Mark Ronson - The Stories Behind ‘Uptown Funk,’ Amy Winehouse & ‘I’m Just Ken’
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
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Content Warning: This episode contains mentions of drug use.
Mark Ronson is the hitmaker behind some of the most iconic music of the past two decades. A nine-time Grammy-winning producer, DJ, and Oscar-winning songwriter (yes - he wrote “I’m Just Ken”), Ronson has collaborated with legends like Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus and Duran Duran. He also produced Amy Winehouse’s era-defining album Back to Black, and his 2014 smash “Uptown Funk” is one of the best-selling singles in history.
In this revealing conversation, Mark shares the creative process behind “Uptown Funk,” his unforgettable first meeting with Amy Winehouse, the 90s New York club scene and how a song from Barbie became a global phenomenon.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Intro
02:45 The DJ Booth
04:00 Navigating Family Chaos and Emotional Sensitivity
06:56 The Night People: A Unique Subculture
09:06 Encounters with Celebrities and Substance Experimentation
12:11 The Jay-Z Approach Disaster
21:33 Creating Uptown Funk with Bruno Mars
24:04 The Journey of a Hit Song
25:50 The Concept of Cool
27:42 Guitar Dreams and DJ Realities
29:59 The Importance of Friendship
33:24 Therapy and Personal Growth
35:19 Meeting his wife During COVID
37:26 Industry Exile and a New Beginning
44:14 Creating the Barbie Soundtrack
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
"Creativity is almost like a newborn baby. That's just pure, and I'm not sure if that's really affected by esteem or not."
"There was something about the DJ booth, just like almost physically, it was this, that one man command center where I was just the captain. Nobody can get to me. This is my thing."
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Mark Ronson’s new memoir ‘Night People’ is out now linktr.ee/MarkRonson_NightPeople
Elizabeth’s upcoming one-off show at Cadogan Hall on 21 Sep for her new novel One of Us: https://www.fane.co.uk/elizabeth-day
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
📚 WANT MORE?
Tracey Thorn - One half of the legendary duo Everything But The Girl, Tracey talks about stage fright, motherhood, anxiety, and unexpected turns in life and career. https://link.chtbl.com/7uRMc582
Mabel - the mega popstar chats creativity, stage fright and trying to be healthy. https://link.chtbl.com/C_XRoNuJ
Emeli Sandé - A chart-topping artist with a deeply moving story of overcoming body-image struggles and personal heartbreak, all while navigating fame. https://link.chtbl.com/XVmX2wuW
💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?
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👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
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Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod
Website: www.elizabethday.org
Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com
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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Sound Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
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