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.".
Valerie
Mark Ronson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sorry, Charlie Murphy, I was having too much fun
Well, sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture
Well, my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over?
Stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Did you have to go to jail?
Put your house on up for sale
Did you get a good lawyer?
Hope you didn't catch a tan
Hope you found the right man who fixed it for you
Are you shopping anywhere?
Changed the color of your hair, are you busy?
And did you have to pay that fine
That you was dodging all the time
Are you still busy?
'Cause since I've come on home
Well, my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over?
Stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Well, sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture
'Cause since I've come on home
Well, my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over?
Stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
The song "Valerie" by Mark Ronson, featuring vocals by Amy Winehouse, is a tribute to a former girlfriend of the singer. The song is about his longing for her and wondering about her life since their separation. The opening lines of the song refer to Charlie Murphy, a comedian who was notoriously known for his party stories with Rick James. The singer is apologizing to him because he was so caught up in his own emotions that he wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him.
The first verse discusses the singer's tendency to go out alone and think about his former girlfriend, Valerie, and what she's been doing since they broke up. The chorus reveals the singer's desire for Valerie to come back to him, as he has missed her physical appearance, namely her ginger hair and the way she dresses. The second verse is the singer asking personal questions, wondering if she's been in trouble with the law or sold her house since the split. He then asks if she's found someone new and if she's been keeping busy. The song ends with the singer asking Valerie to come back to him.
Line by Line Meaning
All right, it's rolling
The music is starting and we're getting into the groove
I'm sorry, Charlie Murphy, I was having too much fun
I apologize for being distracted, I was enjoying myself
Well, sometimes I go out by myself
I occasionally spend time alone
And I look across the water
I gaze at the sea
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
I wonder what you're up to
And in my head I paint a picture
I imagine various scenarios
'Cause since I've come on home
Ever since I returned home
Well, my body's been a mess
My physical condition has been poor
And I've missed your ginger hair
I've longed for the sight of your red hair
And the way you like to dress
And the fashion style that you enjoy
Won't you come on over?
Will you please visit me?
Stop making a fool out of me
Stop embarrassing me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
Please come visit me, Valerie
Did you have to go to jail?
Did you get imprisoned?
Put your house on up for sale
Did you sell your house?
Did you get a good lawyer?
Did you receive good legal representation?
Hope you didn't catch a tan
I hope you didn't get a sunburn
Hope you found the right man who fixed it for you
I hope you met the right person who helped you out
Are you shopping anywhere?
Are you going shopping anywhere?
Changed the color of your hair, are you busy?
Did you change your hair color? Are you occupied?
And did you have to pay that fine
Did you finally pay that fine?
That you was dodging all the time
That you kept avoiding for a while
Are you still busy?
Are you still preoccupied?
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?
Please come visit me, Valerie
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Abigail Harding, Boyan Chowdhury, David Alan McCabe, Russell Thomas Pritchard, Sean Francis Caleb Payne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheLovelySheri
Amy would have been hitting the music charts still if she was still here.
@shavannya
she's a diva killer. those overrated image of glorified glamour divas ended by Amy's rebellious image..
@celestial_cat7776
No doubt about it
@andS7
Could’ve had a proper collab with Adele.
@VioletPaisley
Hopefully. People don't really appreciate good music nowadays.
@tadeocastillo1631
I dont think so... she was ameazing but a completely mess and bad shows when she past away. But i miss her music u.u
@stitchedmouthgirl
I’m from Camden (where Amy is from) and trust me, nobody here has forgotten about Amy. I’m so happy that the rest of the world hasn’t either.
@TheTaz1999
When you look at the number of faces to have come out from Camden over the years is very significant...
@WinterReflections
@@marcusfoto Not New Jersey...
@marcusfoto
@@WinterReflections oops!!