Though it's pretty common knowledge that Bruno Mars is a supremely talented artist with a great voice and a knack for making hit songs that are so good, they knock Taylor Swift off the top spot on music charts — what isn't as commonly known, however, is that Bruno Mars also has a very nifty knack for covering and impersonating other artists. It became slightly more evident in recent years mostly thanks to his expert covering of Sting, but the hints have always been there: Remember when he was on Saturday Night Live , and managed to cover Green Day, Aerosmith, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Louis Armstrong, and Michael Jackson, all in the span of 7 minutes? That's not a talent that a lot of people have!
Considering Mars' newest song with Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk," just took over the number one spot on the music charts over the reigning champion, Taylor Swift's "Blank Space," Mars' definitely deserves to be under the spotlight now more than ever — so, I figured, what could be more fitting than a little compilation of all the artists Bruno Mars so expertly impersonates?
Surprisingly, there are a lot — and each of them are definitely worth a listen:
Tina Turner, Survivor, Michael Jackson
In this medley of covers, Bruno Mars takes on three classic artists: Tina Turner, Survivor (specifically, "Eye of the Tiger," which is obviously the best Survivor song), and Michael Jackson.
Dolly Parton
Who'da thought Bruno Mars would be capable of covering Dolly Parton so well? Color me extremely impressed.
Justin Bieber
And this is officially the only time I have ever liked a Justin Bieber song.
Michael Jackson (Again)...with Nirvana!
This is technically just Bruno Mars singing "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, but there's a very interesting, added twist: Instead of the melody for "Billie Jean," Mars pairs it with the melody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nirvana. It sounds like a strange pairing, but trust me: It really, really works.
Spiral Starecase
Spiral Starecase may not be the most well known '60s band, but their 1969 song "More Today Than Yesterday" was very well known back in the day, and has been covered by many popular artists: Sonny and Cher, Diana Ross, and now...Bruno Mars.
Amy Winehouse
I love me some Amy Winehouse, so I'm actually really skeptical when anyone — even the most talented of artists — tries to cover her. To me, her songs are like those of The Beatles: No one but The Beatles should be singing them. (Unless you're Fiona Apple covering "Across the Universe," in which case, carry on.) However, I've gotta say, Bruno Mars did a pretty fantastic job with her song "Valerie." Perhaps it's because the jazzy sound of the song very much goes with his vocals, or perhaps he's just that talented, either way: It works, and it works well.
And of course...his genius SNL impression medly including: Green Day, Aerosmith, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Louis Armstrong, and Michael Jackson (again!)
This SNL skit is undoubtedly one of the show's best. In it, Mars basically plays a Pandora radio intern who is tasked with "filling in" for various acclaimed artists when certain stations go down. The results are hilarious, as well as super impressive.
