I Can't Lose

"I Can't Lose"
Promotional single by Mark Ronson featuring Keyone Starr
from the album Uptown Special
Released 2015 (2015)
Format
Recorded 2014
Genre
Length 3:16
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"I Can't Lose" is a song by English DJ and record producer Mark Ronson with featured vocals by Keyone Starr. The song is a promotional single from Ronson's fourth studio album Uptown Special, released on 13 January 2015.

Background

The song was written as the follow-up to "Uptown Funk" from Uptown Special. "I Can't Lose" was written mostly by Jeff Bhasker and samples Snoop Dogg's "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" from Doggystyle and "Hot Music" by Soho;[3] in an interview with The Guardian, Ronson described how Bhaskar had decided that the most appropriate way of discovering an appropriate vocalist for the song was to "drive through the deep south to find someone to sing it", an idea which Ronson loved. This trawling process led to Ronson and Bhaskar sifting through "a few hundred amazing singers" in assorted churches, nightclubs, bars and community centres.[4] However they "had a very specific vocalist in mind", who turned out to be Keyone as both of them realised as she started singing[4] in Mississippi State University.[5]

Music video

A music video was produced for the song. It features both Ronson and Starr performing in an underground Chinatown club along with assorted musicians. The title of the source album, Uptown Special, appears frequently throughout the video. Two rival gangs gamble whilst this performance is going on; after one group loses, a dance-fight breaks out in the car park, with the song's trumpet break causing the club to vibrate. Starr then proceeds to abscond with the winnings and Ronson acts as the getaway driver.[6]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone termed the song "a seductive soul-pop jam".[2] The Guardian described it as "a brass-studded, synth-funk bagatelle that sounds straight outta [sic] 1982".[1]

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 103

References

  1. 1 2 "Mark Ronson: Uptown Special review: Many hands make light work". The Guardian.
  2. 1 2 "Gangsters, Dance Battles Highlight Mark Ronson's 'I Can't Lose' Video". Rolling Stone.
  3. ↑ "Uptown Special - Mark Ronson". AllMusic.
  4. 1 2 Guardian Music. "Mark Ronson – Uptown Special: Exclusive album stream". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mark Ronson Talks New Single With Bruno Mars". Billboard.
  6. ↑ "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 4Music. 1 July 2015. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  7. ↑ "Chart Log UK - New Chart Entries - 12 July 2015". zobbel.de. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
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