The best-selling male singer-songwriter since 2010!
Hailing from Hawaii, Bruno Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2003, eventually setting up songwriting and production collective The Smeezingtons in 2009.
His first release, Nothin’ on You was a #1 hit tune, a co-write with rapper B.o.B, Bruno also sang on it but it wasn’t released under his name.
His next tune, Billionaire was not released under his own name either, even though Bruno did sing on it as well. Instead, it was Travie McCoy who took the glory.
Billionaire reached the top ten in 14 countries, grabbing the top spot in 3 of them.
The third tune Bruno release just before his debut was Forget You, this time he doesn’t even sing, it’s CeeLo Green who gets to enjoy the success. With over six million copies sold in the U.S. alone and clearly one of the tunes of the year, maybe even the decade, perhaps he should have kept it for himself!
Having three worldwide hits must have been enough evidence that it was time to do this in his own name. 2010 sees the release of Doo-Wops & Hooligans, with the lead singles Just The Way You Are and Marry You standing out as the two best tunes.
Just The Way You Are went to #1 in 11 countries, and is still Mars’s most played tune. Marry You went to #1 in five countries, it’s also been picked up by wedding bands the world over, this tends to give a song legacy like nothing else.
As an album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans sold 15 million copies and was praised by the media for similarities to Michael Jackson and Jason Mraz which I agree is a good way to describe Bruno in general.
His next album came two years later in Unorthodox Jukebox. This is perhaps his best known, although sales figures were lower than the debut.
I reckon this may be down to that by 2012, fewer albums were sold and a quick look at Spotify confirms my suspicion as tunes from Unorthodox Jukebox’s tunes do have more plays.
The two main singles here that have become part of the public consciousness and made their way to every covers band’s set list are Locked Out Of Heaven and Treasure.
When I Was Your Man also did very well as a single although it hasn’t been picked up by every working band out there as the two aforementioned tunes did.
In 2014, Bruno collaborated with Mark Ronson to release Uptown Funk, another huge tune that, yet again, gets picked up by all bands that play parties. In the charts, it went to #1 in 19 countries!
Two years later, in 2016, Bruno drops 24K Magic and the lead single is a worldwide hit, it’s also picked up by most bands, perhaps regretfully as the lyrics and chords are so complex. No other hit tunes appeared on this album.
In 2021, the latest Bruno Mars album, An Evening With Silk Sonic appears. Here we get the ballad Leave The Door Open, this one is picked up by some bands but didn’t reach the #1 spot in as many countries as Bruno was used to by now.
Silk Sonic is a collaboration with Anderson Paak, a singer/rapper/drummer who previously worked with Andre 3000, the man behind Hey Ya!
Since his debut album, Bruno Mars has sold 130 million records which has to be seen in the light of its time to be fully appreciated.
Who buys albums post-2010, the year Bruno released his debut, and four years after Spotify put the activity of buying albums into the history books?
Apart from the 130 million who bought Bruno Mars tunes, not many!
Bruno Mars Tunes | Related Pages
24K Magic
You can learn how to play 24K Magic by Bruno Mars using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Fm9 | Cm7 | Dbmaj7 | Gm7b5 C7#9 |
Tonight, I just want to take you higher…
Forget You
You can learn how to play Forget You by Cee Lo Green and Bruno Mars using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| C (G A) | D (D E) |
I see you driving ’round town with the girl I love…
Leave The Door Open
You can learn how to play Leave The Door Open by Silk Sonic using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Fmaj7 |
What you doing? (What you doing?). Where you at? (Where you at?)…
Locked out of Heaven
You can learn how to play Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm |
Never had much faith in love or miracles (oh)…
Marry You
You can learn how to play Marry You by Bruno Mars using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| F | F | Gm | Gm |
It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do…
Treasure
You can learn how to play Treasure by Bruno Mars using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Abmaj7 Gm7 | Fm7 |
Give me your, give me your, give me your attention, baby…
Uptown Funk
You can learn how to play Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Dm7 | G7 G9 |
Doh. Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh…
Bruno Mars on the web
Artists & Bands
Behind every single tune you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalogue of music, waiting to be discovered.
Find out more about these great Artists & Bands, and let their tunes guide you to success.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Bruno Mars tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
