Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk

I don’t get it.

Tim: In case you don’t know the story: this has been around a while in America and most other countries, but as is typical the UK had to wait a while, initially until mid-January. Soon-to-be X Factor finalist Fleur East performed it on Saturday night, though (despite Simon’s apparent reluctance to go with an unknown song) and to say it was well-received would be quite the understatement. The performance was at number one on iTunes later that evening, and within 36 hours, mid-January changed to ‘as soon as bloody possible’. So here it is.

Tim: Thing is… I don’t get it.

Tom: Well, Mark Ronson’s got a fine line in producing records like this (Amy Winehouse’s version of Valerie, for example), and it’s a good example of his style.

Tim: It is, I suppose, and admittedly I’ve yet to be enthused by the disco/funk semi-revival of the past eighteen months or so anyway, but not even this gets me. The whole track leaves me pretty much entirely cold, and I found Fleur’s performance a little bit tedious.

Tom: There are a few parts that really work for me: that middle eight with the ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’ rhythm; that build into the chorus that sounds like Avicii’s about to drop something massive; and the final chorus, which is basically everything that’s good about that disco/funk revival.

Tim: Yes. The Bruno Mars version has been number one on iTunes since its release, Fleur’s performance has yet to drop out of the top ten, and it’s second only to whoever eventually wins X Factor in the Christmas number one odds. So is it just me?

Tom: It’s not just you — but I can see why this is popular, and I can even see myself liking it after a few more listens. It ain’t that bad.