Most of us know Bruno Mars’ big singles by heart, and he’ll run through nearly all of them during his two-night stand at Madison Square Garden on Monday and Tuesday.
But the Hawaiian has even more hits to his name than you might realize. As part of the writing/production crew the Smeezingtons, Mars had a big hand in the success of many other artists.
Here are five lesser-known examples of his songwriting prowess:
‘Wavin’ Flag,’ K’naan (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTJSt4wP2ME
This rousing track by the Canadian rapper didn’t chart highly in the US. But after it was chosen by Coca-Cola to promote the 2010 World Cup, “Wavin’ Flag” was remixed and rerecorded in numerous different languages, making it a worldwide hit.
‘Right Round,’ Flo Rida feat. Kesha (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCw1ggftuQ
According to Philip Lawrence — Mars’ former creative partner in the Smeezingtons — the hook to Flo Rida’s hit “Right Round” was written while they were driving.
It did the trick, as the ’80s-influenced hip-hop track hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Mainstream Top-40 charts and was also featured during the end credits of “The Hangover.”
‘Nothin’ on You,’ B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTDv_szmL0
B.o.B. owes much of his career to Mars. The Georgia rapper’s debut single featured Mars’ vocals and derived from one of his melodies. To this day, it remains B.o.B.’s only song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
‘Billionaire,’ Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars (2010)
Warning: Explicit language
On a trip to London earlier in his career, Mars was living off a paltry expense account given to him by his label that barely allowed him to eat.
It was then that he came up with the line “I wanna be a billionaire, so freakin’ bad.” It became the chorus of McCoy’s light-reggae anthem, and a year after its release it had sold more than 3 million copies.
‘Forget You,’ Cee Lo Green (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKxodgpyGec
When Mars and Lawrence were writing “Forget You” (aka “F**k You”), they weren’t sure it was even worth completing, but when they played it to CeeLo Green, he decided he wanted to try it.
Good decision, because the expletive-ridden Motown throwback was one of the year’s biggest hits.