How to explain the popularity of "Uptown Funk"?

1 Walk The Dinosaur (Single Version) 3:48
2 Walk The Dinosaur (Club Remix Edit) 3:42
3 Walk The Dinosaur (Funky Goomba Remix) 6:14
4 Walk The Dinosaur (Goomba Dub Mix) 4:14

"I Gotta Feeling" is actually a really helpful non-obvious point of comparison, not just for length but also the sense that it's not immediately apparent what is the key hook

In a song that's all about anticipation (and basically only ever played at one point in the evening), surely it's instantly apparent what the key hook is? I still kinda think you could replace the boshing bits with virtually any EDM pop at the right tempo and no one would really care, as long as you also gave them the opportunity to sing the "let's do it" bit right at the end.

i like "i got a feeling" specifically for the fact that it rhymes "mazeltov" with "take it off"

You are literally the only non-lame person I have ever met who has admitted to that.

"i gotta feeling" is horse trash

i always thought it's funny that black eyed peas use "i gotta feeling" to close their shows

I've always suspected that Black Eyed Peas wrote "I Gotta Feeling" after a run of bar and bat mitzvahs will.i.am attended. He probably eyed all these rich and powerful LA industry friends and their children and the wheels started spinning in his head like a slot machine.

IMO this song is a stunning parade of signifiers and catchy as hell, deserves its success, but like crocodile rock of someone dismisses it as mindless ersatz bubblegum all I can say I don't hate that on principle.

I like this song, I mean of course I like the original 80s bounce stuff it co-opts a lot better but so what really....I can like both.

I will admit this is one of those songs people tend to beat into the ground quickly though - can't escape it lately.

It's not nearly as annoying as "Happy," that's for sure, not least because Pharrell's phalsetto sucks and Bruno's funk yelp is pretty on-point. I actually haven't heard it out and about so much, and my wife had somehow never heard it at all until yesterday. But my kids sure know it.

the thing I hate about "Happy" is shitting on it gets you a side-eye like you just ate somebody's beloved pet

"It's called 'Happy', do you hate the sun too?"

hard to drive when its blaring in my eyes iirc

i like "happy" loads more now that it's not fucking everywhere

You are literally the only non-lame person I have ever met who has admitted to that.

― Matt DC, Saturday, 21 March 2015 10:28 (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

....thanks?

really good post dr. c

I've really come to love a lot about this song, even - or maybe especially? - the build, because unlike all these half-assed EDM clowns like Calvin Harris, Zedd or Avicii or whomever, it doesn't just build to some louder, wall-to-wall amplification of already established lazy minor key riff, it builds to this totally ecstatic horn chart that actually, per Avicii, lifts you up, not in a pat bite-your-lower-lip-in-anticipation way, but in an honest to goodness celebration of upbeat release. I did end up making a mix for the family of many of the aforementioned "Uptown Funk" ingredients and influences, and darned if I'm not happy to head back to "UF" again when they get tired of Earth Wind & Fire. Though hilariously, my younger one has been walking around the house singing her own mash-up of "Uptown Funk," "Ladies Night" and "Walk the Dinosaur."

It's also better than "Crocodile Rock."

I remember when bounce was young

I unreservedly love Crocodile Rock

As you'd expect, I've heard Uptown Funk quite a lot at this point, but somehow every time I try to remember how it goes Young Guns (Go For It) pops into my head instead.

I haven't tired of it yet.

is there a spotify playlist of that mix you made josh? anyone done one with the influences listed here yet?

I haven't tired of hating it yet. Eventually I do.

Clem, do you listen to the acts the song alludes to? No ulterior motive in the question. I can understand loking The Time and Gap Band and not a pastiche.

I have some albums that I would have played once. As I acknowledged in my initial post, I'm not a fan of funk in general. But there's '80s stuff I like: "Word Up," "Crazay," a few Prince songs of course. Even as an outsider, though, "Uptown Funk" strikes me as this really bad and bombastic imitation, tantamount to having someone get right up beside me and yell in my ear for four minutes. I'll be interested to see how people feel about five or ten years down the road.

Most Embarrassing Pazz & Jop Top 3 Singles 2004-1979

I don't do Spotify, but I essentially used what that Billboard article mentioned, plus "Ladies Night," "Living in America" and "Walk the Dinosaur."

I do think songs like this are helpful in recognizing how relevant production is as much as arrangements. That is, you hear tons of songs in this, but this song, just by dint of being 2015, sounds totally different. Which is one reason my kids looked at me funny when I said this sounded like any of those other songs. Yeah, it sounds like them, but it doesn't really sound like them.

I'll be interested to see how people feel about five or ten years down the road.

Ha, come on, man. Try five months. But hit singles aren't necessarily built to last, they are built to hit. That said, I'm not sure what time traveling this one does that "Treasure" did not, though I do think this one is sharper.

"Treasure" always sounded good whenever I heard it somewhere. There was also some time traveling of a different sort in "When I Was Your Man," with that Otis Redding or whatever the heck that beautiful thing was that happened in the bridge.

(xpost) Yes and no. Whatever they're built for, the best singles last.

Hmm, I dunno. It's splitting hairs, but I think the best songs last. The best singles are not always the best songs, imo.

Add "New Sensation" to the list of potential influences.

a few Prince songs of course.

just a few?!

In terms of his funk side, yeah, just a few; I much prefer poppier stuff like "Raspberry Beret" and "Mountains," and I wasn't really including those. I think the least funkiest guy in the world should voluntarily remove himself from this thread.

oh I see your distinction

would love to see morris day/the time (or other old funkateers) getting some extra bookings on the back of this song.

esp as ronson thanked them during his brits speech

agree

i'm guessing there'll be plenty of opportunities to do performances of this w/ guest stars at award shows over the next year, would be surprised if they don't do something like that at least once

honestly it would be smart for Ronson, if he ever has to tour or a TV appearance when Bruno isn't free, to straight up have Morris Day or someone like that just do all the lead vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWhiND2qhZU

No longer #1:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6531861/wiz-khalifa-see-you-again-no-1-hot-100

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BElb7a1CYAIY2N4.jpg

lollll i was just thinking last week that if there was any dark horse out there it'd be the love theme from furious 7

doubted maroon 5's "uptown lite funk" or either of the 50 shades love themes would topple it as all are in maturity as pop hits

Morris Day + Time + "Living in America" >>>>> "I'll Be Missin' You."

yes but dear god man it's been more than 3 months of "Hooray For 80s funk-pop" let people enjoy their paul walker memorial vid

have you seen that tribute? really gets across what an enduring hottie we lost.

this might be the most baffling bit of trivia in that article for me

Flo Rida's "Right Round" holds the record for most weekly downloads sold: 636,000 (Feb. 28, 2009).

i know they have no motivation to do it but i do wish the streaming songs chart could distinguish between people on spotify yearning to hear wiz khalifa rap about brotherhood and people on youtube yearning to see paul walker's beautiful eyes one more time

though I guess the "On-Demand Songs" chart somewhat gets that distinction across as its strictly songs played and requested on streaming radio, and wiz is #1 there too