Donyan Sb Catfightdoo Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars -

This alchemy is most evident in “The Other Side,” featuring CeeLo Green and B.o.B. The track begins with a doo-wop piano figure, then pivots into a trap-lite beat and rapid-fire verses before returning to the lush chorus. Mars proves that retro does not mean reactionary; he is not rejecting modernity but recontextualizing tradition. In doing so, he created a template for artists like Mark Ronson, Lizzo, and even Dua Lipa, who would later mine similar vintage sounds for contemporary hits.

Who are the “Hooligans” of the title? On the surface, they are the young, rowdy audience members—the fans who turn ballads into singalongs and up-tempo tracks into mosh pits. But the term also describes Mars’s artistic persona: a nice guy with a mischievous streak. The album’s production choices reflect this duality. “Liquor Store Blues” (featuring Damian Marley) blends bittersweet acoustic guitar with dancehall rhythm, narrating a man who seeks solace in cheap rum after heartbreak. It is a hooligan’s lament, romanticizing self-destruction while winking at its foolishness. donyan sb catfightdoo wops & hooligans bruno mars

The title’s “Doo-Wops” is no accident. Listen closely to “Count on Me” (featuring a ukulele, no less) and you hear the ghost of The Penguins’ “Earth Angel.” The backing harmonies in “Runaway Baby” owe a debt to The Coasters’ call-and-response energy. Yet Mars never descends into pastiche. He filters these vintage elements through contemporary production—snare drums that crack like hip-hop beats, synth pads that shimmer with 2010s gloss, and a vocal delivery that ranges from silky croon (à la Sam Cooke) to percussive rap-singing. This alchemy is most evident in “The Other