"Just the Way You Are" is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriterBruno Mars. It is thelead single from his debut studio album,Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). The song was written by Mars,Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine,Khalil Walton andNeedlz and produced by the former three, under their alias,the Smeezingtons along with Needlz. It was released in the United States tocontemporary hit radio on August 10, 2010. The track was released in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2010, as "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)". The song's lyrics compliment a woman's beauty.
Bruno Mars said of the song, "It took me months to come up with 'Just the Way You Are'... I wasn't thinking of anything deep or poetic. I was telling a story. Get ready to fall in love!"[2] It was inspired byEric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" (1977) andSinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990).[3] Mars explained, "I'm a big fan of songs likeJoe Cocker's 'You Are So Beautiful' and Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' – songs that go straight to the point. You know, there's no mind-boggling lyrics or twists in the story – they just come directly from the heart. And to me 'Just The Way You Are' is one of those songs. There's nothing mind-blowing about it. I'm just telling a woman she looks beautiful the way she IS – and, let's be honest, what woman doesn't wanna hear those lyrics?!"[4]
Mars'sA&R,Aaron Bay-Schuck, was responsible for finding the original idea from American record producers and songwritersKhalil Walton andNeedlz.[5][6] Mars originally sang the hook that Khalil and Needlz wrote for a feature on aLupe Fiasco record. Needlz allowed Mars to use the idea for his album.[7] This was all facilitated by Bay-Shuck, who toldHitQuarters that as soon as "Just the Way You Are" was finished they knew they had the first single, saying:
"It had a massive chorus, an instantly memorable melody and lyric, and was a natural transition from theB.o.B andTravie McCoy songs ... [Also] it didn't sound like anything else on the radio. It had everything we could want in a first single for Bruno."[5]
Ari Levine explained: "Needlz had a track with a melody idea byKhalil Walton that was presented to us by one of the A&R guys. Bruno and Phil came up with the chorus, and then Needlz sent us the files and we replaced a bunch of sounds with our sounds and I programmed drums in theMPC, and we wrote the rest of the song. I never met Needlz or Walton".[6]The song was offered to Lupe Fiasco andCeeLo Green, but at that point, Mars decided to keep it.[7][3]
"Just the Way You Are" was written by Mars,Philip Lawrence, Levine, Walton, and Needlz, while production was handled bythe Smeezingtons along with Needlz. Levine and Mars played all the instruments on the track, with the former engineering the song at Levcon Studios in California. The track was mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles byManny Marroquin, while Christian Plata and Erik Madrid served as mixing assistants. It was mastered byStephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California.[8]
"Just the Way You Are" was released as the lead single fromDoo-Wops & Hooligans.[9]Elektra Records serviced the song to download in the United States on July 20, 2010.[9] It was released in the United States tocontemporary hit radio on August 10, 2010, by Elektra andAtlantic Records.[10] On September 27, 2010, the song was released for digital download, under the name "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)".[11][12] On November 2, seven remixes were released as a purchasable download in US.[13] It was released as a CD single in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, on November 12. It contains the album version of the song and the remix by Skrillex Batboi.[14] The original track was released on September 27, 2010, in the United Kingdom via digital download.[11] On November 2, 2010, an EP that includes several remixes was released in various countries. Skrillex, Martin Danielle, and the Manufactured Superstars were among the names to remix the original version.[13] A deluxe edition which includes the official remix with rapperLupe Fiasco and the music video was released on November 25, 2010.[15] The official remix was also released on the deluxe edition ofDoo-Wops & Hooligans (2010).[16]
"Just the Way You Are" is apop,R&B, andsoft rockballad.[17][18] Its instrumentation featurespiano and a "hip-hopbreakbeat".[19] Tim Byron of The Vine.com said "the steeply rising melody at the start of the chorus introduces a little tension before defusing it with the catchy tag of the chorus, which is simple and effective as a hook".[20]Billboard said that Mars "takes his dreamysoprano to the next level" on the track.[19] The song is in thekey ofF major and follows the chord progression of F–Dm–B♭–F. Mars's vocal range spans fromF3 toC5.[21]
Billboard called "Just the Way You Are" "a feel-good jam".[19] Leah Greenblatt ofEntertainment Weekly labeled the song "sweetly smitten ballad".[22] Brad Wete, writing for the same publication, described the track as "an endearing mid-tempo". Wete also said its "vibe" resembles the "collaboration withB.o.B–just not as groovy".[23] Nick Levine fromDigital Spy describe it as a "huge-hearted urbany piano ballad", comparing its sound to "Empire State of Mind" (2009)."[11] The song has been compared to a "U2 production" by Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times[24] and by Andy Gill adding that he felt a "groove through R&B territory".[25] Tim Sendra ofAllMusic called the debut single "lushly romantic".[26] Scott Kara for theNew Zealand Herald dubbed the song as a "ballad boogie".[27]
Lyrically, the song is about Mars professing "his love for a beautiful girl who occupies his dreams", on the verses "When you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while/ 'Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are".Billboard concludes, "Mars pens lyrics that aim to make female listeners feel nothing short of perfect in their own skin".[19] Byron said the lyrics are "effective – the repeated lines at the start of the verses are catchy".[20]Consequence of Sound's Alex Young described the song "Mars sticks to the song's name and insists that he wouldn't want to change anything about his particular gal. You believe him, too. With an undeniably catchy chorus".[28] Lester said the lyrics are "about a girl Mars could 'kiss all day'."[17]
The song received mixed reviews from music critics.Digital Spy's Nick Levine gave it four out of five stars and described it as a "huge-hearted urbany piano ballad [...] with a similar, if not quite as undeniable, instant classic feel to 'Empire State of Mind' byJay-Z featuringAlicia Keys".[11]Billboard wrote: "With its steady, danceable pulse and singalong chorus, Mars has created a feel-good jam that should establish him as a solo contender in his own right."[19] Alex Young fromConsequence of Sound praised the track's chorus for being "undeniably catchy" and didn't find surprising for the single to be a "radio staple".[28]AllMusic's Tim Sendra gave the single a mixed review saying, "it's not very deep and it's not poetry, but sweetly played and sung". He believes it, "will melt hearts from tweens to old folk".[26] Tony Clayton-Lea ofThe Irish Times dubbed the single "a slice of wide-eyed pop that automatically coaxes a smile."[29]
On the other hand, Tim Byron of The Vine compared "Just the Way You Are" toBilly Joel's1977 hit single of the same name, saying the latter "is a little more ambiguous...more aware of the ups and downs that characterize relationships".[20] Jamie Milton ofmusicOMH explained that "Just the Way You Are" can be mistaken for a pop song due to its tempo. However, it is one of the most "sappiest ballads" to be heard in some time.[30] Nima Baniamer fromContactmusic.com felt the single didn't make Mars stand out from other R&B artists. Baniamer added, "The song never builds to any climax and it simply falls a bit flat, coming across quite corny and cheesy."[31]The Guardian's Paul Lester dubbed Mars's vocals on the track as a "breezy falsetto as characterless as you'd imagine."[17]
The song reached the top of the USBillboard Hot 100 on the chart dated October 2, 2010, ending the two-week reign ofKaty Perry's "Teenage Dream" (2010).[39] The song spent a total of 48 weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, debuting on August 7, 2010, and leaving the chart on July 2, 2011. It became Mars second longest charting song on theBillboard Hot 100 as a solo and fourth overall.[40] As of October 2015, the song had sold 6.7 million downloads domestically.[41] The song was certified twenty-one times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[42] As of October 2025, it became the highest certified single in RIAA history.[43] It holds the record of the longest-reigning debut format on theAdult Contemporary, having spent 20 weeks atop.[44] The song peaked at number one on theCanadian Hot 100 and was certified diamond byMusic Canada (MC).[45][46]
On September 26, 2010, it became the singer's second number-one single in the United Kingdom,[12] where it hit the number-one spot again on October 24, 2010,[47] from sales of 116,000 copies[47] becoming the first song ever to have left the top three before rebounding to the top spot. It sold 766,000 copies during 2010, becoming the third biggest seller of the year.[48] On April 9, 2013, it was revealed that the song is the ninth most downloaded song of all time in the United Kingdom.[49] On August 2, 2011 "Just The Way You Are" became the 108th million-selling single in the UK, having taken 43 weeks to reach that figure.[50] As of September 2017, in the United Kingdom, the single had reached a total of 1.57 million combined sales (1.33 million purchases and 244,72 streaming equivalent sales), becoming the 75th biggest selling single of all-time in UK. "Just the Way You Are" is the seventeenthbest-selling single based on paid-for sales of the 21st century in the United Kingdom.[51] It was certified five times platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI).[52] On October 12, 2010, Bruno Mars got his third number one single in theDutch Top 40, after "Nothin' On You" (2009) and "Billionaire" (2010), having spent 11 weeks at number one in Netherlands.[53] The song also reached number one in Australia and was certified seven times platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[54][55] The single debuted at number 31 in New Zealand on August 2, 2010. The song was number 1 for two weeks. The single was on the chart for 32 weeks.[56] It was certified seven times platinum byRecorded Music NZ (RMNZ).-[57]
"Just the Way You Are" was less successful on theFrench Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 33 and stayed on the chart for 28 weeks.[58] "Just The Way You Are" also peaked at number three in Switzerland,[59] at number one in the Republic of Ireland,[60] at number four in Belgium (Flanders),[61] and at number 2 in Germany and Sweden.[62][63] It reached number six at Denmark.[64] "Just the Way You Are" was thebest selling digital single of 2011, selling more than 12.5 million copies globally throughout that year, thus becoming one of thebest-selling singles of all time.[65] The song is also one of theUK's biggest selling singles of all-time placed at number 74 with sales around 1.17 million.[66]
Bruno Mars arranging himself in a cassette tape in the shape of him playing the piano, in the music video.
The corresponding music video was directed by Ethan Lander, shot in September 2010 in the downtown ofLos Angeles and released on September 8, 2010.[9][67][68] Cameron Duddy was able to shoot the behind-the-scenes footage in exchange for his jean jacket, which Mars used during the music video.[69] The video features Peruvian-Australian actressNathalie Kelley. Lander considers Bruno Mars a star. He adds "The charisma that he has, you can't teach." Finishing with "singer even manages to be suave in his mugshot, which is no small feat!"[70] He sees the video as a collaboration, the video director came up with the vision and Mars added his vision and so on. The video is a mixture of live-action and stop-motion animation and through the animation, Bruno shows his girlfriend how beautiful she is. He takes a cassette tape and starts creating images out of the tape and they start to get a life of their own.[67]
The video begins with Kelley listening to "Just the Way You Are" on herWalkman as Mars walks in. Mars stops the tape player, removes the cassette tape, and begins singing his song.[71] As the instrumental portion of the song begins, Mars pulls the media out of the cassette tape and arranges the media into letters forming his name followed by the song title. As the song continues, he forms a picture of a drum, again on the table, using the tape media. Additional images of similar construction follow throughout the video including a portrait of Mars as well as one of Kelley blinking her eyes and smiling as Mars continues singing. Most of the images shown are animated, including a bell which Mars rings with his fingers in synchronization with thechimes near the end of the song. Lastly, Mars finishes the song while singing and playing anupright piano while Kelley watches and smiles. The video was inspired by the artwork of Erika Iris Simmons.[16]
Bruno Mars performed the song at theBowery Ballroom inNew York City on August 25, 2010, with him and his four-piece band dressed in blue tuxedos and black skinny ties. John Macdonald forSpin said "Despite a couple pitch problems here and there, Mars proved to be nearly as good a performer as he is a songwriter".[77] Mars performed the song onSaturday Night Live on October 9, 2010.[78] The song was performed atThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, on October 14, 2010.[79] A soulful arrangement of the song was sung for aBillboard Tastemakers video session, on October 22, 2010.[80] An acoustic version of the song was performed atGrammy Nominations concert in 2010 for the53rd Grammy Awards.[81] Mars also played the song live at theBBC Radio 1XtraLive Lounge and at theNBA All-Star Tip Off Pre-Show in January and February 2011, respectively.[82][83] The song was also performed onNBC's Today Show on June 24, 2011.[84] A live performance was also done on the FrenchX Factor during the finale of the second season.[85] Carolina Frost for theHuffington Post said that Mars at the2012 Brit Awards "took his poptastic song Just the Way You Are, and gave it a fresh jazzy arrangement." Others praised Mars's vocality and confidence with his soulful rendition.[86]
Daniel Evans, a finalist onThe X Factor (UK), included his version of the song on his albumWicked Game, released on December 2, 2013. The album contains covers from various artists.[105]Matt Cardle, the winner ofthe seventh series of British TV talent contestThe X Factor, performed "Just the Way You Are" in week 2 of the live shows and later recorded his own version of the song, which was included in the CD single release of his debut single "When We Collide" (2010).[106][107]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^abc"Just the Way You Are" (Liner notes/CD single). Bruno Mars. Elektra. 2010. 7567-88334-96.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 02. týden 2011 in the date selector. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
