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 featuring Amy Winehouse
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 Amy Winehouse is a plaintive yet upbeat track that speaks of the longing for a lover that has gone away. The song starts with the singer going out alone and looking across the water, lost in thought about what the lover is doing, while painting a picture in his head of the lover's life. The refrain follows, repeating the name of the lover interspersed with a catchy beat. The second verse expresses more concern on the singer's part for the lover's well-being, as he inquires if she has been to jail, put up her house for sale, gotten a good lawyer, caught a tan or found the right man. The refrain follows, repeating the name of the lover once again. The song ends with the singer lamenting that he misses the physical presence of the lover, imploring her to stop making a fool out of him, and finally asking her to come on over.
The lyrics may seem straightforward, but there is an undercurrent of sadness that balances out the catchy pop tune. The song speaks of the yearning and the ache that can come from a long-distance relationship and the desire to be with someone. In this case, the singer is missing the ginger-haired lover and the way she likes to dress. Both Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse experienced long-distance relationships, so the lyrics may have come from their own experiences. The song was released in 2007 and became a massive hit, earning Winehouse a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Line by Line Meaning
Well sometimes I go out by myself
Sometimes I go out alone and feel lonely.
And I look across the water
I look towards the horizon, hoping for a better future.
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
I wonder what you're doing with your life right now.
And in my head I paint a picture
I imagine a scenario in my head.
'Cause since I've come on home,
Ever since I came back to my hometown,
Well my body's been a mess
My health has deteriorated.
And I've missed your ginger hair
I miss the unique features that make you who you are.
And the way you like to dress
I miss your distinct taste in fashion.
Won't you come on over
Could you please visit me?
Stop making a fool out of me
Stop playing with my feelings and come see me.
Why don't you come on over Valerie?
Why not make the effort to come visit me, Valerie?
Did you have to go to jail,
Did you get arrested?
Put your house up for sale, did you get a good lawyer?
Did you sell your house to pay for legal fees? Did you get a competent lawyer to argue your case?
I hope you didn't catch a tan,
I hope you didn't get a tan in jail.
I hope you'll find the right man who'll fix it for ya
I hope you'll find a man who will support you and help you through tough times.
And are you shopping anywhere,
Are you going shopping or doing any shopping right now?
Changed the color of your hair, are you busy?
Did you dye your hair? Are you preoccupied with something?
And did you have to pay that fine
Did you have to pay the fine you were avoiding?
You were dodging all the time, are you still dizzy?
Were you always avoiding the fine? Are you still confused about what to do?
Why don't come over Valerie?
Why don't you 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!!