Mark Ronson admits Uptown Funk nearly abandoned after eight months drama
Mark Ronson has revealed the real story behind his global smash Uptown Funk, admitting it nearly ended in disaster after eight months of frustration and constant rewrites.
Joining Capital Breakfast this morning with Will Manning, who is standing in for Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby, Mark spoke about the tense studio sessions with Bruno Mars that almost derailed the track entirely.
“We made so many different versions of this song,” Mark told Will. “It had a chorus, then it didn’t. The real version doesn’t really have words, just the [hums tune].
“One day an old version came on in my iTunes and my wife said, ‘What the hell is that?’ I told her it was the original chorus, and she said, ‘You’re lucky that never made it.’”
Mark explained that Bruno Mars, who was touring at the time, eventually stepped in to make the final call. But the breakthrough came thanks to their collaborator Phil, who created the iconic beat about six months in.
“Every time we got together, we’d write a line or two, then annoy each other and someone would storm out saying, ‘I’m done with you and I’m done with this song!’ Then a couple of weeks later I’d ring them and say, ‘Wanna try again?’” Mark laughed.
Thankfully, the persistence paid off as Uptown Funk became one of the most-played songs of the last decade and topped charts worldwide.
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