Mark Ronson Says He’s Done Trying To Make A Song As Big As “Uptown Funk”

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars made one of the biggest hits of all-time with the diamond certified “Uptown Funk,” and Ronson acknowledged in a New York Times profile published on June 13 that he’s no longer interested in trying to replicate its success.

“Uptown Funk” appeared on Ronson’s 2015 record Uptown Special and reached No. 1 in more than a dozen countries, eventually going diamond in Australia, Canada, France, and the U.S. It won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2016.

Ronson has been working on his fifth studio LP, Late Night Feelings, and explained to the Times that his goal is to put together a cohesive body of work, not write one stratospheric hit.

“Nothing’s ever going to be as big as ‘Uptown Funk,’ so the point is to never chase that,” he said. “Now, making a whole album — something people want to get lost in — is the most important thing I can do.”

Ronson further elaborated that the rewards of making a single hit track are not as lasting as creating an album that lingers with listeners, going so far as to say that, “This is the first time, probably, people should be excited to hear the entire album.”

“A mega-smash is going to get me a decent check, probably get licensed to hell, maybe you move one name up on a festival list,” he said. “But an entire great album gives you a place in people’s hearts.”

While “Uptown Funk” is clearly the biggest hit of Ronson’s career, he has been involved with several other massive tracks including Bruno Mars' “Locked Out of Heaven” and the Oscar-winning “Shallow” from A Star is Born.

Late Night Feelings drops on June 21 and features appearances from Camila Cabello, King Princess, Miley Cyrus, and others. It was preceded by the singles “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” “Find U Again,” “Don’t Leave Me Lonely,” and “Late Night Feelings.”

Genius broke down the meaning of “Shallow,” which Ronson co-wrote, in the episode of Song Stories below.

Read all the lyrics to “Uptown Funk” and the rest of Mark Ronson’s discography on Genius now.