Uptown Funk Celebrates 10th Anniversary
‘Uptown Funk’ was released on November 10th, 2014 and soon after dominated global airwaves, streaming and charts enjoying unprecedented worldwide success.
Written by Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Jeff Bhasker and Phillip Lawrence and produced by Mark, Bruno, and Jeff, ‘Uptown Funk’ delivered a sound like no other.
Mark had previously produced 3 tracks for Bruno Mars’ 2nd album ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ and they wanted to work together again. They later enjoyed a studio jam with Jeff Bhasker that sowed the first seeds of what would become ‘Uptown Funk’.
“‘Uptown Funk’ remains one of the most meaningful musical experiences of my life,” Mark reflects. “Creating it in a jam with Bruno, Jeff, and Phil and then spending seven months refining every detail was a true labour of love. Performing it live on SNL is a memory I’ll always cherish. Now, watching how the song has taken on a life of its own—from clubs to weddings to graduations—I’m genuinely moved by the joy it seems to bring to people. I’m endlessly grateful to Trinidad James for sparking that initial inspiration and to my brothers Bruno, Jeff, and Phil for pouring their heart and brilliance into it.”
The stylish video, directed by Bruno Mars and Cameron Duddy, was released on November 17th, filmed on a New York City backlot created in a Hollywood Studio. On November 22nd, Mark and Bruno performed ‘Uptown Funk’ live for the first time on Saturday Night Live.
From then on records were broken around the world.
‘Uptown Funk’ topped the charts in 19 countries and was top 10 in 15 others. It spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and 7 weeks at #1 in the UK where it broke its own streaming record 3 times. It also broke US and global streaming records.
The song has received numerous awards and accolades including:
BRIT Award )2015) British Single of the Year
GRAMMY Award (2016) – Record of the Year
GRAMMY Award (2016) – Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
BMI (2015) -Pop Song of the Year
iHeart Radio Music Awards (2016)- Collaboration of the Year
MTV Video Music Awards )2015)- Best Male Video
Soul Train Music Awards (2015)- Song & Video of the Year
APRA Music Awards (2016)- International Work of the Year
In the UK ‘Uptown Funk’ is 10x Platinum and in the US 11x Platinum while the latest global streams are 1.2billion.