Billionaire (song)

"Billionaire" is a song by American recording artist Travie McCoy from his debut studio album, '' Lazarus'' (2010), featuring vocals by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was first released on March 9, 2010, in various countries via digital download as the album's lead single by Fueled by Ramen. McCoy co-wrote the song with its producers Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of the Smeezingtons. The song was created from a melody hummed by Mars and Lawrence. The lyrics were written during an eleven-day trip Mars and Levine made to London to work on a record, supported by Mars's label.

"Billionaire" is a reggae and pop-rap song. Critical reception towards the song was mixed, as music critics praised the song's style comparing it to the music of Sublime, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson, but criticized its songwriting. Lyrically, the song has a money-driven hook with political elements in the verses. Such elements include helping those in need, having a show like Oprah and being on the cover of ''Forbes'' magazine once McCoy becomes a billionaire. The single reached number one in the Netherlands, number two in Ireland and New Zealand, and also reached the top five in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and two-times by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Music Canada (MC).

The accompanying music video for "Billionaire", directed by Mark Staubach, was filmed at various locations in Los Angeles, California. The video is interpolated with footage of McCoy driving a Mini Cooper with Mars in the passenger seat. Mars and McCoy, with former Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz on the back, are shown riding different scooters. Mccoy is also seen helping four people, as well as a large group at the end.
McCoy and Mars performed the song live on Jay Leno's ''The Tonight Show'' and ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''. It was also part of Mars's Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show in 2014. The song was re-recorded by Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte; her version outperformed the original single reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' Brazil Hot 100 Airplay chart. The television show soundtracks of ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' and ''American Housewife'' used the song.

Background and development

During the summer of 2009, the Smeezingtons, consisting of Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, were booked for a week of writing sessions for Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B and Travie McCoy. The first song the team worked on and recorded with McCoy was "One at a Time", released as a charity single for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation. Mars and Lawrence usually hummed melodies, while Aaron Bay-Schuck, former Atlantic Records A&R rep, encouraged them to develop the best of those, such as "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire". In the beginning, they had only "scratch chorus demos of "Nothin' On You" and "Billionaire", with a guitar on the backing track and Mars singing on top of it. It was the first song McCoy began to work on after abandoning the original material for the album.

Mars came up with the lyrical concept for "Billionaire" during a trip to London, to work on a record. He and Ari Levine were each given £240 ($350) by Mars's record label to live on for eleven days. Mars found the amount of money to be insufficient, and explained, "We were like, 'Is this the biggest mistake we've ever made? We thought we were broke in California; what are we going to do here?' So we've got no money, and I'm walking the streets and came up with, 'I wanna be a billionaire, so frickin' bad'". Mars also claimed that his own finances inspired him to write the track, "I wouldn’t have to worry about, you know, I can’t afford to get breakfast, so I’ll wait until lunchtime to eat".

When Mars first showed McCoy the hook, the latter decided to decline the collaboration, saying to him: "Dude, we're in a recession right now. I'm gonna get crucified". Nevertheless, when McCoy later returned home to Miami, he realized the track "had potential". From then on, the rapper began writing his verses with "goofy humor and flashes of political conscience" that "counterbalanced the hook's materialism". McCoy claimed he "made it more relatable". McCoy intended to avoid "superficial" lyrics in the song in the wake of an economic recession, and added, "There's something to sing about here; if I was in the position to have a ridiculous amount of money, would I be selfish or selfless?' I just took that concept and ran with it". According to Mars, he and McCoy "came up" with the song after listening to the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love". Mars was not supposed to feature on the hook of "Billionaire", however, his "charisma" when he sang it prompted the label and McCoy to keep his vocal after the final version was recorded.

On January 28, 2014, Demetrius Orlandus Proctor filed a lawsuit, claiming to hold the copyright for "Billionaire". Proctor alleged he has owned the copyright to the track's music and lyrics since March 31, 2011, though the song was released a year before. As evidence, he submitted a United States Copyright Office registration certificate for ''Frisky Vol. 1 to 30 (Tapes)'', issued in 2000. In the suit, Proctor accused McCoy and Mars of "willful and intentional" infringement of copyright, and sought the destruction of all copies of the recording. Proctor claimed he has exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the song.

Production and release

"Billionaire" was co-written by McCoy, Mars, Lawrence and Levine. The Smeezingtons were responsible for the music, production and played all the instruments on the track but the bass. It was played by Brody Brown and Charles Monez. Levine recorded and mixed the song at Levcon Studios, in Hollywood, California. Eric Hernandez played the live drums, while the drums were programmed by The Stereotypes. It was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, in New York.

"Billionaire" was first released by Fueled By Ramen via digital download in various countries on March 9, 2010. The single was serviced to U.S. contemporary hit radio on March 9, 2010, by Fueled By Ramen and RRP. On July 23, 2010, Fueled By Ramen released the ''Billionaire – EP'' that featured the single, "Bad All By Myself" as a bonus track alongside "Superbad (11:34)". Three days later, "Billionaire" was released in the United Kingdom via digital download. On September 3, 2010, the CD single version with "Billionaire" and the bonus track, "Bad All By Myself", was released in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland by Fueled By Ramen and DecayDance. On September 21, 2010, Fueled By Ramen released a deluxe single edition for digital download which contained "Billionaire", an acoustic version of the song, and the music video for it. A radio cut of the song, which replaces the word "fucking" with "freaking" and is 3:06 long instead of 3:30 was released.

Composition

"Billionaire" is an acoustic reggae and pop-rap song. It has a "laid-back ... island feel", evolving into a "reggae-tinged" beat with an acoustic guitar. Gregory Heaney of AllMusic compared the song to the works of Sublime, while Digital Spy's Nick Levine compared it to No Doubt's "Underneath It All" (2002). Rodrigo Perez of MTV News wrote the song reminded him of a fusion between Sublime, Common and Jason Mraz. MTV News' Tamar Anitai thought the song gave her a Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson and Shwayze's "Corona and Lime" (2008) summer vibe. James Montgomery felt the same way, dubbing it as "sunny, shiny, breezy and blissed-out". Mars's style of singing has also been compared to that of Jack Johnson. "Billionaire" was composed in the key of A major at a tempo of 80 beats per minute.

Lyrically, the chorus of the song is materialistic, money-driven—"I wanna be a billionaire so fucking bad"—with amusing and political verses counterbalancing it. The songwriting concerns the lifestyle that McCoy and Mars would have with such money, including the fashion, luxury, "shoulder-rubbing", and influence. It goes into detail, outlining McCoy's wish list for when he becomes a billionaire. He fantasizes about success, helping after Hurricane Katrina, having a show like Oprah Winfrey, meeting The Queen and adopting unfortunate children. On the other hand, Mars expresses interest in having his name "in shining lights" and appearing on the cover of ''Forbes'' magazine. Sharyar Rizvi of the ''Dallas Observer'' compared the lyrics of "Billionaire" to those of Nas' "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (1996) and Barenaked Ladies' "If I Had $1000000" (1992). McCoy said "Billionaire" is an update on George Barr McCutcheon's novel '' Brewster's Millions'' (1903) with him giving out money and "fulfilling" desires.

Critical reception

"Billionaire" received mixed reviews from music critics. Nick Levine of Digital Spy rated the song four out of five stars, dubbing it a "summer pop treat so sweet and tasty it's even possible to forgive McCoy's slightly irritating change of billing". James Montgomery of MTV News enjoyed the track, commenting that it "is perfect for the sunshine" and raises spirits to become a "summertime smash". ''USA Today'' Jerry Shriver praised the single, finding it "hilarious". Fraser McAlpine from BBC Chart Blog gave the single four stars. He commented that the track is "optimistic" and cheerful, with a positive message of "hope and generosity". Nevertheless, McAlpine criticized the use of explicit language, calling it "a little ripe for genteel ears".

In a mixed review, ''Billboard'' Melanie Bertoldi awarded it three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the song's lyrics "may be inconsistent, but the beat still goes down smoothly". Rodrigo Perez of MTV News praised the song's instrumentation but criticized its lyrics, calling them a "laundry list of wishes". ''The New York Times'' Jon Caramanica said the song has a "moody underbelly", complementing its "stirring hook", also noting that McCoy takes a "quick potshot" at his ex Katy Perry in one of the verses.

In a negative review, Mike Diver of BBC
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