Hey all

To me the music sounds like " Living in America", " Wanna be startin' somethin'", and " Oops upside the head" all mixed together during certain parts of the song.

Anyone else have a song or agree with mine.

It does reminds me of "Oops Upside Your Head" too. Especially at the "Uptown funk you/uptown funk you up" part.

starbelly said:

It does reminds me of "Oops Upside Your Head" too. Especially at the "Uptown funk you/uptown funk you up" part.

This just made me think of this

bop gun.....

[Edited 2/14/15 17:15pm]

I also hear Michael Jackson's "Jam" in it...

It has elements of many songs mentioned here and other threads. The horn section recalls Jam by MJ, the bassline screams Cameo as a whole funk style (not a specific song), but I think the flow (This hit the ice cold, Michelle Pffeifer...) sounds very rare to me. I hear people comparing UF to Jungle Love by The Time and I don't see that, the only thing that recalls The Time is the music video.

As mentioned The Horns from Jam by Michael And the guitar fom More Bounce To The Ounce (watered down)

First time I hard this track, this is what came to mind:

scs2000 said:

Hey all

To me the music sounds like " Living in America", " Wanna be startin' somethin'", and " Oops upside the head" all mixed together during certain parts of the song.

Anyone else have a song or agree with mine.

BINGO!! It's the first song that came to mind when I first heard this Bruno cut

LiveToTell86 said:

I also hear Michael Jackson's "Jam" in it...

It's the horn part, it has a similar rhythm.

It sounds like Zapp to me.

It sounds like a funk-lite band borrowed elements from tracks funkier than their own and played them at the same time.

JamFanHot said:

First time I hard this track, this is what came to mind:

Ooh, that's even closer.

terrig said:

starbelly said:

It does reminds me of "Oops Upside Your Head" too. Especially at the "Uptown funk you/uptown funk you up" part.

This just made me think of this

bop gun.....

Shouldn't that specific line just remind you all of The Sequence "funk, you, right on up, funk you right on up"

Shawy89 said:

It has elements of many songs mentioned here and other threads. The horn section recalls Jam by MJ, the bassline screams Cameo as a whole funk style (not a specific song), but I think the flow (This hit the ice cold, Michelle Pffeifer...) sounds very rare to me. I hear people comparing UF to Jungle Love by The Time and I don't see that, the only thing that recalls The Time is the music video.

The synth drone hits the same way as "Jungle Love". Can't you hear that at least?

I would like to call this thread "Hey, let's shit on Prince again and deny all of his importance and input in music". Mostly everbody is putting in links to songs that most definitely aren't The Time or Prince because "fuck those guys. They didn't have anything to do with the inspiration of the song. Most certainly not. Uhhh, uhhh" "It sounds like everybody from the early eighties except for The Time or Prince, they have no relevance in Uptown Funk. I must find a link of a song to prove all of the Princelovers that they are wrong."

So the guitar riff in the intro has no Controversy album feel at all? So the synth drone (thanks Cinny) doesn't sound like anything on Controversy, The Time (1981), 1999, What Time Is It?, Ice Cream Castles? Ok, so I must be absolutely sound deaf then. After spending almost two years on this board I've found out that there are more haters than fans of Prince's music. And let me tell you something, that's a new one for me!

Abdul said:

scs2000 said:

To me the music sounds like " Living in America "

BINGO!! It's the first song that came to mind when I first heard this Bruno cut

I'll have to do a side-by-side. I never heard that, and that is the one James Brown hit other than "Unity" that I recall being new in my lifetime!

Wolfie87 said:

I would like to call this thread "Hey, let's shit on Prince again and deny all of his importance and input in music". Mostly everbody is putting in links to songs that most definitely aren't The Time or Prince because "fuck those guys. They didn't have anything to do with the inspiration of the song. Most certainly not. Uhhh, uhhh" "It sounds like everybody from the early eighties except for The Time or Prince, they have no relevance in Uptown Funk. I must find a link of a song to prove all of the Princelovers that they are wrong."

So the guitar riff in the intro has no Controversy album feel at all? So the synth drone (thanks Cinny) doesn't sound like anything on Controversy, The Time (1981), 1999, What Time Is It?, Ice Cream Castles? Ok, so I must be absolutely sound deaf then. After spending almost two years on this board I've found out that there are more haters than fans of Prince's music. And let me tell you something, that's a new one for me!

I think there is more influence from The Time than just the "synth drone" but that part is just undisputable.

I also think the verses sound a lot like Morris' (Prince's writing) rhythmic singing style, and it could be from a later song like "Jerk Out" as a comparison but I just haven't found the perfect example.

Reminds me of:

Was (Not Was) Everybody Walk the Dinosaur

[Edited 2/17/15 18:20pm]

I agree Was Not Was/James Brown/Billy Preston? "Living in America" and Zapp are "Uptown Funk"

***(Housequake bass-line possibly influenced the bassline-breakdown/bridge in "Living In America")

Years ago, I told an ex-classmate and Prince-fan that "Living In America" must have influenced the bass-line to "Housequake", and dude was angry...

[Edited 2/17/15 19:58pm]

[Edited 2/17/15 20:11pm]

I don't know who make this wikipedia page, but the info pretty much sums it up who inspired Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars to make Uptown Funk:

Uptown Funk is heavily influenced by the "Minneapolis Sound" of the early 80s, pioneered by Prince, and The Time with Morris Day, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. According to Ronson in Rolling Stone the song "animates a Minneapolis groove."

According to Billboard '​s author, Sean Ross, the song is widely influenced by funk artists and their songs, including James Brown's "Living in America", Stevie Wonder 's "Superstition", Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce", One Way's "Cutie Pie", The Gap Band's "Oops Up Side Your Head", Earth, Wind & Fire's "Getaway", The Sequence's "Funk You Up", The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache", George Kranz's "Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa)" and The Time's "Cool" though more likely this comes from The Time's hit "Jungle Love". The only song on "Uptown Funk" specifically credited is the 2012 top 10 R&B and rap hit Trinidad James' "All Gold Everything" (which gives the song its "don't believe me, just watch" chant). Nevertheless, many of the songs cited "were released during the worst period of a "disco backlash" that effectively kept all types of black music, not just disco, off of top 40", while "Uptown Funk" received instant airplay at top 40 radio.^[4]

SOURCE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/...ptown_Funk

[Edited 2/17/15 23:00pm]

Graycap23 said:

Reminds me of:

Well now Brother Gray, I'm surprise that you dislike Uptown Funk. You really think that track isn't that good?!?

TonyVanDam said:

Graycap23 said:

Reminds me of:

Well now Brother Gray, I'm surprise that you dislike Uptown Funk. You really think that track isn't that good?!?

Weak as water.

Graycap23 said:

TonyVanDam said:

Well now Brother Gray, I'm surprise that you dislike Uptown Funk. You really think that track isn't that good?!?

Weak as water.

What would you change in its production? I quite like it.

The only part that had to grow on me was "gonna give it to ye" with that swelling EDM pre-chorus build-up that seems to hamper every track released this decade so far.

Cinny said:

Graycap23 said:

Weak as water.

What would you change in its production? I quite like it.

The only part that had to grow on me was "gonna give it to ye" with that swelling EDM pre-chorus build-up that seems to hamper every track released this decade so far.

I don't like anything about the song.

I'm a fan of Ronson, but this new project doesn't move me.

LiveToTell86 said:

I also hear Michael Jackson's "Jam" in it...

So many of my friends keep telling me they love the new Prince song...I am like huh? You heard This Could Be Us?? Uptown Funk sorta reminds me of The Time, but def not Prince and def not his recent stuff.

Graycap23 said:

Cinny said:

What would you change in its production? I quite like it.

The only part that had to grow on me was "gonna give it to ye" with that swelling EDM pre-chorus build-up that seems to hamper every track released this decade so far.

I don't like anything about the song.

I'm a fan of Ronson, but this new project doesn't move me.

I'm thinking "Why can't he enjoy anything??"

Cinny said:

Graycap23 said:

I don't like anything about the song.

I'm a fan of Ronson, but this new project doesn't move me.

I'm thinking "Why can't he enjoy anything??"

I do......just not weak things.