Hit Parade: Lenny on Mars Edition, Part 2

Podcast: Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Host: Chris Molanphy (Slate Podcasts)
Release Date: July 28, 2023

Episode Overview

This episode of Slate’s Hit Parade, hosted by chart analyst Chris Molanphy, delves deep into the parallel careers of Lenny Kravitz and Bruno Mars—two genre-bending, retro-minded pop stars separated by a generation but united in their approach to making chart-topping music. Picking up from the previous episode, Molanphy explores how Mars, like Kravitz before him, leveraged songwriting, stylistic tribute, and hit-making savvy to dominate the pop charts, and the issues of cultural borrowing and appropriation that accompany such musical chameleons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Bruno Mars’ Early Career and Songwriting Hustle

[00:13–06:28]

• Struggling Beginnings:
  • Mars, originally Peter Gene Hernandez, faced repeated setbacks in LA—including an unproductive stint at Motown and offers to pigeonhole him as a Latin act.
  • Breakthrough came by selling “Lost” (originally intended for himself) to Menudo, which bought him time in LA and got him noticed as a songwriter.
• Formation of the Smeezingtons:
  • Collaborated with Philip Lawrence and later Ari Levine, forming the Smeezingtons songwriting team.
  • First significant hits:
    • Sugababes’ “Get Sexy” (UK #2) [03:35]
    • Flo Rida’s “Right Round” (US #1) [04:30]

"Mars and his co-writers were banking on familiarity. 'Get Sexy' was an unabashed interpolation of Right Said Fred's 1991 hit 'I'm Too Sexy.'" — Chris Molanphy [03:35]

Stepping into the Spotlight: From Hooks to Hits

[06:28–09:09]

• Becoming the Hook Guy:
  • Mars transitioned from songwriter to featured vocalist:
    • Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” (US #4) [06:28]
    • B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You” (US #1) [07:05]
• “Just the Way You Are” signaled Mars’s arrival as a solo artist, riffing on Billy Joel’s title but with new music and sentiment [09:47].
• Emphasis on emotional directness, echoing old-school romantic pop ballads:

“There’s no mind-boggling lyrics or twists in the story, they just come directly from the heart.” — Bruno Mars, Blues & Soul Magazine [09:57]

Shape-Shifting Pop: Debut Albums and Restless Eclecticism

[09:57–17:23]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans → Massive, genre-blending success:
  • “Just the Way You Are”: US #1 [09:57]
  • “Grenade”: US #1, evokes Michael Jackson’s impassioned vocal style [12:02]
  • “The Lazy Song”: Jawaiian/reggae pop (Top 5) [13:27]
  • “It Will Rain” for Twilight soundtrack (US #3) [16:10]
• Musical Borrowing as Art:
  • Mars consistently and knowingly borrows older styles and melodies, often with a wink, but injects them with modern energy and earnestness.

Second Album: Unorthodox Jukebox and Era of Homage

[16:31–23:47]

• Locked Out of Heaven:
  • Police/Sting influence, new wave reggae groove, and ultimate endorsement: Sting joins Mars onstage at the Grammys [17:17].
• When I Was Your Man:
  • Echoes of Adele’s “Someone Like You”; simple piano-vocal ballad reaches #1 [21:00]
• Treasure:
  • Channeling Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson disco [23:41]
• Gorilla:
  • Lifts from 80s hair metal (Def Leppard-esque) [23:47]
• Uptown Funk (with Mark Ronson):
  • The pinnacle of homage: A meticulously crafted, reference-packed funk song that credits inspirations from James Brown to the Gap Band [27:01]
  • 14 weeks at #1; ties for second-longest Hot 100 run of all time [30:03]

“Uptown Funk was in essence, a grand studio mega mashup of elements borrowed from a raft of 70s and 80s hits...” — Chris Molanphy [27:58]

“Don’t believe me? Just watch!” — Bruno Mars, sampling Trinidad James [30:03]

Backlash, Appropriation, and Grammy Triumph

[31:15–37:15]

• 24K Magic Era:
  • Further immersion in 80s/90s R&B, especially the sounds of New Edition—“That’s What I Like” (#1), “Finesse” (#3, w/Cardi B), “Versace on the Floor” (#33) [34:07]
  • Wins Album of the Year at 2018 Grammys (controversially) [35:57]
• Debate on Cultural Appropriation:
  • Viral backlash after Grammy win; panelist Seren Sensei claims:

    “Bruno Mars 100% is a cultural appropriator... People have realized they prefer their black music and black culture from a non-black face... He does not change it, improve upon it... He’s a karaoke singer.” — Seren Sensei, The Grapevine [36:35]

  • Counterpoints: Industry giants (Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson) praise Mars’ genuine homage and love for black music [37:32].

“God created music for all of us to enjoy. Bruno is a great talent, so all the other stuff is just bullshit.” — Stevie Wonder, via TMZ [37:32]

Mars’ Response and Continued Reinvention

[37:32–41:58]

• Bruno’s perspective:

  “The only reason why I’m here is because of James Brown, Prince, Michael, that’s it. This music comes from love.” — Bruno Mars [38:31]

• Persistence Across Genres:
  • Teams with Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton for a rock single (“Blow”) [39:15]
  • Forms Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak; dives fully into classic 70s soul aesthetics, winning both critics and cross-genre audiences [39:50]
• Mars and Kravitz’s shared legacy:
  • Both remain popular in the “playlist”-driven streaming era, where genre mixing is now the norm.
  • Their “musical dress-up” is reframed as both homage and authenticity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On creative borrowing:

  “Mars and his co-writers were banking on familiarity. Get Sexy was an unabashed interpolation of Right Said Fred’s 1991 hit I’m Too Sexy.” — Chris Molanphy [03:35]

• On direct songwriting:

  “There’s no mind-boggling lyrics or twists in the story, they just come directly from the heart.” — Bruno Mars [09:57]

• On musical homage meeting approval:

  “Locked Out of Heaven... was the best Sting song of the 21st century that Sting himself had nothing to do with.” — Chris Molanphy [17:23]

• On Uptown Funk’s references:

  “Bruno Mars had nicked the line ‘Don’t believe me? Just watch.’ from Atlanta rapper Trinidad James… the rest was a grand studio mega mashup of elements… borrowed from a raft of 70s and 80s hits…” — Chris Molanphy [27:58]

• On cultural appropriation backlash:

  “Bruno Mars 100% is a cultural appropriator. He is racially ambiguous, he is not black at all, and he plays up his racial ambiguity to be able to cross genres and go into different places… He’s a karaoke singer, he’s a wedding singer.” — Seren Sensei, The Grapevine [36:35]
  “God created music for all of us to enjoy. Bruno is a great talent, so all the other stuff is just bullshit.” — Stevie Wonder [37:32]

• On roots and inspiration:

  “The only reason why I'm here is because of James Brown, is because of Prince, Michael, that's it. This music comes from love.” — Bruno Mars [38:31]

• On Mars and Kravitz’s real selves:

  “Will the real Bruno Mars ever show his face? Is there a real Lenny Kravitz behind the fashion icon? Maybe all this time they've played musical dress up. They were showing us their real selves all along.” — Chris Molanphy [41:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bruno’s Early Songwriting & “Lost” to Menudo: [00:13–03:09]
• Sugababes “Get Sexy”/Smeezingtons formed: [03:26–04:05]
• Flo Rida “Right Round” (reference to Dead or Alive): [04:05–05:50]
• Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” and B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You”: [06:28–07:10]
• Bruno Mars goes solo—“Just the Way You Are” directness: [09:47–10:35]
• “Grenade” and Michael Jackson echoes: [12:06–13:04]
• “It Will Rain”—subtle Stones reference: [15:59–16:28]
• “Locked Out of Heaven” as a Police homage: [17:17–18:24]
• “When I Was Your Man”/Miley Cyrus tie-in: [21:00–21:52]
• “Treasure” and “Gorilla”—80s references: [23:41–24:19]
• Making “Uptown Funk”: [27:01–30:03]
• Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars Grammy speech: [30:40–31:15]
• Cultural appropriation debate after 2018 Grammys: [36:35–37:15]
• Stevie Wonder’s, Mars’s own defense: [37:32–38:31]
• Silk Sonic and legacy: [39:50–41:45]
• Mars & Kravitz on stage, “musical dress up” summed up: [41:45–41:58]

Conclusion: The Chameleons’ Legacy

Molanphy’s narrative closes by arguing that both Bruno Mars and Lenny Kravitz are icons of “musical dress-up”—performers whose very authenticity is their ability to shift styles, honor the past, and rock a live crowd. While debates around cultural appropriation persist, both artists have answered their critics with love-driven, crowd-pleasing music that turns homage into hit-making.