For this week on Spotify, I decided to switch from my playlist to looking into the artist section. When I searched Bruno Mars, I noticed what his top 5 songs were. In order from first to last: “Die With a Smile”, “When I Was Your Man”, “Locked out of Heaven”, “Just the Way Your Are”, and “That’s What I Like”. Though I personally like each of these songs I wonder if I agree with the list based on popularity. I will dissect each song to determine this.
The song taking the number 1 spot, at no surprise to me, was “Die With a Smile”. I am not surprised that this is his most popular song on Spotify because it is sort of viral at the moment.This is the latest release by the artist alongside Lady Gaga. This is without a doubt a love song, as are many of Mars’ songs. In the song he is letting his love know that they are who he wants until the end. The chorus starts with “If the world was ending, I’d wanna be next to you”. He emphasizes this point by adding “So I’ma love you every night like it’s the last night”. This is one song I cannot manage to skip every time I hear it play.
The number 2 spot is held by “When I Was Your Man”. This song is one of his more depressing songs in my opinion because it is about a lost love instead of a present one. The piano music creates an almost haunting, melancholic vibe that prepares the audience for the sad words accompanying it.Whenever I have this song play on my playlist it puts me in a sad mood, almost to the verge of tears. It is relatable because I can imagine we have all at a time in our lives let a love get away. He closes the song saying “Do all the things I should have done/ When I was your man”, referencing the current partner of his lost love.
Number 3 is “Locked out of Heaven”. When I think of Bruno Mars this is not the first song to come to mind, however, I know the iconic chorus word for word. This is one of Mars’ more upbeat songs. The rhythm is one to make the audience get up and dance with its noticeable drums and guitar. From what I can decipher Mars is pleading with his presumable partner to stay because it is a feeling he wants to maintain. He says “Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days here” repeatedly, letting the listeners and the partner know he means it. This is not a Mars song that I usually listen to and that I reflected in the fact that it is not in any of my playlists.
The number 4 spot belongs to “Just the Way You Are”. I am actually surprised by this ranking because it is one of the songs I would list when asked about Mars’ discography. In this song Mars’ is discussing his partner again and all the things he loves about her. Giving meaning to the name “Just the Way You Are”, he continues to dedicate the song to his partner and says “When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change”. This happens to be one of the few songs by Mars that I know word for word. I would typically would put this song on a playlist centering the idea of love.
The last spot in the top 5 list is for “That’s What I Like”. This is another ranking I am surprised by but not as much as the number 4 ranking. As we have noted a trend in Mars’ work, this song is also about a presumed partner. The song is essentially an invitation to the partner to join him in his lifestyle so that he can shower her with what he has to offer. He maintains the idea that“You deserve it baby, you deserve it all/ And I’m gonna give it to you”. This is another one of his upbeat, happier sounding songs. This is the type of song that I would listen to when I am in a good mood.
Now all of this being said, do I agree with the ranking? I would say that I agree with the ranking of the top 2 spots only. I would shift “Locked out of Heaven” to the number 5 spot, making “Just the Way You Are” number 3 and “That’s What I Like” number 4. Though I did not agree with the current ranking, it did remind me of my love for Bruno Mars’ music- those songs in particular.
Written by: Ta’Liyah Wiley