Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you breakout hits with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we hop on the "Uptown Funk" juggernaut. This song is so popular that its official video has claimed nearly 1 billion views on YouTube.
Heavily inspired by the Prince-pioneered Minneapolis groove of the early 1980s, "Uptown Funk" gives a shout out to an A-list '80s actress and defines her beauty using a precious metal metaphor.
In the very first line, Bruno Mars sings, "This hit, that ice cold / Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold."
Movie buffs will remember Pfeiffer in her role as Elvira, the stunning — and feisty — young wife of Al Pacino's Tony Montana in the 1983 movie blockbuster, Scarface.
It must have been startling for the now-56-year-old actress to be name-dropped in two hit songs from the past year. The other was "Riptide" by Vance Joy with the line, “I swear she's destined for the screen / Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen.”
Conspiracy theorists contend that Pfeiffer actually paid both artists to include her name in their songs so she could maintain her Q Rating — the measurement of a celebrity's familiarity and appeal. As silly as that sounds, Pfeiffer's representative was compelled to set the record straight during a February 2015 press conference.
He said that Pfeiffer was "shocked, saddened and appalled" that the media would assume she influenced the song writers to use her name.
“Ms. Pfeiffer’s career is doing just fine, thank you very much,” her rep said. “How many people who are accusing her of giving money or Super Bowl tickets or free DVDs of ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys’ to musicians just to get mentioned in songs, how many of them go home every night to a Golden Globe award for best actress or a BAFTA award? That’s what I’d like to know. Maybe these folks should look themselves in the mirror before they go around saying Ms. Pfeiffer has any reason to send Vance Joy a shoebox full of autographed head shots. It’s ludicrous.”
"Uptown Funk," which was produced by Brit Mark Ronson and appears on Ronson's fourth studio album, Uptown Special, set a record when it spent 14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. To date, "Uptown Funk" has sold 6.4 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Check out the official video of "Uptown Funk," YouTube's ninth-most-watched video of all time. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...
"Uptown Funk"
Written by Jeff Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy, Lonnie Simmons, Ronnie Wilson, Charles Wilson, Robert Wilson and Rudolph Taylor. Performed by Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson and The Hooligans.
This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold
This one for them hood girls
Them good girls straight masterpieces
Stylin', whilen, livin' it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Got kiss myself, I'm so pretty
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad 'bout that money, break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Stop, wait a minute
Fill my cup, put some liquor in it
Take a sip, sign a check
Julio, get the stretch
Ride to Harlem, Hollywood
Jackson, Mississippi
If we show up, we gon' show out
Smoother than a fresh jar Skippy
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Bitch say my name you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad 'bout that money
Break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Before we leave
Lemmi tell y'all a lil' something
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up uh
I said uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Come on, dance, jump on it
If you sexy then flaunt it
If you freaky then own it
Don't brag about it, come show me
Come on, dance
Jump on it
If you sexy then flaunt it
Well it's Saturday night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch come on!
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
Credits: Screen captures via YouTube. Michelle Pfeiffer via Universal Pictures.
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