Understanding Uptown Funk

[@chipm0nk1001]

"The song was everywhere" with a zubat actually killed me

[@Kylora2112]

His inside jokes kill me every time.

[@Snugglypatchvids]

Explain?

[@Kylora2112]

@@Snugglypatchvids Zubats in Pokémon (Gen. 1, at least) are far and away the most common Pokémon in the game and you run into them all the time. Any time 12tone mentions "this was everywhere" in relation to a song's/motif's/style's prevalence, he always draws a Zubat :)

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

The lawsuits over this song were interesting. I don't know the details, but Funk, like Folk and some other genres, borrows a LOT from other songs. This was the first funk song to make enough money for anyone to bother suing for copyright violations. But then all the funk artists started competing over who actually originated which aspects, as they were all copying from each other for decades.

[@mihailmilev9909]

Wow lmao

[@mihailmilev9909]

345 likes now even tho I had liked it before and idk when since the comment is 2y old

[@l_ndonmusic]

“I won’t get too far into vocal technique, because we’d be here forever” Hey can you like do that?

[@malcolmrose-zadow5517]

I second that

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@malcolmrose-zadow5517 I third that

[@pinkajou656]

@@mihailmilev9909 I fourth that 👍

[@segmentsAndCurves]

@@malcolmrose-zadow5517 I secon't that. jk

[@adriatic.vineyards]

I've got a lifetime to waste and spare, go off bruh

[@Armakk]

This video is entirely about arrangement technique and I love it.

[@Qermaq]

Arranging/production. Yes indeed :)

[@DMN-wy6hr]

Welcome to 12 tone

[@peeta7420]

First time? *james Franco meme*

[@budgetguitarist]

When I turned 40, I was like "hey man, all this pop music is just recycled stuff from the past." When I turned 50, I was like "Oh... the music I grew up with was also recycled stuff from the past." This is a great example of taking cool stuff from the past, combining it with some new paint, and making a great new song that's catchy as hell. When the old farts in my life say "They can't make good music these days," I share this song with them. Killer, killer track - thanks for this awesome video, 12tone!

[@matiaspereyra9375]

But can they make good music that isn’t retro?

[@OrgaNik_Music]

@@matiaspereyra9375 Yes.

[@mihailmilev9909]

126th like

[@mihailmilev9909]

Couldn't agree more. Then you find out that Mozart and Bach were all "drawing inspiration" too....... And we all know the story about jazz right......

[@12tone]

Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) Another explanation for the G7 (as opposed to Gmi7) is that we're not in minor, we're in Dorian, and that's just the diatonic IV chord in that scale. That's perfectly valid and doesn't really conflict with the blues-based analysis I presented, but the reason I leaned more toward the blues interpretation is that, in my experience, while the IV chord in Dorian is a dominant 7, most songs will sort of shy away from that, using either a major triad or a major 6 instead. The dissonance isn't really the point of a dorian IV chord, whereas it is in the blues. Given that the melody is pretty strictly minor pentatonic, neither tonality is clearly established, so if Dorian makes more sense to you, I think it's a perfectly reasonable answer. It's just not my preferred one. More importantly, though, I just don't think the chords are that big a deal in this song, so I wanted to get through them as quickly as possible and move on. 2) In retrospect I wish I'd spent a bit more time on the different percussion layers for different sections. The claps in the intro, to a full drumbeat as the only support in the verse, to those metronome kicks in the back half of the prechorus, and especially the use of a full groove in the breakdown (and the missing hi-hats for the first part) all tell a great story. Oh well, something for the "What I Got Wrong" video I guess. 3) Another reason the high Fs in the verse feel high is that the melodic structure treats them as if they are: they're positioned on accented notes, and the rest of the time he sits on C and D. that relative restraint makes the moments where he jumps up memorable, even if he's not jumping very high. 4) I'm not confident in my transcription of the breakdown vocals, but hey, it's spoken, the pitches are intentionally imprecise so who cares. But I think it might've been better to put those Fs as Ds. 5) I actually think I screwed up the the transcription on the bass vocal part too. I was hearing that pick-up at the end as a repeated D, but after some prompting from my discord I went back and double-checked and I think it's actually a C#. Doesn't change any of the stuff I said, but it would've been nice to note that half-step resolution. Although apparently most transcriptions out there call it a C, which I'm pretty sure is also wrong, so who knows. 6) Speaking of the bass vocals, someone else in my discord pointed out that it's actually a tresillo as well: It's a bit of a weird one 'cause the staccato on the F makes it feel like the accented note, whereas tresillos usually accent the beat (You can hear that in the verse, where the accents fall on "this", "ice", and so on.) but it's on all the same parts of the beat, which ties it in with the rest of the rhythm in ways I wish I'd noticed in time to include.

[@arnomora8847]

I don't know it seems to me like a pretty standard dorian vamp, it's in a whole lot of funk music. I never noticed the "shying away" from the seventh, in what music can I find it ?

[@DarshanJosiahBarber]

I can't not hear the second to last note of the intro as a C. (The "90% of [its] musical identity" line right at the beginning.) Looking at Google Image Search results for sheet music for this, it seems every transcriber out there agrees with me. We hear it go up from C to end on D, and it feels really jarring to have them both transcribed here as Ds. Totally forgivable mistake, but I'd love to have the correction listed here so it can feel less jarring! Thanks!

[@charlesfloyd3747]

10:32 😍😍

[@NanoMan737400]

I was here to say the same as Darshan, so yeah

[@violet_broregarde]

One of your best videos. Well-paced and clearly explained. I never noticed that the verse's vocal range was so small. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the drums. Great job :D

[@mattdeblassmusic]

I just finally gotten that song out of my head after six years, and now you brought it back. Damn you Ronson and your infernally catchy grooves!

[@EgoLTR]

"until everything changes" - Fire Nation emblem. Haha love your visual jokes every time

[@fnjesusfreak]

Best part of his videos. XD

[@danieshaliev]

We all know Uptown Funk, but when will there be Downtown Funk?

[@steveozone4910]

Pretty sure Midtown funk comes first 🤣

[@Kiaulen]

When Billy Joel gets around to it 😂

[@CamzCritiques]

the holy trinity: Uptown Funk, Midtown Punk, Downtown Crunk

[@jaschul]

"Everybody's goin' uptown..."

[@mihailmilev9909]

I'm still here waiting

[@saxrendell]

When you mentioned the lyrics dropping out in the chorus because its a dance track and they wanted to focus on the fun feeling of the song, I was reminded of that saying in musical theatre about how when there's too much emotion to speak, you sing, and when there's too much emotion to sing, you dance. It seems like the same thing applies here.

[@corwin32]

You say, “but I’m old school” so mournfully

[@nicholasguerra2498]

"Like a handoff in a musical relay race" I think is the single most accurate and concise musical metaphor ever, I'm not surprised but this is some damn good scripting

[@Armakk]

9:07 Nice homage… Your move, Adam Neely

[@rmdodsonbills]

Toward the end of the video, I realized my foot was tapping along to the song, but there wasn't any song playing, it was all talking by our dear friend 12Tone. Says a lot about the power of this song.

[@gamzer]

The other exciting and interesting part of this song is the outro. The band jams out on the DM7 G and the horn and bass arranging is so tight as they play those different variations and riffs. No matter how bored you get of playing this our band still loves that part.

[@zachheilman784]

Is it just me or does anyone else hear the second to last note of the bass line as a C and not a D?

[@Schmugglepus]

Its not just you

[@TheMoFauxs]

Same

[@jeremyw9709]

Yeah it's definitely C

[@danielbazin242]

Pretty sure that's a typo

[@contrapunctusmammalia3993]

maybe a c# but definately lower than a d

[@leonscottkennedyre4]

I remember being taught by my music teacher that the human brain loves music because it loves trying to guess what's next. My guess is having the 1/16th and 1/8th off beats helps trick the mind essentially making it more addicted to the song if that makes sense.

[@bodhibeats8257]

“Homage.” I see what you did there. #thelick

[@MrReneKonig]

Glad I'm not the only one who saw it. The lick is so powerful you can hear it by just seeing the notes getting written down. Felt like I was getting visually Lick-Rolled there. (Is that a thing? Lick-Rolling? If not, can we make it a thing pls?)

[@AtomizedSound]

I missed that apparently

[@MrReneKonig]

@@ashtarbalynestjar8000 Thanks, I needed that!

[@adamlewis3729]

Nile Rodgers usually plays guitar like this, not really hitting the root note, listen to any of his productions. He is a fucking legend.

[@8114梦见]

3:59 I know he has done this before but it still gets me every time.

[@TheOneAndOnlyETHMAN]

I seriously love the style of these videos. One of the most unique and effective KZbinrs.

[@liquidsolids9415]

Cool analysis. Great point about the importance of arrangement. Sometimes the best songs are the simplest songs, or the ones that seem simple but actually have a lot going on that most people don't consciously notice. Thanks!

[@anthonydary]

Having the real stems to illustrate all what all the different parts actually sound like adds SO much to your videos! So glad that's been able to happen recently.

[@MrGanso-wh1dk]

The day will come when this guy will analyze Bohemian Rhapsody and our heads will explode.

[@MrGanso-wh1dk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6ubfZ2eq56Xr9k Told ya

[@kai.raio.]

he has!

[@braumm1476]

Smoother than a fresh jar of skippy.

[@mikram5359]

"Ronson and Mars had discovered a long forgotten gem from an earlier musical era" Yes it was called the Minneapolis sound. Listen to The Time ( Jungle Love etc ) Prince wrote those songs and shaped the sound, so you can say Uptown Funk is a blatant homage to that era. Even the latter part of the video gives a nod to the First Avenue music venue in Purple Rain.

[@JohnL2112]

Yeah, I mean it’s so blatantly The Time, it’s blindingly obvious

[@michaeldjohnson6333]

Not to mention that they add "Funk You Up" by The Sequence (1979)

[@GDIEternal]

Agreed. The Time and Zapp and Roger were ALL over this song. They basically condensed all the technical features of that time period in funk into a well-written song. That’s quite an accomplishment, but to fully appreciate it, you need to know the history behind it.

[@mikram5359]

@@GDIEternal Agreed William. My comment was a brief generic KZbin observation befitting for a forum like this. Having studied and played music particularly funk for near 30 years you can rest assured I can appreciate any musical accomplishment and the history behind it.

[@jasonlosoya3426]

They got those horns from a 1983 Tim maia track

[@artliss]

It would really help the video's exposition if you repeated the musical snippets you're discussing and comparing. I find myself constantly jumping back to remind myself of the fragment you're describing. A good example is the snippet from 4:07, which you keep discussing for almost two minutes. At 5:10 you start talking about its apparent range, a full minute after you play the sample. Man, I can't remember subtle illusory effects for more than a minute like that!

[@ipudisciple]

Yeah, I think it’s a copy-strike thing.

[@rileyhiggins3028]

3:58 did he really just draw the fire nation insignia when he said everything changes??

[@emerald7810]

I love your breakdowns, and I especially love your doodles. The memes and the little elephant(?) dudes make your videos fun to watch even when the music theory stuff is flying over my head.

[@richardparker8802]

I love 12tone - and I love this song. Thanks for explaining why I love both!

[@memoryfoam2285]

I remember being in primary school when this came out, everyone was singing it. My parents both loved it despite their usually differing music tastes and its still one of those bangers I always have to turn up

[@Mattteus]

What sells the song for me is the sawtooth synth during the chorus.

[@aashi_179]

this channel inspires me to learn music because I get a new perspective to see at the same song that I listened to but now they sound much better (does it make any sense?) my mind is blown!

[@valdamaer]

I liked the little comparison of European to blues harmony ala 3:25 area. Very good implementation of Neely Theory

[@hessrockman]

I didn't think it would be possible for me to like this song any more than I already did

[@odpunk23]

"I'd call it a chorus cuz i'm old school" hit me right in the feels, man. Bring back choruses! Choruses still matter!!!

[@JVR10893]

I wish you had touched on the awesome bassline at the end of the song (D, d, C, B| A, G, F G, AF). It’s the cherry on top of the funktastic cake, a climax of everything that preceded it.

[@ianpineda]

Everything changes * Draws fire nation symbol *

[@Ploon72]

“Blues history” - draws a crossroads...

[@Osric24]

He went down to the crossroads, trying to catch a ride.

[@dnaroseandthewolves]

THIS SONG ALWAYS MAKES ME WANNA GET UP, AND DANCE WHEN ITS WAYYYYY TOO LATE

[@arcanics1971]

Because I don't have a TV and don't actively seek this stuff out, I can honestly say I have never heard this song. Though now I hear the bits and pieces of it here, I have heard people singing it to themselves.

[@SeanPorio]

Anyone else notice when he says “jolt of energy” he draws a fork and a power outlet?

[@BassoonMeister]

I watched this video to get a bit of insight into the song, but when you wrote your 'homage' I found myself going for the subscribe button!

[@tomforsythe7024]

One of the things that trips me up as a writer is getting an idea and thinking it's "just" something. These analyses remind me that every song breaks down into "just" a few things, put together in clever ways.

[@rrrosecarbinela]

Very cool. Thanks! I learn so much from you.

[@darryldaughtry825]

this was amazing!

[@Olordrin]

12:01 - In the tradition of 18th century Europe. Your turn, Adam Neely.

[@veiledAutonym]

I think the second half of the prechorus is absolutely well interpreted as a Riser-Drop. It sounds to me like a brilliant borrowing of an element of EDM, and like the other elements of the song, doing so with full understanding of the purpose and heart of the technique. Rather than the drop being some dubstep effect or hard hitting dance synth thing, it's funk horn fanfare, fitting the electronic music trope of a drop perfectly into the whole pop-funk vibe of the song.

[@colega23]

7 words - *Oops Upside Your Head - The Gap Band*

[@DevastatorIIC]

Wow kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4fNd6qZmbafhJI

[@shadebug]

It's actually called "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)"

[@visitur4914]

Pay attention, sucker.

[@SorooshMhs]

I dont care if you like pop music or nah, this song is objectively one of the best of the decade

[@highpsi11]

I wish I understood this, but the degree of analysis is amazing.

[@TrondDonald]

The last note in the riff is C. If you listened to it so much, how did you miss that?

[@darkbreaker9767]

Ngl, my favorite thing about Bruno Mars is how much he's improved as an artist. This early stuff like Grenade and Lazy Song were garbage, but as time has gone on he's drastically improved. Hats off to him

[@BrooksRobinson97]

HOLY CRAP! This took forever! We’ll done 👏

[@bornamovafaghi6075]

This video gave me ptsd of the radio stations playing it non-stop

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

Eh, there were infinitely worse songs that year we had to deal with, so it wasn't that bad.

[@theunwantedcritic]

There are other videos about this song where they do the archaeology has to wear these particular sounds come from. Mostly 1970s and 1980s African-American Pop music. Well trained black musicians might have had experience in classical or jazz but we’re playing gospel or whatever popular at the time. Soul, funk, disco, R&B and Rap. All of these genres influence and change each other overtime.

[@derelbenkoenig]

The lyrics of the chorus are actually "open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur"

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

9:20 the message is "Yeah, Uptown Funk.".

[@WaterShowsProd]

I played Mark Ronson on an episode of Sing Your Face Off in Thailand with a star impersonating Bruno Mars and a group of dancers paying his backup. We did this song straight into "That's What I Like". It was a season finale episode and we were on as a guest-star act, not competing. The judges enjoyed it anyway, and the audience was screaming. It was a lot of fun. I actually didn't know anything about Bruno Mars, but it was interesting learning the song. To this day when I hear either song come on I think, "Hey, that's our song." It was interesting hearing you break it down and analyse it.

[@bwebb90]

Don't forget to listen to what 12tone analyses before hearing his brilliant analysis, helps it sink in!

[@eduardo4235]

hey, loved the analysis. wish you had spent some time on what the bass is doing at the last section of the song (is it an outro?). keep it up, man!

[@JohnSmithShields]

Sounds so like Oops Upside Your Head at points.

[@fnjesusfreak]

That's why the Gap Band sued and got partial credit. The bridge ("Uptown funk you up") - start saying "oops upside your head, said oops upside your head" there instead.

[@lynx8779]

Up town funk you up, uptown funk you up,SAY!

[@simlevesque]

The beat is from All Gold Errything by Trinidad James. He's credited.

[@SGresponse]

"Doesn't really come across in words" *draws a rose* You! I see what you did there! Best not say it out lout and enjoy the silence.

[@alan2here]

I thought from the title that it was a genre.

[@robertlinke2666]

he understands what the sound if for. that 1 sentence encapsulates what it means to be a good cover.

[@matthewparker9276]

My brother made this song his alarm, which utterly ruined it for me.

[@JessicaMorgani]

Yes, the human voice can fuck with the octaves. I play with that sometimes and the highest note I ever made a software think I am singing in a C#7 and the lowest a G0. Really weird and fun.

[@Dachi40]

Bout damn time!

[@MrSuntask]

Great! What is a musical relay race?

[@nikulmmadhu6566]

*I usually speedup videoes to 1.25x but here i always slow down videos to .75x.*

[@hiphopunike14]

I would like you to explain why Blurred Lines and Got to Give It Up are actually completely different songs and only people who don't understand music would even entertain the idea that there was a copyright violation there.

[@MrJdsenior]

Liked the song, now I know WHY! :-) You can tell the musicians/writers really have a handle on music theory implemented with the intent of evoking specific emotions and feelings when it is explained this well. I found myself a couple of times saying, yeah that makes sense, or THAT'S why that does that. Nice.

[@Qermaq]

That low note on 4+ is certainly C. It's idiomatic, it sounds like it, and there's no reason it would be anything else.

[@drazlet]

Are you sure that the intro vocal riff doesn’t end with a C then a D, instead of a D then D?

[@LucasZellers]

"from the mid-2010's" *draws fidget spinner* I feel attacked.

[@JohnMcLoughlin06]

I barely know any of these chords and other stuff because I’ve only played piano for a year but this is still interesting.

[@THuang-lt1ob]

1:40 I feel like that doesn't make much sense. the flat 3rd being the brightest part of minor? Isn't it the defining dark part?

[@theaddictofgaming9174]

Over the 1st degree, it feels like the darkest park. (IMO that's the b6, but, whatever) but when it's in the bass, it's a major chord.

[@emilynightingale7758]

wow, this is the first video i've seen where I didn't have to listen to the song before i watched the video

[@AtomizedSound]

Funky Fresh! No matter your age!

[@HJ-kw5kb]

I also hear the kick drum(?) beats in the verse as having a similar tone to the root notes in the background on the intro (which might be an illusion), and while it’s not in the same rhythm, it meant I assumed the sung “do do do” bit continues through the verses. Despite hearing the song casually a lot, I had never noticed they didn’t until you pointed it out.

[@matticharlton]

Um, pardon me, but when you write that first vocal melody out, you put the second last note down as D when it's actually a C.

[@fisk0]

Could you do something on the concept of call and response? You did a video covering questions and answers (the concept) a few years ago, but this concept seems subtly different? is it rhythmic rather than based on resolutions?

[@mk_oddity2841]

The first thing I think of when someone mentions Uptown Funk is the brass. The intro is a close second, though.

[@jasonlosoya3426]

Are those horns from the 1983 Tim maia track - o describrador des sete mares?

[@GrachLP]

many of the things the guitar does (Only 3rd and 7th voicings, c# to d) are very very common things a guitarist plays in funk :D Its something you learn quite early when introduced to the style. Just wanted to share for anyone interested. The song really just takes all the parts a classic funk song has, and puts a more modern twist around it :)

[@GrachLP]

not to mention the excellent bass work giving the song much of its life, in comparison to a programmed bass

[@OnTheLeftHandSide]

Great walkthrough of the song! So surprised that it is just the same idea in all these parts! However, I don't get the "stop time" part fully 9:58 "starting 8th note before the beat and ending on the.... " part, how does it fit perfectly?

[@cosmicrider5898]

Me not knowing any music theory.. *Yes i agree.*

[@peanutbuttercracker1]

I never took music theory, so hearing what I've always called a "drag triplet" being called a "tresillo" was pretty funny

[@mattbecker3066]

You notate the penultimate note of the bass riff as a D but I always hear it as a C

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

It's hard to believe that future generations will not remember how this song was fucking everywhere in 2014.

[@kght222]

3:01 the description of that guitar riff is "funk". no need to over complicate it.

[@paulmiller3517]

Do you sell your sheets when you are done writing on them?

[@theshadowknowz5900]

Yoooou R so talented! And left hand like me!

[@pmberry]

The keyboard line the horns play over in the chorus is very Minneapolis Sound, which this video briefly mentions early on: kzbin.info/www/bejne/inPVZ3ttaql1qbc

[@axlh.1827]

I remember hearing uptown funk for the first time and for months I legit thought it was from the 70s

[@antoniosvasilellisneto379]

You should do a video on barbershop quartets!!!

[@Jordan-zk2wd]

This is a really weird request, but I think you could do a great video about the Futurama birthday song, it's so fascinating how they balance being close to and not quite on Happy Birthday to You, and it feels like it has a really clever combo of lyrics and melody going on.

[@hiphopunike14]

You'd think F's would be easy, especially for tenors, but I know a lot of them who can't brighten their tone enough to make them sound good and anything north of F-sharp just sounds more and more strained. Bruno definitely has a great instrument.