Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are”, Essay Example

One of the greatest and most sentimental song I have ever heard is Bruno Mars’ debut solo single entitled “Just the Way You Are” off of his 2010 debut studio album entitled Doo-Wops & Hooligans. This song was penned by Khalil Walton, Needlz, and The Smeezingtons, all of whom produced it as well. It skyrocketed up the charts both in the United States and in the United Kingdom within a month of its release, eventually reaching #1 on the touted U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Mainstream Top 40.  Critics lauded it as the standout track on Bruno Mars’ album and eventually earned the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2011. In addition, the song was certified six times Platinum in various Recording industries worldwide and eventually was the top-selling digital music single in 2011, selling over twelve million copies. The statistics are an  accurate barometer for the currency and appeal of the song, which is enhanced by its emotional appeal, cultural relevance, and lyrical genius. It is about the author’s love and affection for his presumably girlfriend, and through repetition of phrases and the first verse such as “her eyes, her eyes,” the singer captivates the listener and draws them into the meaning of the lyrics themselves. Interestingly, the repeated words and phrases all describe attributes of the girlfriend that the singer loves, even though they seem mundane and ordinary. Her hair, her love, and her laugh are all attributes that he is drawn to, and through this repetition the singer builds up the mellifluous emotion that permeates this song.

Bruno Mars appeals to ethos in this song through his word play and use of pronouns which boosts the persona nature of this song. Beyond utilizing repetition as a rhetorical device, the singer effectively uses pronouns in order to foment an intimate and personal atmosphere. He sings directly to his lover in the chorus,  which creates an acute feeling that she knows he is directly singing to her and means it and thus establishes an intimate and personal bond between the two. This personal nature of the song occurs not only in the chorus but also in the middle stanzas, as the singer continues to say “you” and “your,” which repeats the same effect it did in the chorus. This strategy creates an effect in which listeners can empathize with the situation and feel as though the singer is singing this song to them. As such, the audience becomes a integral part of this song, especially in a live concert. Doing so touches people’s emotions in different ways, depending on one’s past and current experiences with a significant other.

Another powerful and striking facet of this song’s lyrics is that Mars uses particular and limited lexicon in order to describe the girl in this song and repeats them throughout. Mars describes his girl as “amazing,” “beautiful,” and “sexy.” Through the repetition of these adjectives, the song creates the effect of genuineness rather than overloading the song with compounded adjectives that would suggest lack of impulse control and rationality. Moreover, the use of the same three adjectives throughout the song lets the listener know that he truly means what he says, and she will never forget how he makes her feel on a quotidian basis. This tactic also enhances the personal and emotional nature of this song and feels far more natural than kitsch. It embodies the conventions of the genre through subject matter and rhythmically, which contributes to the song’s overall appeal. Moreover, the convention of this genre calls for the artist to play a central role in the thrust of this song, and Mars is unequivocally singing to his romantic lover that she is perfect to him regardless of what society and outsiders may criticize her appearance or personality. This love narrative and this central idea is what carries the entire song.

This song is so appealing because of how genuinely the singer loves the girl he is singing to. The lyrics hit a chord with the audience because of how much the image of love in the modern day has been somewhat tarnished by the ubiquity of people’s inability to be monogamous, and the notion of marrying someone or being with someone for ulterior purposes peripheral to true love and intimacy. This song effectively reminds the listener about what true love consists of, as no one should ever have to change themselves to please another person. If that is the case, then the love is not real. Such a message appeals to people who have been spurned in a relationship before, and its emotive quality enhances the universal nature of the lyrical content that will remain relevant for generations to come.