Maps of Music

Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)

Where the lyrics of Unorthodox Jukebox take you, and where it was really made.

Planned to be more energetic than his debut, the album ended up blending R&B, pop, reggae, rock, disco, funk and soul.

Key places

Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles (2012)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — One of the four studios listed as recording places for the album. The dot marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Levcon Studios, Hollywood (2012)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Listed as a recording studio for the album in Hollywood. The dot marks the city centre, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Daptone's House of Soul, Brooklyn (2012)

Recording site Daptone's House of Soul — Listed as the Daptone recording studio in Brooklyn. The dot position is approximate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Avatar Studios, New York City (2012)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Listed as Avatar Studios in New York City, one of the recording places for the album. The dot marks the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Power Station at BerkleeNYC, New York City (2012)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Linked to the album as a recording studio in the candidate records. The dot position is approximate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Unorthodox Jukebox: second studio album by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars
• Released December 7, 2012 by Atlantic Records; available to listen to in full for a week beforehand
• Follow-up to the debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
• Written and produced by the Smeezingtons, with past collaborators Jeff Bhasker and Supa Dups, plus new producers such as Mark Ronson and Emile Haynie
• Wide range of styles: R&B, pop, reggae, rock, disco, funk and soul
• Lyrics center on relationships, with more explicit content than his previous work

Background

• Initially planned to be more "energetic" than his earlier work, but ended up as a mix of many styles
• After the Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour, Mars said he would take time to perfect the second album
• The team felt the debut had been rushed by its release deadline
• On the debut, Mars had to change some things under label pressure, which he was unhappy about
• He said this album was more of himself because he did not have to modify things
• The variety of styles had led to label rejections in the past

Recording

• Sessions took place at Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles, Levcon Studios in Hollywood, Daptone Studios in Brooklyn, and Avatar Studios in New York City
• Mars enlisted Jeff Bhasker and Mark Ronson because he wanted live instrumentation that still suited clubs
• "Gorilla" was the first song written for the album
• From mid-October 2012 the Smeezingtons made the final touches at Levcon Studios, their own studio

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Raised in a musical family; performed with the family band the Love Notes from age four.
• Gained recognition in Hawaii as an Elvis Presley impersonator as a child.
• Nicknamed Bruno by his father; stage name also adopted to avoid stereotyping.

Career

• Moved to Los Angeles in 2003; became a songwriter and producer with the Smeezingtons.
• Breakthrough came with featured spots on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" (2009), a US number-one.
• Debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) was followed by Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) and 24K Magic (2016), which won Album of the Year.
• Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak released An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021).
• Known for a three-octave tenor range, retro showmanship, and his band the Hooligans.
• Solo album The Romantic was released in 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critical response was generally favorable; many reviewers compared the record with the debut
• Metacritic average score of 70, based on 16 reviews
• Melissa Maerz from Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A−, calling the fusion of pop and R&B a sign of his undeniable talent for pop perfections
• Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen awarded the album four out of five stars
• Dan Hyman from Spin granted an 8/10 rating, saying the record presents Mars as a big belter unafraid of murkier waters
• In a mixed review, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian, Kitty Empire of The Observer and Andrew Chan of Slant Magazine each gave three out of five stars
• The A.V. Club's Evan Rytlewski gave a C+, calling Mars an undeniable talent still searching for an identity
• AllMusic's Tim Sendra felt the record was a step back from Doo-Wops & Hooligans in many ways

Reappraisal

• In September 2024, Billboard's Kyle Dines said the album cemented Mars's status as one of the most commercially dependable male pop stars of his time

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 192,000 copies, later topping the chart
• Reached number one in Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
• Certified six-times platinum by the RIAA
• Won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Grammy Awards
• Won International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards in 2014

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Mars also worked with Michael Leonhart on three songs for the album, including an unreleased version of "Locked Out of Heaven"
• The cover was unveiled on October 24, 2012, after a promo shot used for a Billboard issue tried to pass as the official artwork
• "Old & Crazy", a duet with Esperanza Spalding, was included only on the deluxe version
• "Money Makes Her Smile" came from a trip to a strip club by Mars and Diplo, who decided to make an anthem out of it
• The deluxe edition was made available on November 5, 2013, with a different cover artwork

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact