Bruno Mars and Beyoncé joined forces during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show on Sunday night to deliver a mashup of "Uptown Funk" and "Formation." No offense to Coldplay, but the funky combination of Mars's ubiquitous radio hit and Beyoncé's earth-shaking new jam kind of stole the halftime show from the headliners. I can only hope that a full version of the super-single might be released soon. For now, I'll have to settle for the live version. A mashup isn't always more than the sum of its parts, but these two songs go together like they were made to be combined. My ears are so happy right now.
After Coldplay opened the halftime show with a medley of hits like "Viva La Vida" and "Paradise," the instantly recognizable groove of "Uptown Funk" faded in. While Mark Ronson "spun" the track from his on-stage DJ booth, Bruno Mars and his back-up dancers funked the whole stadium up. Then, Beyoncé entered from the opposite side of the field, she and her dancers rocking military-esque/Black Panther-inspired ensembles that gave me serious "Rhythm Nation" vibes.
When Beyoncé was announced as one of Coldplay's guests for the Super Bowl event, I along with many others assumed that they'd be performing their new single, "Hymn To The Weekend." Instead, Beyoncé rocked the solo track she'd dropped only a day before. (My girl has a knack for grabbing attention, that's for sure.) "Formation" and "Uptown Funk" made for an earworm of a mashup. Not that Bruno Mars and Beyoncé aren't unfathomably talented and visionary enough on their own, but together, they might just be unstoppable. Social media agrees with me.
Unfortunately, the Super Bowl performance didn't end with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars announcing that the "Formation"/"Uptown Funk" mashup that blew everyone's minds would be released in any sort of official capacity. I'll be keeping an eye on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and of course, Jay Z's Tidal to see if a studio or even a high-quality life version comes out.
But even if this super-single was just a one-time treat for Super Bowl 50 viewers, it was still a life-altering kind of team up. Watch the Bruno Mars and Beyoncé live collaboration below, and join me in hoping that Mars at least makes a few guest appearances at Queen Bey's upcoming "Formation" tour so that they can do the damn thing live.
