Sound CheckBruno Mars’ “Locked out of Heaven”: How the hit song was created
One of the best moments during the 55th annual Grammy Awards happened when Bruno Mars was joined on stage by Sting to perform his hit “Locked Out of Heaven.”
The collaboration must have meant a lot to the 27-year-old singer as he is a huge fan of The Police.
“I grew up listening to The Police, I grew up performing in bars, singing Police songs,” he told MTV. “I remember performing a song like 'Roxanne,' and you play those first couple of chords, and you hit that first note, and you watch the whole bar ignite. And as an artist, as a songwriter, it's like 'Man, I want to write a song that makes people's eyes explode the first chord!'"
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“Locked Out of Heaven” was the first tune to be released off Mars’ latest record “Unorthodox Jukebox” and producer Mark Ronson says that it was the Honolulu-native’s decision to lead with it.
“Bruno was convinced 'Locked Out of Heaven' had to be the first single,” Ronson told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was like, 'Cheers -- that’s a brave choice...' But he kind of knew. He’s smart."
Songwriter and producer Phil Lawrence said about the origin of the track, “We were backstage after a show, jamming in our greenroom, and we started singing that phrase, ‘Locked out of heaven.’”
He also said, “It developed a meaning as we started writing: the ‘Hallelujah!’ when you’re with someone who’s showing you a new way to love… It’s definitely unique. There’s nothing big in the song -- there’s not heavy hitting drums, the guitar solo is small. What carries the song is Bruno.”
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Written by The Smeezingtons, (the songwriting team consisting of Mars, Lawrence and Ari Levine) “Locked Out of Heaven” was given three and a half out of a possible five stars by Rolling Stone’s Jody Rosen, who remarks, “Bruno's serious about the sexy business.”
“The song is about unbridled passion,” he wrote. “But as usual with Mars, the aesthetic is tidy and impeccable, pop songcraft polished to a high-gloss gleam: jittery Police-esque rock-reggae verses that erupt, amid thunder-boom synths, into a steamrolling four-on-the-floor chorus.”
Check out the official music video for “Locked out of Heaven” featured below.
