Gorilla

The Story Behind "Gorilla" by Bruno Mars

By 2013, Bruno Mars had already proven he could write a love song that melted radio, but "Gorilla" showed a different animal entirely. Sweaty, theatrical, and dripping with retro funk grease, the track found Mars channeling the raw sexuality of 1970s rock and soul. It was a bold swerve from the polished pop that made him famous, a song built around a slow-burning groove and a vocal performance that swung for the rafters. For an artist often praised for his craft, "Gorilla" was a chance to show his wilder, more carnal side.

A Star in Full Command

By the time of this release, Bruno Mars was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, riding the enormous success of his second album. "Gorilla" appeared on Mars's 2012 album Unorthodox Jukebox and was released as a single in 2013. The record showcased his range, moving from reggae-tinged pop to disco to power balladry, and "Gorilla" represented its rawest, most rock-leaning corner. It demonstrated that Mars was not content to repeat himself, and that his deep knowledge of musical history extended into the grittier, more theatrical traditions of arena rock and funk.

A Throwback Built to Smolder

The song is a deliberate homage to the bombastic ballads of the 1970s. Built on a slow, heavy groove with crashing drums and a soaring chorus, the track recalls the era of glam and hard-rock excess. Mars delivers a vocal that builds from a whisper to a full-throated wail, leaning into the song's overt sensuality without restraint. The production is lush and dramatic, full of swelling dynamics designed to mirror the song's intensity. It is a showcase for Mars as both a vocalist and a student of pop history, reviving a style most of his peers would not dare to touch.

A Respectable Chart Climb

On the Billboard Hot 100, "Gorilla" performed well, though it did not reach the towering heights of the album's lead singles. The track debuted at number 60 on September 14, 2013, and worked its way up the chart through the autumn. It reached its peak of number 22 during the week of November 2, 2013, a solid showing for a deep cut so different in tone from Mars's biggest hits. The single spent 16 weeks on the Hot 100, a respectable run that confirmed his audience was willing to follow him into stranger, sweatier territory.

A Student of the Past

Part of what makes the song fascinating is how openly it wears its influences. Bruno Mars has always been a devoted scholar of pop history, and "Gorilla" is a love letter to a specific strand of it: the grandiose, sexually charged rock balladry of the 1970s. The song borrows the dramatic dynamics and theatrical excess of that era and filters them through a modern pop sensibility. This was not nostalgia for its own sake but a genuine attempt to revive a mode of songwriting most contemporary artists had abandoned. The track sits within a broader project across the album, where Mars moved fluidly between disco, reggae, and rock, demonstrating a command of the past that few of his peers could match. It revealed an artist determined to use his platform to resurrect sounds he loved, and to prove they still had power in a streaming-era pop landscape.

A Glimpse of His Range

"Gorilla" remains one of the more intriguing entries in Bruno Mars's catalog, a reminder that beneath the immaculate pop sheen lies a genuine appetite for rock theatrics and old-school soul. It deepened the picture of him as an artist unbound by genre, foreshadowing the funk explorations that would define his later work. With around 1.4 million YouTube views, the track endures as a favorite among fans who prize his more daring material. It stands as proof of his versatility at the height of his powers. Press play and feel the heat of an artist letting loose.

"Gorilla" — Bruno Mars's singular moment on the 2010s charts.