Just the Way You Are

Bruno Mars launched his solo career with "Just the Way You Are," the lead single from his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). The song, co-written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Khalil Walton, and Needlz, was produced by the Smeezingtons (the trio of Mars, Lawrence, and Levine) alongside Needlz. Released to US contemporary hit radio on August 10, 2010, and in the UK on September 19 as "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)," its lyrics straightforwardly compliment a woman's beauty.

Critics were split: they praised the Smeezingtons' polished production but called the lyrics sappy and corny. Still, the track won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards. Commercially, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, and landed in the top five elsewhere. The RIAA certified it twenty-one times platinum; it also went seven times platinum in Australia and New Zealand and diamond in Canada. It became the best-selling digital single of 2011, moving over 12.5 million copies globally, making it one of the highest-certified singles in RIAA history.

The music video, directed by Ethan Lader and featuring actress Nathalie Kelley, dropped September 8, 2010. Mars performed the song on Saturday Night Live and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and it became a staple on his tours, including his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show. The track has inspired covers and even influenced Meghan Trainor's debut single "All About That Bass" (2014).[edit]