Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Music Video

Bruno Mars releases a new music video for his song “Uptown Funk.” The video features cameos from celebrities like Mark Ronson, Questlove, and Doug E. Fresh.

Introduction

“Uptown Funk” is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his fourth studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012). It was released as the album’s lead single on November 10, 2014. The song was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Jeff Bhasker, and Mark Ronson, and produced by Ronson. “Uptown Funk” narrowly topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks before being unseated by Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again”, making it the second-longest-running number-one song of 2015. The single went on to spend fourteen weeks in the top ten and thirty-nine weeks altogether on the Hot 100, while also topping charts in the United Kingdom and numerous other countries around the world. The song won two Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

The music video for “Uptown Funk” was filmed in December 2014 and released on January 5, 2015. It features Mars and his band The Hooligans dancing along streets in various cities around America while being tailed by a blue convertible driven by actor James Brown. On January 27, 2015, it became the most watched YouTube video of all time with over 1.5 billion views, surpassing Psy’s “Gangnam Style”, which had held that position for nearly three years. As of February 2021, it has received over four billion views.

The making of the music video

The “Uptown Funk” music video was a collaboration between Bruno Mars and director Mark Ronson. The video was shot in Los Angeles over the course of two days. Over one hundred extras were used in the video, which was choreographed by Fatima Robinson.

The concept

The video is a throwback to the 1980s, and was inspired by old school rap videos, classic 80s TV shows, and movies such as Scarface. The video features Mars and his band, The Hooligans, as they strut their stuff down the street.

There are also a number of cameo appearances from celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and former NFL player Deion Sanders.

The cast

The video features a diverse cast of over twenty professional dancers and several children. The adult dancers include men and women of various ages, races, sizes, and body types. Some of the children are tap dancers, while others are breakdancers. The video opens with a group of children tap dancing in a circle. This is followed by shots of the different dancers performing various dance moves. intercut with footage of Mars singing the song.

At one point in the video, Mars is seen performing with a group of female dancers in ’80s-style clothing. In another scene, he is surrounded by breakdancers while he sings the song’s opening lyrics. The video ends with all of the dancers performing together in a choreographed routine.

The locations

The music video for Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” was filmed in various locations around Los Angeles, California. The majority of the video was filmed on a soundstage, with the set being designed to look like a street in the city. Other locations used in the video include an auto body shop, a barber shop, and a record store.

The release of the music video

Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” music video was released on November 19, 2014. The video features Mars and his band performing in various locations around New York City. The video was directed by Mars’ longtime collaborator Blake Lewis and was produced by Mars’ production company, Shampoo Press & Curl.

The reaction

The release of the music video was met with positive reception. The video features Mars and his band, The Hooligans, dancing and performing in various locations throughout New York City. Many critics praised the video for its choreography, creativity, and Mars’ performance.

The success

“Uptown Funk” was an immediate commercial success upon its release. In the United States, the song debuted at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 8, 2014. The following week it reached number one, where it remained for fourteen consecutive weeks, becoming both Mars’ and Ronson’s first US number-one single as solo artists. It also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks. Internationally, “Uptown Funk” peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan (for three weeks), Lebanon (for nineteen weeks), Netherlands (for twenty-one weeks), New Zealand (for eleven weeks), Poland, Scotland (for eight weeks), Slovakia and South Africa; as well as the Euro Digital Songs chart.

Conclusion

The “Uptown Funk” music video is a classic example of Bruno Mars’ eclectic style. The video features a mix of old-school and contemporary elements, with a focus on Bruno Mars’ timeless dance moves. The video is a fun, energetic performance that is sure to get viewers moving.