Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars song) – 2010
“Just the Way You Are” is the debut solo single recorded by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). The song was written by The Smeezingtons, Khalil Walton and Needlz and produced by The Smeezingtons, and Needlz. It was released in the United States to Contemporary hit radio on August 10, 2010. The track was added to BBC Radio 1 A Playlist in the United Kingdom, and was released in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2010 as “Just the Way You Are (Amazing)”.
The debut single received positive reviews from critics, who considered it a stand-out track on Doo-Wops & Hooligans and praised The Smeezington’s production. It won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2011 ceremony. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Top 40 charts and charted in the top five in other countries. It was certified 9 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and 6 times by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Worldwide, it was the best selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 12.2 million copies. So far, it has sold over 13.7 million copies worldwide becoming one of the best selling digital singles of all time. In 2012, Dominican musician Karlos Rosé covered the song in bachata as his debut single which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.
The music video, directed by Ethan Lader, was released on September 8, 2010 and features Peruvian born Australian actress Nathalie Kelley. The official remix features rapper Lupe Fiasco and is included on the deluxe edition of Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Mars performed “Just The Way You Are” on The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour (2010–2012) and The Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–2014), and was also performed at his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show. The song has been covered by various recording artists. “Just the Way You Are” also inspired Meghan Trainor’s debut single “All About That Bass”. The song is featured in the movie Pitch Perfect.
The song was written by Mars, along with The Smeezingtons, Khalil Walton, and Needlz. Mars said of the song, “It took me months to come up with ‘Just the Way You Are’… I wasn’t thinking of anything deep or poetic. I was telling a story. Get ready to fall in love!” He added, “I’m a big fan of songs like Joe Cocker’s ‘You Are So Beautiful’ and Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ – songs that go straight to the point. You know, there’s no mind-boggling lyrics or twists in the story – they just come directly from the heart. And to me ‘Just The Way You Are’ is one of those songs. There’s nothing mind-blowing about it. I’m just telling a woman she looks beautiful the way she IS – and, let’s be honest, what woman doesn’t wanna hear those lyrics?!” Mars’ A&R who was responsible for finding songs and songwriters to help in the process of composing the song, Aaron Bay-Schuck, told HitQuarters that as soon as “Just the Way You Are” was finished they knew they had the first single.
Track listing
The song was first made available to purchase online on July 20, 2010, in the US. Three months later, a promo CD single containing the album version was available for purchase. In Germany a CD single was available for purchase on September 22, 2010, that included the Skrillex Batboi Remix along with the original version of the song. On November 12, 2010, a digital version that includes the version of the official remix of “Just The Way You Are” featuring Fiasco and the original version of the single was made available in UK and in Denmark. A deluxe edition which includes the remix and the music video was released on November 25, 2010, digitally worldwide. On November 2, 2011, an EP that includes several remixes was released worldwide. A 12-inch Maxi CD that included the original version of the song and seven new remixes was released in UK and Denmark on December 2, 2010. In US, a 12-inch Maxi CD was released including a remix of “Billionaire” and two new tracks “Voices in My Head” and “Dancing in the Mirror”.[
Digital download
“Just the Way You Are” (Album Version) – 3:40
Promo CD Single
“Just the Way You Are” (Album Version) – 3:40
Digital download – Deluxe single[24]
“Just the Way You Are” – 3:40
“Just the Way You Are” (Remix featuring Lupe Fiasco) – 3:58
“Just the Way You Are” (music video)
German CD single
“Just the Way You Are” (Album Version) – 3:40
“Just the Way You Are” (Skrillex Batboi Remix) – 3:50
Digital download – Remixes EP[22]
“Just the Way You Are” (Simon Steur Club Mix)
“Just the Way You Are” (Simon Steur Dub)
“Just the Way You Are” (Carl Louis & Martin Danielle Club Mix)
“Just the Way You Are” (Carl Louis & Martin Danielle Classic Mix)
“Just the Way You Are” (Manufactured Superstars Remix)
“Just the Way You Are” (Steve Smart & Westfunk Club Mix)
“Just the Way You Are” (Skrillex Batboi Remix)
Digital
“Just The Way You Are” (Album version) – 3:40
“Just The Way You Are” (Remix featuring Lupe Fiasco) – 3:58
The Remixes – 12″ Maxi UK & Denmark
“Just The Way You Are” (Original) – 3:41
“Just The Way You Are” (Crok Rokcouture Dfn Remix V3) – 5:21
“Just The Way You Are” (David S. House Remix) – 3:34
“Just The Way You Are” (Instrumental) – 3:41
“Just The Way You Are” (Mistermike Remix) – 3:40
“Just The Way You Are” (Dark Intensity Remix) – 4:04
“Just The Way You Are” (Mister Grays Dutch Edit) – 3:00
“Just The Way You Are” (Koji One Edit) – 4:20
Promo – 12″ Maxi US
“Just The Way You Are” (Main) – 3:41
“Just The Way You Are” (Instrumental) – 3:41
“Just The Way You Are” (Intro-Edit) – 3:45
Bruno Mars feat. Gucci Mane, LMFAO & Travis McCoy – “Billionaire” (Intro-Edit) – 3:39
“Voices In My Head” – 3:24
“Dance In The Mirror” – 4:00
Credits and personnel
Mixing and mastering
Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios, Hollywood, California; mastered at Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood, California; engineered at Levcon Studios, Hollywood, California.
Personnel
Songwriting – Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Khalil Walton, Needlz
Production – The Smeezingtons, Needlz
Mixing – Manny Marroquin
Assistant – Christian Plata, Erik Madrid
Mastering – Stephen Marcussen
Engineer – Ari Levine
All instruments played by – Ari Levine, Bruno Mars
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Elektra Records