Album Anniversaries: Bruno Mars’ 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' is Still a Party a Decade Later
The 2010s pop king burst into the limelight with his chart-topping debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans, a breezy dance record dedicated to the wild side in us all.
In Album Anniversaries, writers honor their favorite aging albums and their subsequent legacies, revealing which projects have stood the test of time.
Written by Josh Whalen
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records
Bruno Mars was born to entertain. At four years old, the Hawaii native took the stage with his family performing as an Elvis impersonator, accompanying his mother’s singing and his father’s Latin percussion beats. Music and family defined Mars’ life from the beginning — long before the accolades and performances at sold-out arenas and Grammy stages ever did.
Before the acclaim, the singer-songwriter sat quietly behind the curtain, penning hits for Flo Rida and Travie McCoy. It was with his sultry number one single “Nothing On You” that Mars was finally thrust into the spotlight.
Mars’ career catapulted forward in 2010 with the unveiling of his first full-length work Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Thrown together in the span of only a few months, Doo-Wops bounces from genre to genre with blissful optimism and genuine wholesomeness in each track. Reggae, soul, and rock influences can be traced within the album's catchy hooks and radio-ready beat drops. The record is home to a multitude of staples in the Bruno Mars discography; “Just The Way You Are” and “The Lazy Song” rank among Mars’ most iconic tracks in his decade-long solo career.
What made Doo-Wops so special 10 years ago and what separates it today is the spirit that each track carries. The album opens ears to the unmistakable sound of Bruno Mars doing what he does best: getting the party started.
The success of Mars’ debut was inevitable, as party anthems (and some “Party Rock Anthems”) ruled the charts and radio airwaves throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. But Doo-Wops felt different; Mars’ performative streak never wavers throughout the entirety of the album. He showcases his singing chops on the album’s opener “Grenade,” an anguishing track that centers on a failed relationship with a former flame. As he belts out the chorus and his voice cracks and harmonizes, not once is there a sliver of doubt of Mars’ raw, genuine emotion. “Grenade” struck a chord with lovesick listeners and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of two songs on Doo-Wops to reach this feat.
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records
But the real heart and soul of Doo-Wops extends past the chart and radio success; each song is hand-crafted to stick in listeners' heads. Mars has said so himself in several interviews, elaborating that his father loved doo-wop music with “beautiful, straight-to-the-point” sounds. He’s also said that his youth introduced him to the party scene, inspiring his hooligan side. Though it seems paradoxical to mix smooth, catchy melodies with funky dance floor beats, Mars walks the line with technical mastery. The record serves as one grand 35-minute performance for him, allowing him to entertain in high times (the smooth and intimate crooner “Our First Time”) and in low (the aforementioned “Grenade”).
The record is also home to a string of sleeper hits that never saw mainstream success. “Runaway Baby” is a perfect mashup of raucous and electrifying reggae-pop that showcases a cocky Mars lamenting on his lack of relationship skills. In contrast, the slow and vulnerable “Talking to the Moon” displays Mars’ more sensitive side, exemplifying his vocal range with a bluesy ensemble to complement the earnest lyrics. For an album released 10 years ago, the sound of Doo-Wops stays surprisingly fresh, residing in that sweet spot between easy, pop melodies and mature love ballads.
Bruno Mars remains a dominating force in pop, 10 years after his debut with three No. 1 albums and seven chart-topping hits to his name. Yet, his breakthrough continues to captivate. Doo-Wops pays homage to a wide variety of musical genres, from pop and reggae to R&B. But the cultural impact of Doo-Wops & Hooligans goes further than just the music. The 2010s were a decade in which digital media shined, resulting in a burst of creative music videos and visuals to go alongside radio chart-toppers. Mars’ music videos showed off his inventive stride and performative streak, rewarding him with overnight internet virality. “The Lazy Song,” an odd-ball favorite and simple tune featuring Mars in his bedroom with five men in monkey costumes, amassed nearly two billion views since its original posting. The iconoclastic super single “Just The Way You Are” also crossed the one billion mark for views, with “Grenade” following right behind. Ten years later, Doo-Wops & Hooligans stays true to its name and shows how Bruno Mars maintains relevancy in pop music; with each listen, his partying spirit lives on.