BY COOPER RATHMANN
Peter Hernandez, more popularly known as Bruno Mars, has solidified himself as one of the best artists in the modern pop era. In 2012, he was still trying to get his foot in the door for Hollywood stardom after the expectation-breaking album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans.” To give his stardom some luster, Mars released his second studio album “Unorthodox Jukebox.” This album harped on the pop love ballad theme for a majority of the album, creating a nostalgia train for Gen-Z and a two-faced coin of euphoric love and heartbreak.
The primary love ballad portion is dynamic with the tracks’ pacing and spans many romantic emotions. Listeners can experience a range of emotions, from feeling like they are on a set of “Soul Train” on tracks like “Treasure” and “Moonshine,” to sitting on a cold beach with tears flowing down their eyes through the piano instrumental on “When I Was Your Man” and storytelling of a previous teenage romance on “If I Knew,” or plotting for revenge for a toxic partner through the refrain on “Natalie” and “Money Make Her Smile.”
Outside of the more famously known tracks, Mars’ authentic sound sometimes diverges with lyrics and high-pitched, well-executed deliverance of vocals. For example, in the track “Gorilla,” Mars is in a discourse of scandalous and passionate love with a partner so much that nothing would stop the two, even if “the neighbors call the cops, call the sheriff, call the SWAT.” The sexual nature of this track, along with explicit swearing, throws off listeners from what they heard previously, and shows the versatility of the album and that it is genuinely an unorthodox jukebox of tracks. Another instance of breaking off his usual sound is the track “Show Me,” his second released reggae track after “Liquor Stores Blues” on his first album. The track is a generalized retelling of seducing a lover, accompanied by a traditionally Afro-Caribbean melody and instrumentation mixed with some hip-hop elements in the bridge through the abrupt use of an air horn.
Looking back with hindsight, the album is very nostalgia-invoking for those born in the early or late 2000s, and most would say they heard Bruno Mars on radio stations many times throughout their childhood. My first time hearing Bruno Mars as a young kid was hearing “Locked out of Heaven” on Kidz Bop 23, and ever since then I can always go back to that track and remember when times were easy and with little to no stress. Even if I could not understand the lyrics, and it was sometimes hard to pick up on the sexual tone in the radio version, it still was catchy enough for me to associate the track with an innocent time of my life, which is what makes “Unorthodox Jukebox” so successful in reaching a larger audience at the time.
If I were to recommend one track from the album for someone looking to explore more of Bruno Mars’ less popular side of his discography, then look no further than “Young Girls.” Many fans acclaim this track as one of the most unheard-of tracks before he shot to fame during his Super Bowl performance era and the anticipated third album “24K Magic.” What makes “Young Girls” so intriguing is how it did not have as many plays on the radio compared to the other tracks like “Treasure” or “Locked out of Heaven.” The track fulfills the classic ballad style found within the album. Still, perhaps it fell short because it may have been tailored toward a less general audience due to Mars speaking about all the fans he attracted after becoming a relatively famous musician. What I appreciate most of its positioning in the tracklist; starting first sets up listeners for a sequence of events Bruno Mars experienced while being in romantic relationships and how his fame has brought him to each of the events that unfold in the tracks.
“Unorthodox Jukebox” was the start of Mars’ “terraforming” of the music industry, which was proven in his rightful victory at the 2014 Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album. His harmonizing voice and electric stage presence have made him a romance icon of the twenty-first century. His 2012 album stands as strong evidence that he will continue to embrace that character for the rest of his career.
Featured image: Unorthodox Jukebox Album Cover; Spotify
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