Written by: Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Jeff Bhasker, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy, Charles Wilson, Robert Wilson, Ronnie Wilson, Rudolph Taylor and Lonnie Simmons Produced by: Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker and Bruno Mars Album: Uptown Special UK release: November 2014 UK chart peak: 1
It’s odd that this is officially the second biggest song of the decade and yet it’s the one on this whole 100 Songs list that feels most like a ~wildcard. When it comes to huge globe-straddling hits, the ones that are inescapable on the radio and (let’s face it) usually sung by men talking about how masculine they are, I find it very easy to roll my eyes. I have to actively remind myself to pay attention to when the song is actually a proper banger.
Uptown Funk is one of those songs: Bruno Mars cements his position as one of the best male performers in the business right now, while Mark Ronson is on top of his game with a track that pays homage to the 80s whilst also, curiously, managing to slot perfectly into the soundscape of the mid-2010s. And it really was a massive smash. Fleur East’s impact!!
I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
