#OnRepeat: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk"

This week's #OnRepeat is a song that has probably been on replay in your cars, phones and sound systems for weeks now, but it should be mentioned because of the potential for where music could possibly--and should--head within the next several years: Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' song, "Uptown Funk".

Mark Ronson is an English producer who has collaborated with Bruno Mars before on songs such as "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Moonshine". The whole album, titled Uptown Special, is a list of collaborations, each one better and funkier then the next. It includes names such as Stevie Wonder and even the rapper, Mystikal. 

"Uptown Funk" has so many different influences embedded in the music itself. Some of these influences include The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache", Zapp & Roger's "More Bounce to the Ounce", The Gap Band's "Oops Upside Your Head", Earth Wind & Fire's "Getaway", The Sequence's "Funk You Up", George Kranz's "Din Daa Daa / Trommeltanz", among many others. In case you haven't heard of some of these bands, I'll go ahead and leave some of the music videos below for a couple of these songs so it can get you started on your own musical discovery (i.e. Youtube and internet search):


Zapp & Rogers "More Bounce to the Ounce"

George Kranz's "Din Daa Daa / Trommeltanz"

Earth Wind & Fire's "Getaway"

Now that I've given you some clear musical influence examples to listen to, take a listen to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk" below. Subtle things such as bass lines, horn parts and riffs,  playing with the synthesizer and chanting--all things present in the examples above--are present in "Uptown Funk". The influences are arranged together in an attention-grabbing way, along with light-hearted, playful lyrics and Mars stylistic vocals to produce something that pays homage to what's come before while still trying to take a couple steps towards the future; all the while making you want to get up and dance along with the guys in the video.

The song "Uptown Funk" has a vibe that is hip and funky. I'm not sure if Ronson and Mars knew what they were starting when they created this jam--matter of fact, they probably just wanted to make good music--but this song makes me excited to see what musicians, bands and producers come up with in coming years. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do and if anyone has any new songs, artists or bands to check out, let me know in the comments below!