Born in London, he is the son of writer Ann Dexter-Jones and real estate tycoon Laurence Ronson. His mother later married Mick Jones, lead guitarist of multiplatinum selling rock band Foreigner. He has two sisters: fashion designer Charlotte Ronson and DJ Samantha Ronson. He spent his childhood in a wealthy suburb of London where he lived on the same street as Paul McCartney‘s family. When his parents divorced at age 8, he moved to New York, where he made friends with John Lennon's son, Sean Lennon.
Ronson played guitar and drums from an early age, but it wasn't until moving to New York City with his mother that Ronson discovered DJ culture. At age 16, already a fan of such popular hip-hop artists as Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys, Ronson began listening to the various hip-hop mixtapes released every few months by DJs. Inspired, Ronson confiscated his father's record collection and began trying his hand at mixing.
The young DJ with the diverse taste soon caught the ears and eyes of various socialites and New York celebrities, including fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who featured Ronson along with other sons and daughters of celebrities in a 1997 fashion campaign. A year later, hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs hired Ronson to DJ his fabled 29th birthday bash. These and other high-profile gigs boosted Ronson's "hip quotient" and helped promote his more serious-minded music career. Fusing his eclectic turntable skills with his knowledge of musical instruments and songwriting, Ronson eventually embarked on his first solo project. Featuring such diverse guest artists as dancehall rapper Sean Paul, hip-hop artist Mos Def, Jack White of the White Stripes, and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Ronson's debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz, bowed for Elektra in 2003.
Ronson's second album, Version, adds to his eclectic style. In this sophomore album, Ronson fuses a range of musical genres from Daniel Merriweather to Ol' Dirty Bastard to Phantom Planet with an up tempo contemporary funk sound. All the songs on this album are covers of previous Billboard top-10 pop songs, with a jazzy twist.
Career
Attending Vassar College and then New York University (NYU), Ronson became a regular at downtown hip-hop spots and made his name as a DJ on the New York club scene in 1993. He was soon one of the most respected DJs and was being called on for celebrities' private parties. Ronson is known for his diverse, genre-spanning selection, influenced by both the hip-hop scene of New York and the more rock influence of the UK, amongst others.
He moved on, however, to producing music. After producing Nikka Costa's song "Everybody Got Their Something," Ronson signed a record contract with Elektra Records. His first album Here Comes the Fuzz was released in 2003 and was a critically acclaimed success that featured artists of all genres, despite initially poor sales. The most well known song from the album, " Ooh Wee" samples " Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, and Trife Da God. He has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.
In 2004, he formed his own record label, Allido Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's J Records, along with his longtime manager Rich Kleiman. The first artist he signed to Allido was rapper Rhymefest, most well-known for winning the Grammy for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".
In March 2006, Ronson released a cover of Radiohead's " Just" as a single. In certain areas, such as the UK, it gained major radio play. It also saw release as part of Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads, a full Radiohead covers CD, in April, later appearing on Ronson's second album, Version, which was released in the UK on 16 April 2007. It includes other covers of a diverse selection of rock & pop songs including: Kaiser Chiefs' " Oh My God" (featuring guest vocals from Lily Allen), an instrumental version of Coldplay's " God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", Britney Spears' "Toxic", Ryan Adams' "Amy", Maxïmo Park's " Apply Some Pressure", The Zutons' "Valerie" and Kasabian's "L.S.F.".
Just
Mark Ronson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's been hanging round for days
Comes like a comet
Suckered you but not your friends
One day he'll get to you
And teach you how to be a holy cow
You do it to yourself, you do
Is that you do it to yourself
Just you and no one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself
Don't get my sympathy
Hanging out the 15th floor
You've changed the locks three times
He still comes reeling through the door
One day I'll get you
And teach you how to get to purest hell
You do it to yourself, you do
And that's what really hurts
Is that you do it to yourself
Just you, you and no one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself, you do
And that's what really hurts
Is that you do it to yourself
Just you, you and no one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself, yourself, yourself
The song "Just" by Mark Ronson feat. Alex Greenwald is about a toxic relationship and how the person being hurt is doing it to themselves. The first verse talks about someone who has a bad reputation and how they have been sticking around for days. They may have been charming enough to sucker the listener, but not their friends. The verse ends with the ominous promise that this person will eventually teach the listener how to be a "holy cow," which could be interpreted as a negative influence or a twisted sense of enlightenment.
The chorus is the central message of the song that is repeated three times. It's about taking responsibility for one's actions, even if it hurts. The lines "you do it to yourself, you do, and that's what really hurts" highlight the fact that the person is causing their own pain, but they are also aware of it. There is no one else to blame. It's a self-destructive behavior that the person can't seem to break away from. The second verse is similar to the first, but it's directed towards someone else who is also hurting themselves. The listener warns this person that they too will get to "purest hell" if they don't break away from their toxic relationship. The message of the song is one of self-awareness and taking responsibility for one's own happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't get the stink off
He can't shake off the bad odor he's carrying around
He's been hanging round for days
He's been sticking around for too long without any signs of leaving
Comes like a comet
He appears suddenly and creates a striking impact
Suckered you but not your friends
He has fooled you, but your friends saw through him
One day he'll get to you
Eventually, he will influence you negatively
And teach you how to be a holy cow
He will manipulate you to become a hypocrite
You do it to yourself, you do
You are responsible for your own actions and their consequences
And that's what really hurts
Knowing you are the cause of your own problems is painful
Is that you do it to yourself
The realization that you are to blame for your own failure is hard to accept
Just you and no one else
No one else is responsible for your actions except you
Don't get my sympathy
I won't pity you
Hanging out the 15th floor
Being in a dangerous situation, with the risk of falling off the building
You've changed the locks three times
You've tried to prevent him from entering, but he still manages to get in
He still comes reeling through the door
He still comes in, dizzy and staggering
One day I'll get you
One day, I will catch you and make you pay for your actions
And teach you how to get to purest hell
I will show you the true consequences of your wrongdoing
Yourself, yourself, yourself
Reinforcing that it's only you who's responsible for your own actions and their impact
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarceloFernandez1967
Can't get the stink off
He's been hanging around for days
Comes like a comet
Suckered you but not your friends
One day he'll get to you
And teach you how to be a holy cow
You do it to yourself, you do
And that's what really hurts
Is you do it to yourself, just you
You and no-one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself
Don't get my sympathy, hanging out the fifteenth floor
You've changed the locks three times
He still comes reeling through the door
One day I'll get to you
And teach you how to get to purest hell
You do it to yourself you do
And that's what really hurts
Is you do it to yourself, just you
You and no-one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself you do
And that's what really hurts
Is you do it to yourself just you
You and no-one else
You do it to yourself
You do it to yourself, whoa
Say, hey
You do it to yourself, you do it to yourself
Yeah, yeah, you do it to yourself, yes-yes, you
Do it to yourself
Fonte: LyricFind
Compositores: Colin Charles Greenwood / Edward John O'brien / Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood / Philip James Selway / Thomas Edward Yorke
Letra de Just © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
@blumeharrisong
En mi opinión, uno de los mejores covers de cualquier banda!
@BoxOfOranges84
I actually heard this version first (on NBA Live), way before I got into Radiohead. For that reason I'll always love this version more because it's associated with middle/high school memories
@tequilatyrant3992
Nba live 07?
@erpiada3767
@Tequila Tyrant yes man...nba live 07
@tequilatyrant3992
@erpiada THAT GAME IS LIIIIIT
@CaedenEmerald
Was this on a NFL or MLB video game? I don't think I played NBA games much back then, but this song is definitely brewing up some fuzzy memory
@MrGrandManitou
Amazing, it definitly needs more views. Amazing trumpet, amazing bands .... Yes, amazing is the world to describe this masterpiece !
@clanwaddell5628
I believe it is all Mark Ronson like Prince used to do, playing all the guitar, bass and drums
@lauriecharlesworth
the instrumental in this is absolutely mind-blowing, espescially the album version when its extended, ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE
@hirosavage
I love Radiohead but I don't mind this rendition! It's an interesting interpretation.