"Chunky" is a song by American singer

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

from his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016). It was solely released as a

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

single in Australia on November 29, 2017 by

Warner Music Australia Warner Music Australia (WMA) is an Australian division of the Warner Music Group. Warner Music Australia distributes in Australia, and also covers distribution in New Zealand. History In 1969, Warner Bros. Records split and WEA was formed. ...

and

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, and served as the album's fourth single. "Chunky" was co-written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, and

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for his songwriting work and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis ...

. Mars, Lawrence, and Brown produced the song under their alias, Shampoo Press & Curl. Musically, "Chunky" is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

electro-funk Electro (also known as electro-funk, and sometimes referred to as electro-pop)
Gl ...

ballad, while lyrically acting as an anthem for big buttocks. The track received mixed reviews from music critics. They noted the resemblance between "Chunky" and the works of

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

artists from the 1980s and 1990s. The song reached number 79 on the UK Singles Chart and 34 on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

in 2016, as well as was certified gold in the United States by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) and double platinum by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

(RMNZ). Mars performed "Chunky" during his

24K Magic World Tour The 24K Magic World Tour was the fourth concert tour of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars that was performed in support of his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016) from March 2017 to December 2018. Anderson .Paak was the opening act fo ...

(2017–2018), as well as on television shows including on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' in October 2016 prior to its release.

Production and release

"Chunky" was written by

, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, and

. The production was handled by the former three under their alias, Shampoo Press & Curl.

The Stereotypes The Stereotypes are an American music production team, formed in 2003 and composed of Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" i ...

were in charge of programming the drums, while Mars, Lawrence, Brown, Fauntleroy, and Lisenny sang background vocals. "Chunky" was recorded at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California with engineer

Charles Moniz Charles Moniz is a Canadian recording engineer who worked on Bruno Mars's studio albums ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' and '' 24K Magic''. He also recorded " All I Ask" for Adele's 2015 studio album '' 25''. For his recordings with Mars and Adele, Moniz ha ...

, with Jacob Denis as additional engineering assistance. The song was mixed by

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, with John Hanes serving as a mixing engineer. It was mastered by

Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) (18 ...

at Sterling Sound, NYC. "Chunky" was solely released as a single in Australia to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

stations on November 29, 2017 by

and

.Release date in Australia to contemporary hit radio: * *

Composition

"Chunky" is a

and

electro-funk Electro (also known as electro-funk, and sometimes referred to as electro-pop)
Gl ...

ballad featuring synthesizers and drum machines. The single is a mid-tempo track with a "silky pre-chorus" and a basic structure revolving around synthesizers and a "popping" bass. The song has female harmonies on the background vocals which alternate with "slower, deeper grooves". According to the digital sheet music, "Chunky" was composed in the key of

E-flat major E-flat major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D minor). The E-fla ...

with a tempo of 100 beats per minute in

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

. "Chunky" is reminiscent of

songs from the 1980s and 1990s. Andy Kellman, writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, said that the song recalled the works of

Shalamar Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group created by Dick Griffey and Don Cornelius in 1977 and active throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic lineup on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey D ...

and even Mars's own "

Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...

" (2013). The track "echoes down to the letter structure" of Cameo's "

Candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

" (1986); further reminsiscenece was noted to the chorus of "

Outstanding "Outstanding" is a song originally performed by the Gap Band and written by member Raymond Calhoun. The song originally appeared on the group's platinum-selling 1982 album ''Gap Band IV''. It is one of their signature songs and biggest hits, rea ...

" (1983) by

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie Wilson (musician), Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it wa ...

and to

New Edition New Edition is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Pop music, pop group from the Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson ...

's " Candy Girl" (1982). Troy L. Smith from ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' thought the song had the "soulful synths" from

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met ...

'' (1979). The "organic sound" of "Chunky" reflects the decade where

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

began to replace

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

, according to Craig Jenkins from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

''. Lyrically, "Chunky" is a song about sex and the search for a "sumptuous damsel", and is, ultimately, an anthem for big buttocks. Its lyrics include: "Lemme hear you say I'm ready / Girl, you better have your hair weave strapped on tight / Girl, once we get goin', we rollin', we cha cha 'til the morning / So just say alright / If you ain't here to party / Take your ass back home".

Critical reception

"Chunky" has received mixed reviews from music critics. Carl Lamarre writing for ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...

'' said the track "screams hit-record", and

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is a ''New York Times'' best-selling author and music historian. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The Guardian and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio w ...

from ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' dubbed the song as the "standout" of the album. Christina Lee of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

praised "Chunky" saying it is "fit for line-dancing at

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's backyard cookout." However, Jonathan Wroble at ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' criticized the song for being a "copycat" of

's "Baby Be Mine" (1982), while ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

's'' Andy Gill said "Chunky" was missing the "roguish and cheeky charm" of "

Baby Got Back "Baby Got Back" is a song written, co-produced and recorded by American rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot. Released in May 1992 by Def American and Reprise as the second single from his third album, '' Mack Daddy'' (1992), the song samples the 1986 Detroi ...

" (1992) by

Sir Mixalot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot or his CB handle Prime Minista, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 1992 hit song " Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

. Nick Levine of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' condemns Mars's lyrics for being "old-fashioned" as he "sizes up a woman's body." Levine concluded that Mars is "better off being kitsch than creepy."

Commercial performance

Upon the release of its parent album ''24K Magic'', "Chunky" charted on the Portuguese and UK Singles charts, peaking at numbers 94 and 79, respectively. It was, eventually, certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI). The song debuted at number 66 on the South Korea International Chart and at number 34 on the

on the week ending November 26, 2016. Around the same time, the "Chunky" hit number 108 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart, which acts as an extension to the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. It further debuted and peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. After its release in Australia in November 2017, "Chunky" was placed in rotation nationally by radio stations. It was certified gold in the United States by the

(RIAA) and double platinum by

(RMNZ).

Live performances

Mars performed "Chunky" live for the first time on October 15, 2016 on ''

''. According to the ''Billboard'' staff, the performance was a "dazzling tour-de-force" as it showed off Mars's vocals and his "inner Michael Jackson." He also performed the song at the

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2016 The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is an annual fashion show sponsored by Victoria's Secret. Victoria's Secret uses the show to promote and market its goods in high-profile settings. The show features some of the world's leading fashion models, su ...

during the Pink Nation segment and in 2017 on the Japanese television show ''News Zero''. Mars performed the single at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

alongside the majority of the ''24K Magic'' album for his

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

prime time special titled '' Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo'', which aired on November 29, 2017. "Chunky" was the sixth song on the set list of his third tour,

(2017–18).

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''24K Magic''. * Bruno Mars – lead vocals,

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

* Philip Lawrence – songwriting, background vocals * Christopher Brody Brown – songwriting, background vocals *

– songwriting, background vocals * Shampoo Press & Curl –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

* Lisenny – background vocals *

– additional drum programming *

– recording,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Jacob Dennis – engineering assistance *

– mixing * John Hanes – mix engineering *

– mastering

Charts and certifications

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2010s ballads 2017 songs 2017 singles Atlantic Records singles Warner Music Australasia singles Bruno Mars songs Funk ballads Songs written by Bruno Mars Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter) Songs written by James Fauntleroy Songs written by Christopher Brody Brown Electro songs