Uptown Funk: The Music Sheet
Contents
A comprehensive guide to the music sheet for Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. Includes a detailed analysis of the song’s structure, instrumentation and lyrical content.
Introduction
Uptown Funk is a song by English record producer Mark Ronson from his fourth studio album, Uptown Special (2015), featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. The song peaked at number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and 19 other countries.
The Making of Uptown Funk
The making of Uptown Funk started with a simple idea: to create a fun and catchy song that would get people moving. The song was written by Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, and Jeff Bhasker, and produced by Ronson. The song was recorded in 2014 at Mars’ studio in Los Angeles.
The song’s conception
Uptown Funk was conceived by Jeff Bhasker, who was brought in by Ronson to help the latter produce Williams’ album. The song was written by Ronson, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Bhasker. Reportedly, they wrote the song in 60 minutes while jamming together in Mars’ studio in the Unorthodox Jukebox recording sessions. Ronson came up with its name when he envisioned a music video where people danced on top of cars.Mars used similar videos as inspiration while writing the song and hoped his cool, late-night feel would convey that kind of atmosphere.
The track was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in 2014, with Jimmy Napes assisting on additional keyboards. Sampling 1970s funk and 1980s hip hop songs such as The Gap Band’s “Oops Upside Your Head”, Zapp’s “More Bounce to the Ounce” and Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di”, it features repetitive horn stabs similar to those used in James Brown’s “The Payback” and Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It)”.
The song’s recording
In August 2014, Ronson and Mars were in the studio recording when they invited then-unknown artist Bruno Mars to sing on the track. When recording the song, Ronson asked producer Jeff Bhasker to give him “a sixties Motown vibe” while Mars asked for “a seventies groove”. The result was a song with horns, percussion, and a funky bass line. The horns were recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood by the Section Quartet. In September 2014, Ronson revealed that he originally wanted American rapper Snoop Dogg or British rapper Dizzee Rascal to feature on the track; however, their schedules could not allow it.
The song’s release and commercial success
“Uptown Funk” was commercially unsuccessful upon its release, failing to enter any major music charts worldwide. It was, however, streamed over two million times in the week after its release on YouTube and Spotify, becoming Ronson’s most streamed song at the time. In the United States, “Uptown Funk” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 on the week ending 15 November 2014. The following week, it peaked at number three on the Hot 100 for the chart dated 29 November 2014, making it Ronson’s first top five single as a lead artist in that country. In doing so, “Uptown Funk” knocked Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” off the number-three position. It also became Mars’ eleventh top ten hit in the United States and fourth as a lead artist (and Ronson’s fourth).
The song also spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100—the longest reign for a single since Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”. On 12 January 2015, Billboard announced that “Uptown Funk” would spend its 14th consecutive week atop the Billboard Hot 100—tying Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, which spent 14 non-consecutive weeks atop in 2002 and 2003, as the sixth-longest-leading hip hop song in history. The same day, Nielsen SoundScan confirmed that “Uptown Funk” had sold 3,449,000 digital copies in the United States during 2014; it was ranked as that year’s second best selling song overall just behind Swift’s “Shake It Off”. By 6 February 2015,”Uptown Funk” had become Mars’ longest-charting single on the Hot 100 and Ronson’s second longest after Bruno Mars featuring B.o.B with “Nothin’ on You”, which spent 20 weeks on charts between April and September 2010—it eventually peaked at number one for seven consecutive weeks. On 7 February 2015,”Uptown Funk” topped both of Billboardmain streaming charts: it became Ronson’s first number one on Streaming Songs with 16.7 million streams (up 150 percent from previous week), while also topping Digital Songs for an eighth non-consecutive week with 311,000 copies sold (up 24 percent).
The Music of Uptown Funk
The sheet music for “Uptown Funk” was released on December 7, 2014, by Mark Ronson and featuring Bruno Mars. The music was composed by Jeff Bhasker, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, and Philip Lawrence. The sheet music is for piano, vocal, and guitar. “Uptown Funk” is in the key of D Minor with a tempo of 115 beats per minute.
The song’s structure
“Uptown Funk” is structured in verse-chorus form, with a rap break in between each chorus, and a breakdown following the second chorus. The song opens with a four-measure intro, which features a horn section and synth percussion. The first verse is eight measures long and is followed by a six-measure bridge. The chorus is eight measures long and comprises two four-measure phrases. The second verse is eight measures long, while the rap break and breakdown are both four measures each. The final chorus repeats the earlier material.
The song’s instrumentation
“Uptown Funk” is an upbeat disco-funk song that features brass instrumentation. The song contains a horn section with a prominent groove. The bassline consists of a line played on electric bass, while the drums feature a funky clavinet sound. The song also features synth stabs and a cowbell.
The song’s vocals
Uptown Funk is an uptempo funk-pop and soul song written by Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Philip Lawrence, and Jeff Bhasker. The song was released on November 10th, 2014 as the lead single from Ronson’s fourth studio album, Uptown Special. The song features vocals from Mars.
The song’s vocals areTest
delivered in a “retro” style inspired by past funk musicians such as James Brown and Stevie Wonder. The song also contains elements of hip hop and new jack swing. The instrumentation consists of simple 808 drum beats, horn stabs, and hand claps.
Conclusion
Uptown Funk is a popular song by Bruno Mars. The song was released in 2014 and became an instant hit. It topped the charts in many countries and has been certified platinum in several countries. The song has a catchy beat and is very danceable. It is also unique in that it features rap lyrics, which are not often found in pop songs.
