It's like a high-speed chase through the best radio station of 1984, but with better drums.
A high-stakes blend of neon-lit euphoria and gritty, late-night desperation.
Released in late 2012, Unorthodox Jukebox represents Bruno Mars's pivotal transition from the 'nice guy' persona of his debut to a more complex, musically adventurous artist. Produced primarily by The Smeezingtons alongside heavyweights like Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, and Diplo, the album is a stylistic kaleidoscope. It famously draws heavy inspiration from The Police (on 'Locked Out of Heaven') and Wham! (on 'Treasure'), while also exploring darker, more explicit lyrical territory in tracks like 'Gorilla' and 'Money Make Her Smile'. The recording process was intentionally diverse, utilizing legendary spaces like Daptone Studios to capture a gritty, live-instrumentation feel. Critically, it was lauded for its craftsmanship and vocal performances, though some noted its disparate styles as a 'jukebox' approach. It solidified Mars as a dominant force in pop, eventually reaching 6x Platinum status and winning Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Grammy Awards.
Put this on for
Neon signs blurring past the passenger window at midnightThat specific silence when the radio plays your ex's favorite songFloorboards vibrating under a crowded house party dancefloorLast call at a velvet-curtained lounge where the air is thickSunlight hitting the dashboard during a solo coastal driveMirror pep-talk while getting ready for a high-stakes night outEmpty whiskey glass on a piano lid after everyone else left
Moments worth waiting for
The sharp, staccato guitar upstrokes and breathy vocal grunts that open Locked Out of Heaven.
The cinematic transition into the explosive, heavy-hitting drum fill during the chorus of Gorilla.
The stripped-back, heartbreaking piano vulnerability that carries the entirety of When I Was Your Man.
Sounds like
2012s production with a 2010s soul
Sits beside
FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake, Random Access Memories - Daft Punk, The 20/20 Experience - Justin Timberlake, V - Maroon 5
Lyrical territory
love_romantic, love_lost, storytelling
03Deviation
Unorthodox Jukebox · vs · Bruno Mars
Artist
This Album
Love_romantic
Lyrics · ↓ −23% less than usual
On this album, love_romantic sits about 23% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
