7 Throwback Songs You Had No Concept Bruno Mars Wrote

Remember when “Right Round” was inescapable? Or when “Forget You” became the clean version you belted out in every car ride, every party, every dorm room pregame? What about “Wavin’ Flag” soundtracking an entire World Cup summer?

Here’s the thing: Bruno Mars was behind all of those throwback songs. And you probably had no clue.

Before he became one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, Bruno Mars was quietly shaping the soundtrack of the late 2000s and early 2010s — writing and producing hits for other artists that defined an entire generation’s formative years. 

If you came of age during that era, this is about to be one of those satisfying “wait, WHAT?” moments you’ll want to text your group chat about immediately.

Bruno Mars was making hits well before ‘Uptown Funk!’

Bruno Mars is widely regarded as a pop icon and one of the greatest singer-performers of his generation. 

He has recorded 10 No. 1 hits and 21 Top 10 hits, according to Billboard Hot 100. In total, 36 of his songs have appeared in the Billboard Hot 100.

His hit song “Uptown Funk!” with Mark Ronson was the No. 1 song of the entire 2010s, per Billboard. It spent a total of 56 weeks on the Hot 100 chart and 14 weeks at No. 1. 

Other hits include “Locked Out Of Heaven,” “Die With A Smile,” “Grenade,” “Just The Way You Are,” “I Just Might,” “That’s What I Like” and “When I Was Your Man.”

But beyond his own discography, Bruno Mars helped curate some of the most nostalgic songs of the 2000s — most of which through his songwriting and record producing team known as The Smeezingtons. The team, formed in 2009, consists of Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine.

So let’s take a trip through some throwback songs that hit differently once you realize Mars had his fingerprints all over them.

7. “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” by Mike Posner

If Mike Posner’s name instantly takes you back to “Cooler Than Me” summer, you already know the vibe. “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” came from Posner’s debut album 31 Minutes to Takeoff (2010), and yes, Bruno Mars was behind it.

The track debuted on Billboard Hot 100 on March 12, 2011, and peaked at No. 30 on May 14, 2011. It spent 16 weeks on the chart and was one of four Posner songs to appear on the charts. Not a bad run for a song you can probably still hum right now.

6. “Tears Always Win” by Alicia Keys

Here’s a deep cut for you. “Tears Always Win” is one of the most underrated songs off Alicia Keys’ fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012). It never appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard 200, which is honestly a crime.

It was written by Keys, Mars, Lawrence and Jeff Bhasker and was the fifth single off the album. Keys debuted it on American Idol on May 9, 2013. If you missed this one, consider it your sign to go back and listen — knowing Mars co-wrote it adds a whole new layer.

5. “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green

OK, be honest — did you just hear the melody in your head the second you read that title? 

“Forget You” was absolutely unavoidable. It was written by Cee Lo Green, Mars and Brody Brown and released on August 19, 2010, as the lead single from Green’s third solo studio album, The Lady Killer (2010).

It’s by far Green’s most popular song, and the chart numbers back that up. The track debuted on Billboard Hot 100 on Sept. 11, 2010, and spent a whopping 48 weeks on the charts. It peaked at No. 2 on March 5, 2011. Nearly a full year on the charts. 

That’s not just a hit — that’s a cultural staple. And Bruno Mars helped write it.

4. “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan

If you watched any of the 2010 FIFA World Cup — or even just existed near a television that summer — you know this song. “Wavin’ Flag” is by Somali-Canadian artist K’naan, from his album Troubadour (2009). It was produced by Kerry Brothers Jr. and Mars.

Here’s what makes this one special: the song was originally written for Somalia and aspirations of its people for freedom. It became a global hit when it was rewritten and chosen as Coca-Cola’s promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. 

That means Bruno Mars helped produce a song that soundtracked one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. 

3. “One Day” by Matisyahu

Speaking of the 2010 World Cup — Mars’ fingerprints were all over that moment in cultural history. “One Day” by Matisyahu was released in 2008 and was a last-minute addition to Matisyahu’s album Light (2009). It was written by Mars, Levine, Lawrence and Matthew Miller and produced by The Smeezingtons.

The song became a global hit when it was heavily featured on the official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album. It is Matisyahu’s second most popular song, debuting on Billboard Hot 100 on March 13, 2010, and peaking at 85 on April 10, 2010. It spent six weeks on the charts. 

So if that World Cup summer felt like it had a specific emotional texture, Bruno Mars was one of the people crafting it behind the scenes.

2. “Right Round” by Flo Rida

This is the one that might genuinely shock you. “Right Round” was released as the lead single from Flo Rida’s second studio album, R.O.O.T.S. (2009), and it also serves as Kesha’s debut single. It was written by a long list of writers, including Mars and Lawrence, this track dominated everything.

The hit spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and 26 weeks on the chart in 2009. Six weeks at No. 1. And Mars himself knew exactly how big a deal that was.

In a 2010 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mars said of the song: “We wrote ‘Right Round’ for Flo Rida. That was a sample, obviously, but we got our name in there and got some publishing. And it was a No. 1 record. That was our first taste of what could really happen with a hit we hundred-percented.”

That quote says it all. Before “Just the Way You Are” made him a household name, Bruno Mars was already tasting No. 1 success — just under someone else’s name.

1. “All I Ask” by Adele

A collaboration with one of the greatest vocalists of our lifetime. “All I Ask” was written for Adele’s third studio album 25 (2015). It was written by Adele, Mars, Lawrence and Brody Brown and produced by The Smeezingtons.

The track spent one week on Billboard Hot 100 at No. 77 on March 5, 2016. But don’t let that chart position fool you — this is Adele we’re talking about, and the story behind the recording session is everything.

“She’s a superstar. She walks into the studio, she’s got all this attitude, she’s a diva, she’s like, ‘I don’t want to do this. I don’t like that.’ And then as soon as we hit a couple chords that she liked, we started rolling and that’s where we got that song from,” Mars said of working with Adele, per Billboard.