• 2003–2026

  CeeLo GreenVocals

  Danger MouseProduction
• Gnarls Barkley is an American soul/alternative R&B duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, made up of producer Danger Mouse (born Brian Burton) and vocalist CeeLo Green (born Thomas Callaway). Burton builds the tracks - cinematic, sample-heavy and slightly skewed - while Green supplies the elastic, gospel-trained vocals and larger-than-life personality.
• Before the duo formed, Danger Mouse had already gained major attention producing the Demon Days album for Gorillaz, shaping its moody, genre-blurring sound. That layered, atmospheric production style became a key ingredient in the Gnarls Barkley formula.
• Green came into the partnership with deep Atlanta hip-hop roots as a founding member of Goodie Mob, one of the defining acts of the city's '90s scene. His Southern soul sensibility and socially aware perspective added emotional weight to the duo's psychedelic pop experiments.
• The pair connected after Green was introduced to Danger Mouse through engineer Ben Allen, with early sessions taking place at Maze Studios in Atlanta. What began as a creative experiment quickly evolved into a full-fledged project.
• The name "Gnarls Barkley" is a playful spin on Charles Barkley, the Hall of Fame basketball player and outspoken TV commentator. The name reportedly came out of a casual brainstorming session when Danger Mouse and friends were tossing around strange potential band names. It stuck, partly because it was absurd, partly because it was memorable, and partly because it sounded like it shouldn't work but somehow did.
• Gnarls Barkley broke through with their 2006 debut album, St. Elsewhere, powered by the global smash "Crazy." The song made history as the first single to reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart based solely on digital downloads before physical sales were counted. It spent nine consecutive weeks at the top and became one of the defining tracks of the 2000s (in America it never hit #1 but spent seven weeks at #2). St. Elsewhere went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, cementing the duo's unlikely blend of soul, hip-hop, and psychedelic pop as a mainstream force.
• Live, Gnarls Barkley treated performances as conceptual art pieces. The duo appeared in coordinated costumes at nearly every major appearance: white tennis outfits, hospital scrubs, astronaut suits, and famously as Star Wars characters at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, where CeeLo performed as an unmasked Darth Vader. "Each live performance is an opportunity to play dress-up," noted Billboard.
• After releasing their second album, The Odd Couple (2008), both members pursued solo ventures. Green found massive solo success with "Forget You" and became a coach on The Voice, while Danger Mouse became one of the industry's most in-demand producers, collaborating with the likes of Beck, U2, Adele, and Broken Bells (his duo with James Mercer).
• Over the years, CeeLo Green repeatedly hinted that the duo would reunite. They finally reconvened in 2025 to record the album Atlanta, describing the project as a homecoming rooted in shared memories of their hometown. The lead single, "Pictures," draws directly from CeeLo's childhood experiences riding the MARTA train in Atlanta. The album was their final release under the Gnarls Barkley name, closing the chapter on one of the most distinctive partnerships of the 2000s.

Comments

More Songfacts:

DowntownPetula Clark

When Petula Clark reached #1 in the US with "Downtown" in 1965, she became the first female singer from England to hit #1 in the US during the Rock Era (after 1955).

We're Not Gonna Take ItTwisted Sister

Musically, the Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It" is based on the Christmas tune "O Come All Ye Faithful."

You Don't Know How It FeelsTom Petty

MTV reversed the word "joint" in Tom Petty's "You Don't Known How It Feels" so it was unintelligible, but gave the video a VMA anyway.

Just Give Me A ReasonPink

Pink wrote "Just Give Me A Reason" about how one partner can feel jilted over something trivial, like how her boyfriend passes her the butter.

E.T.Katy Perry

Katy Perry's song "E.T." came from a beat originally intended for the rap group Three Six Mafia. When her producer accidentally pulled up the beat, Perry asked to use it.

Cat's In The CradleHarry Chapin

Harry Chapin's wife Sandy wrote the lyrics to "Cat's In The Cradle," which were actually about her first husband.

Editor's Picks

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.