Bruno Mars Brings Out the Moonshine

ABOVE: BRUNO MARS.

For Bruno Mars, a boozy night and some electric drums led to his new ‘80s-inspired single, “Moonshine.” As Mars told Rolling Stone: “We all went out one night, and they had actual moonshine on the menu. We drank it all night, then headed to the studio—Jeff ­got on keyboards, Mark starts playing electronic drums that sound like Eighties Prince and I started screaming, ‘Moonshine, take us to the stars!'”

Bruno Mars’ retro-cool, pop-infused songs have dominated the radio waves since his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans dropped in October 2010. Most of Mars’ songs are addictively catchy, and “Moonshine,” the third single from his upcoming second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, is no exception. The Prince influence (and even a little bit of Michael Jackson!) can be felt in the song, which is perfect for a night on the dance floor in downtown Wherever You Live. If “Moonshine”—along with the album’s first two singles, “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Young Girls”—is any indication, Unorthodox Jukebox is going to be a smooth, sexy throwback to the decade of the singer’s birth.