Finesse

Album: 24K Magic (2016)
Charted: 5 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This new jack swing influenced song finds Bruno Mars unleashing his inner house party MC.

    Fellas grab your ladies if your lady fine
    Tell her she the one, she the one for life
    Ladies grab your fellas and let's do this right
    If you're on one like me in mind
    Yeah we got it goin' on, got it goin' on


    The song is one of the most upbeat tracks on 24K Magic. "Anytime you see us, on tour, on TV, I want to be moving," Mars told Rolling Stone. "I was very conscious on this album of the bounce."
  • Bruno Mars wrote the early '90s throwback tune with his regular collaborators Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown and James Fauntleroy. Mars, Lawrence and Brown also handled the production under their Shampoo Press & Curl moniker, with The Stereotypes responsible for additional drum programming.
  • The song's drum pattern takes direct inspiration from the intro to Bell Biv Devoe's 1990 R&B hit "Poison."
  • A remix of the song featuring Cardi B was released on January 4, 2018. Cardi drops bars about growing up in the Bronx and working as a dancer before her rise to rap stardom.
  • The self-directed video was inspired by one of Mars' "favorite TV shows of all time." The clip pays homage to the early 1990s American sketch comedy television series In Living Color.
  • Bruno Mars recalled his collaboration with the Bronx rapper: "I met Cardi B at 3 am after my show in LA backstage where we recorded her verse for Finesse. She walked in the room and she was everything I'd hope she'd be."
  • Jonathan Yip of The Stereotypes recalled working with Bruno Mars and the other producers on this track. "For 'Finesse,' he [Mars] was like, 'We gotta go new jack swing. Let's get one on here,'" he remembered to Billboard: "For me, new jack swing is like my favorite era ever, and so as we're going along we're just messing around making some stuff. He's getting on the drum set, everybody is grabbing an instrument, and everybody is singing and yelling. Everybody is kind of contributing their little bit to the song, and next thing you know, we're dripping in finesse [Laughs]."
  • Mars and Cardi B performed "Finesse" at the Grammy Awards in 2018, where Bruno won six awards, including Album Of The Year for 24K Magic.

    Cardi was slated to join the 24K Magic tour that fall but backed out in July a few weeks after her daughter was born. She was worried about letting people down, but Bruno offered his support, posting, "Most important thing is you and your family's health. I know the fans will understand. You are absolutely doing the right thing."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.