Mars is back with a new single and video that once again tackles the more depressing issues in is life. The issue this time around is buried deep at the bottom of a liquor bottle. In any case, the pop crooner is ready to drown his sorrows in a tall glass of alcohol in his new "Liquor Store Blues" video. Alongside reggae man Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, Mars aims to "get messed up today" in hopes that he'll "be okay tomorrow." Oddly enough, the video plays more like a hazy marijuana ad than one for getting tipsy, with Marley rapping about being "high as Superman" and shouting out pineapple kush as they spend the entire four minutes in a smoked out-psychedelic room.
This reggae-tinged jam takes more of Caribbean vibe, about a fed up guy finding solace in drink, is the second single taken from his debut album, "Doo-Wops & Hooligans." Mars told 4Music: "Being from Hawaii, the Marleys are royalty. Damien is incredible and he's got the talent to back it up. He's not riding his fathers fame. He's the truth. I thought it would be a dream come true if I could get one of my idols to be on this song." The track has a great vibe, even though it suggests getting wasted to forget your problems. This is an interesting time for Mars to release the video of this song. The song insinuates drinking and drugs to help you forget your pain. Yes, nothing like a laid back track about getting wasted, especially after he just got slapped with probation for drug possession in a Las Vegas court last month.
Rising Hawaiian superstar's day is pretty much sucking at life and he's ready to screw it all by getting a little–well, a lot–wasted. The psychedelic video features the dynamic duo singing the song side by side against colorful background as plumes of smoke waft across the screen. It's kinda trippy as the graphics flow between different colors and randomly changing images, smoky affair that seems to swirl constantly throughout song as Mars and Marley go in and out of focus. The reggae tune is actually has a laid back vibe that people like. It will be interesting to hear what everyone has to say about the video for "Liquor Store Blues" and the curious timing for its release.
It's better if you don't understand; just listen and have a good time. That's the response Mars will give you with a smile when asked to describe his sound and music. The 25-year-old Grammy-award winner would much rather sing, perform, and write his songs than talk about them, but that is becoming more and more unavoidable these days. Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic, however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior. He makes one thing clear: "It's not an overnight success."

Bruno Mars Left Heartbroken With "Grenade"

"I want to bring the emotion to life," Bruno Mars looked all sorts of gloomy in his piano-pushing video for "Grenade," the official second single from his debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," which was released October 4. If you thought Mars was just about happy, cheerful pop songs, "Grenade" is your wake-up call. He has been wronged, and now he's telling the tale. This immaculately constructed pop song takes its place among the great break-up songs. The 25-year-old Hawaii born singer-songwriter brings class back to music and cements his position as the top new artist of 2010.
The midtempo ballad is classic pop song construction with romantic depth. With a soulful voice and even more harmonious tunes, one man has captured the hearts of girls everywhere. The reviewers praising the vocals and emotional lyrics of the heartbreak song. Lyrically, the "Grenade" contains masochistic themes and tells the story of heartbreak caused by a failed relationship. Although the new track begins rather calmly, it gathers steam in no time, as its pulsating, synthesized beats gradually crescendo to a climax. As the music builds, Mars's voice and emotions build to a similarly furious apex, as he recounts the painful story of how one girl broke his heart in spite of his best efforts.
It's not only men who can be lousy and uncaring in a romantic relationship, and Mars knows that. He's a born romantic who has had his heart stomped flat. He is so desperate to impress his hard-to-please girl on this song, that he assures her he would catch a grenade for her, along with other assorted foolhardy acts. He said the original inspiration for this track came from a songwriter friend of his, Benny Blanco, "I started writing my version, basically. It's a heartbreaking, heartbreak song, and I think everyone can relate to that. You're so in love with this woman and you don't understand, 'What am I doing wrong? What am I not giving to you? I'll go as far as putting as putting a bullet in my brain for you, and why can't I get that kind of love in return?'"
On his website he wrote "The song is about loving someone so deeply, and the pain of knowing that the person you love does not feel the same. The actions in this video serve as a metaphor, and should not be taken literally." Mars wants to explode like a "Grenade" in Nabil-directed video. He works hard all the way to win the heart of his love interest, dragging a heavy piano through the streets of Los Angeles only to find her in the arms of another man. Instead of throwing rants, he quietly drags the piano back with him and ends up alone and frustrated in a railway. As the light flashes and the horn sends loud voice, a train is speeding into his direction before everything turns into black. It is sort of sad, really. Mars explained, "The concept of the video is my struggle, to tell his girl I'd do anything for her, so I'm going as far as dragging a piano to get to her just so I can sing my heart out."
With "Grenade," Mars further distances himself from his smoove-crooning contemporaries, and he does it simply by being real. Really dramatic, really emotional, really clever. This one's a winner, even if, at the end of it, Mars has lost everything. That's the price you pay for falling in love.

Bruno Mars wows his lady 'Just the Way You Are'

It's almost fall, which means it's almost snuggle weather, which means you need a good snuggling song and a video to go along with it. Elektra recording artist Bruno Mars has just released a creative video on MTV for his mid-tempo love song "Just The Way You Are," the lead single from his upcoming debut album, "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" in stores on October 5th! Mars is in the process of making the transition from a well-known singer into a full-fledged superstar. In his new video, Mars serenades a beautiful girl and makes pretty cool art out of a cassette tape.
The Hawaiian-born and Filipino-Puerto Rican singer is substantially famous for disposition his vocals and co-writing to the manus for songs same "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B and "Billionaire" by Travies McCoy. The scion of a Honolulu-based musical family, Mars grew up surrounded by a wide array of diverse sounds, spanning reggae, R&B, folk, and 1950s-era rock 'n' roll. Upon graduation from high school Mars headed to Los Angeles where he teamed up with Lawrence and Levine as The Smeezingtons. The trio quickly became one of the most in-demand production/songwriting teams in modern music, with a streak of major hits for such diverse artists as Flo Rida, Cobra Starship, Sugababes, Sean Kingston, Brandy, and Justin Bieber.
"Just The Way You Are," starts out with some beautiful, cascading Beach Boys harmonies, before segueing into a drums-and-piano-driven mid-tempo love song. The highlight is obviously Mars' delicate voice, which contains the same emotional resonance he brought to McCoy and B.o.B's singles. Mars told MTV News that the project was a collection of "songs in my back pocket and the label thought it'd be a good time to give people a little taste of what they're gonna get with the album. The EP came together real nice; you're gonna get a nice effect of what's in store."
Mars' romantic chorus on the B.o.B-led hit "Nothin' on You" isn't the last of his sweet lyrics. Sporting a feathered fedora, denim jacket and a smile, the 23-year-old singer/songwriter charms viewers in the stripped-down video, which was directed by Ethan Lader and inspired by the artwork of Erika Iris Simmons, and it uses animation to exemplify Mars' adoration for his lady. Taking a cassette, Mars stretches out the tape inside to reveal animated interpretations of his lyrics. From a flattering drawing of his lady to a mock-up of the singer himself behind a piano, the concept is eye-catching.
Not only is Mars' video a sweet paean to love, but it's a musical history lesson. It's been decades since cassette tapes have been used for music. So Mars finds a suave way to use the retro tech in the clip, yanking out the tape to draw pictures of his love interest. The piano is really awesome, as is the portrait of his girl with the hair made out of cassette tape. That could catch on as a way to recycle any remaining cassette tapes: make wigs out of them. The video is just as sweet as the track itself–currently No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. And the multi-talented singer/songwriter has one more reason to celebrate: He's just been added as a performer at this weekend's 2010 MTV Video Music Awards!