Bruno Mars' voice takes his fans to paradise.
Listen. Or rather, listen again.
So I have been trying to figure out why “Locked Out of Heaven” by that handsome old soul Bruno Mars is so infectious. It’s the type of song you could listen to over and over again. And thanks to 96.5 Kiss FM in Cleveland, Ohio, if you’re a fan of the song, you can hear it every 3 to 5 minutes. Right after anything Rihanna or the Beebs. So I have come to the conclusion that the reason why this song gets into your system is because . . .
. . . it’s already there. From songs past. Not just any songs. Classic sounds of the greats. Sorry Bruno, but “Locked Out of Heaven” is a knockoff.
Let’s explore.
One, two, one, two, three,
Oh, yeah, yeah,
The rhythm of the “oh, yeah, yeahs” belong to Sting.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
This grunt is all Michael Jackson.
Oh, yeah, yeah,
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
All Michael Jackson.
Never had much faith in love or miracles
The Police had “no faith in constitution.”
Never wanna put my heart on the line
But swimming in your water is something spiritual
I’m born again every time you spend the night
‘Cause your sex takes me to paradise
What, Bruno, like spirits in the material world?
Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise
The rhythm and the tempo of the “paradise” stuff is all The Police a la “Spirits in the Material World.”
And it shows, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Sure does!)
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
The “for too lo-o-o-o-ong” is all Journey.
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
All Steve Perry: “for so lo-o-o-ong.”
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
Oh, yeah, yeah,
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
You bring me to my knees
You make me testify
You can make a sinner change his ways
Open up your gates cause I can’t wait to see the light
And right there is where I wanna stay
‘Cause your sex takes me to paradise
Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise
And it shows, yeah, yeah, yeah
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Can I just stay here
Sounds kind of like Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” e.g. “If I lay here . . .”
Spend the rest of my days here
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Can’t I just stay here
“If I just lay here . . .”
Spend the rest of my days here
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
Oh, yeah, yeah,
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Ooh!
The song is a huge hit. But, in my opinion, for its feel-good retro feel, we all know why. Thanks Bruno for taking us back! All the way back!
Do you hear any other influences from the past?
Yes! Steve Perry is all I could hear the first time I heard this song. And then, Eddie Money. It all comes back around…
Nope, nuthin’ nu unda da sun…