Mark Ronson - The Stories Behind ‘Uptown Funk,’ Amy Winehouse & ‘I’m Just Ken’

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: ⁠fane.co.uk/elizabeth-day

Elizabeth’s Substack: theelizabethday.substack.com

Join the How To Fail community: 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. link.chtbl.com/7uRMc582

Mabel - the mega popstar chats creativity, stage fright and trying to be healthy. 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. link.chtbl.com/XVmX2wuW

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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

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