Count On Me (Bruno Mars song)

Production and release

"Count On Me" was written by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, while production was handled by the same three under their alias, The Smeezingtons. The song was recorded at Larrabee Recording Studios in Hollywood and Levcon Studios in Los Angeles, with Levine being responsible for engineering it at the latter studio. The track was mixed by Manny Marroquin and assistants Christian Plata and Erik Madrid. Levine and Mars played and recorded all of the instruments on the track. Stephen Marcussen mastered the recording at Marcussen Mastering in Los Angeles. "Count On Me" was issued to contemporary hit radio and adult contemporary radio on November 7, 2011, in Australia by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Australia as the fifth single.

Composition

"Count On Me" has been labeled as a folk by reviewer Pete Rivas from The AU Review and as tropical song by, 411mania.com, critic Dan Pardalis. AllMusic's Tim Sendra described the song as a "bittersweet ballad", while music critic Pardalis described it as a, "slow burner" and a "sandy-sweet tune" was the way Katie Hasty from HitFix was able to classify it. It draws musical elements from the works of Jason Mraz and David Cook, featuring a laid back groove, tropical vibes, "Elvis-esque adlibs at the beginning", Mars "roots in Hawaii". An acoustic guitar, piano and "beach-bound bongos" are part of its instrumentation. Some critics have found "Count On Me" very similar to "Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. Pardalis of 411mania.com found its hook "simple but effective". The vocals were described as powerful, "yet pleasant" and complemented as some of the best in the album. It conveys the message of comfort found in a friend and shows Mars' "soft side". According to the sheet music published at Music Notes by Alfred Music, the song is composed in the key of C major with a time signature in common time, and a moderate groove of 88 beats per minute. Mars's vocals range spans from G₄ to the high note C₆.

Critical reception

"Count On Me" received positive reviews from most music critics. Pete Rivas of The AU Review gave "Count On Me" a 7 out of 10 saying that it is an "uplifting and chilled sounds" and that it "hits all the right spots". Rivas found the lyrics to convey a "nice" and "positive" message, adding that the single "shows some similarities with his other singles but not to much detriment". The Boston Globe critic Ken Capobianco praised the song for its "artfully arranged throwback" and exalted Mars's vocals on his love songs, such as "Count On Me". MTV UK Joanne Dorken and Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine said that the recording's sound was "reminiscent" of "Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. While reviewing Mars' debut EP, It's Better If You Don't Understand, Bill Lamb of About.com stated that "there is a dreamy wistfulness here that is irresistible, regarding "Count On Me". He added, that the song is "perfect for summer days". 411Mania's Dan Pardalis complimented the song and furthered that it is a "Jason Mraz-mimicking acoustic number that is once again very well put together". However, while reviewing the parent album, Tim Sendra from AllMusic found that the song lack deepness and "it’s not poetry". However, Sendra did say that the track is "sweetly played and sung" and is able to "project a cuddly image and will melt hearts".

On the other hand, Now's Kevin Ritchie criticized the song for its "cutesy lyrics" and "insipid rhymes like "You can count on me like one, two, three". He added that the song doesn't contribute for the album cohesion, but add for a "no-brainer radio references to Coldplay, U2, Michael Jackson, Sade, Feist and so on". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian concurred with the latter on the "saccharine sound" and explained that during the recording "you start to boggle that Britain's teens are being fed something so sugary without Jamie Oliver getting a campaign up about it".

Chart performance

In New Zealand, "Count On Me" spent two weeks at its peak position of 13, after debuting at number 21 on August 29, 2011. It was awarded a Platinum plaque by Recorded Music NZ (RIANZ). The single first appeared on the UK Singles Chart on September 24, 2011, peaking at number 78 on the following week. It was able to spend four weeks on the chart. On September 2, 2016 it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2012, the song debuted at the Ö3 Austria Top 40 at number 15, peaking at number five on the following week. It was able to spend 14 weeks on the chart and it ended up being certified gold, denoting digital sales of 15,000 copies on Austria. "Count On Me" debuted on Switzerland on the issue date of June 24, 2012, spending six weeks on the chart and peaking at number 55. It was, eventually, certified gold in the country. It debuted in Australia on December 11, 2012 at number 41. It peaked at number 19 four weeks after its debut. The single was certified three times Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The song was the eleventh most played in the Australian radio in 2012. In 2013, it peaked at number seven on the Spanish Singles Chart and left the charts after two weeks.

Live performance

In September, 2010, "Count on Me" was performed in front of a small crowd of fans at the Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas. Mars sung live the song on September 27, 2010, during a MTV Push Live session held in the United Kingdom. Mars, who was the opening act in an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December, 2012, performed the track as a tribute to the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. It was the ninth song of his debut worldwide tour, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour (2010), and was performed only once during the Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013-2014) in Jakarta.

Cover versions and usage in media

"Count On Me" has been covered by British child singer Connie Talbot and included on her album Beautiful World (2012). South Korean artists Lee Ki-chan and G.NA released a cover of the song as a CD single on May 12, 2011. The CD single, also includes an acoustic version, instrumental version and acoustic instrumental version of the track. It was sung live by 5,000 children from the Voice in a Million Choir at the Wembley Arena. In 2015 Olivia Holt performed a cover of the song on the series finale of I Didn't Do It. It was also covered by the Willis Family for the first episode of the second season of their show by the same name, aired by TLC.

The recording is part of the Belgian/American animated film A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures and the TV show Suburgatory. It has been featured on two different commercials for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, both took place one in Illinois. and was used for a Hyundai 's commercial, during the Super Bowl XLVIII’s fourth quarter, entitled “Dad’s Sixth Sense”, that featured the 2016 Hyundai Genesis and Mars' song. It was chosen "for reasons separate and coincidental from Mars’ previously announced Half Time gig". The track was included on the Songs for the Philippines relief album, which was compiled to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan since "all proceeds" were donated to the Philippine Red Cross.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Elektra Records: