# Versace on the Floor
"Versace on the Floor" is a slow-jam song by the American singer [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars) from his third studio album, *24K Magic* (2016), released by [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records) on November 4, 2016 as the album's second single, two weeks before the album itself.[1](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/) Mars wrote it with [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher) "Brody" Brown, James Fauntleroy, and Philip Lawrence, and produced it with his production team Shampoo Press & Curl.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465) The title refers to a Versace dress removed during the song's seduction narrative.[3](https://www.shazam.com/song/1161504045/versace-on-the-floor)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Bruno Mars, from *24K Magic* (2016), his third studio album[1](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/) |
| Release | November 4, 2016, Atlantic Records, as the album's second single[1](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/) |
| Length | 4:21 (original); 3:48 (Bruno Mars vs. David Guetta remix)[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/versace-on-the-floor-mw0002996344) |
| Songwriters | Bruno Mars, Christopher "Brody" Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465) |
| Recording | Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, California; mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465) |
| Tempo | 86 BPM[3](https://www.shazam.com/song/1161504045/versace-on-the-floor) |
| Music video | 2017, directed by Cameron Duddy and Bruno Mars, starring Zendaya[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8276982/fullcredits/) |
## Background and development
Mars began work on the album after "Uptown Funk" (2014), his collaboration with [Mark Ronson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-ronson), telling fans in a September 2014 tweet that it was "time to start writing chapter 3".
The song went through substantial revision. In a Rolling Stone interview, Mars explained that there were six different versions of "Versace on the Floor". He played the original demo, which he called the "poolside version" with a piña colada vibe, in which the lyrics invited a girl to "fly through a storm on a unicorn... Make love on a mountain, bathe in a fountain". Because he did not want the finished song to carry that poolside feel, he and his team remixed the track until it reached the final, more seductive form.[1](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/)
## Composition and recording
The song is a slow-tempo R&B ballad at 86 BPM, in contrast to the upbeat funk of the album's lead singles "24K Magic" and "That's What I Like".[3](https://www.shazam.com/song/1161504045/versace-on-the-floor) • [6](https://time.com/4899463/versace-on-the-floor-video-zendaya/) Its lyrics address a woman directly: the pre-chorus runs "So, baby, let's just turn down the lights and close the door / Ooh, I love that dress, but you won't need it anymore", and the chorus repeats "Versace on the floor / Ooh, take it off for me".[3](https://www.shazam.com/song/1161504045/versace-on-the-floor)
The recording credits Mars on lead and background vocals, Fauntleroy and Philip Lawrence on background vocals, and veteran keyboardist [Greg Phillinganes](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-phillinganes) on keyboards. Charles Moniz recorded and engineered the track, with [Jack Dennis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-dennis) assisting, Serban Ghenea mixing, John Hanes engineering for mix, and Tom Coyne mastering.[7](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1720944736) • [2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465) [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) additionally credits the hip-hop producer Emile Haynie as a producer alongside Shampoo Press & Curl.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465)
## Release and remix
Atlantic Records released the song digitally on November 4, 2016, ahead of the album's November 18 release; Time described it as the second single from the then-upcoming record.[1](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/) The single version runs 4:21.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/versace-on-the-floor-mw0002996344)
## Music video
The official music video was released in August 2017 and was directed by Cameron Duddy and Bruno Mars, with Zendaya starring alongside Mars.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8276982/fullcredits/) Time described the video as retro-glamorous and purple-toned: Zendaya, in a glittering mini dress, occupies a hotel room adjacent to the one where a piano-playing Mars performs, the two separated by a wall, and both performers wear Versace clothing. Zendaya, then known for *Spider-Man: Homecoming* and her [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) beginnings, does not sing on the track.[6](https://time.com/4899463/versace-on-the-floor-video-zendaya/)
## Critical reception
The song received positive to mixed reviews. Chris Gayomali and Max Berlinger of *GQ* praised its throwback sound and sexual lyrics; Berlinger called it "the ultimate slow-jam". Andrew Unterberger of *Billboard* called it a "show-stopping 24K Magic centerpiece", and Jackie Willis of *Entertainment Tonight* wrote that the single gave [Boyz II Men](https://www.edgepedia.org/boyz-ii-men) "a run for their money". Mike Wass of Idolator described it as "a cross between Atlantic Starr and the Commodores", inspired by the soul music of the 1970s and 1980s. A Spanish-language review in *El País* heard echoes of [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s ballads and called it Mars's most sexual and ardent recording.[8](https://elpais.com/cultura/2016/11/22/actualidad/1479805907_518775.html)
## Commercial performance and legacy
The song reached the [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) of the Billboard Hot 100.[9](https://thefrenchblacktype.com/why-versace-on-the-floor-is-still-the-gold-standard-for-modern-soul-206w) In European radio airplay in September 2017 it stood at number 46 on the EU Radio Airplay Top 50 with 149.27 million audience impressions.[10](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/Music-Week-2017-09-25.pdf)
The song became a fixture of Mars's live shows. On the 24K Magic Tour, the production used twelve Kvant audience-scanning lasers specifically for "Versace on the Floor", according to lighting designer Ross of the tour's lighting team.[11](https://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/reprint/BrunoMars2017.pdf) In 2019, officials in Indonesia's most populous province restricted the song, along with [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran)'s "Shape of You" and other popular tunes, to broadcast between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., barring daytime airplay.[12](https://time.com/5539662/indonesia-ed-sheeran-bruno-mars-pop-songs-banned/) Retrospective commentary has continued to treat the track as the album's romantic ballad, pairing it in Mars's catalog with later slow jams such as [Silk Sonic](https://www.edgepedia.org/silk-sonic)'s "Leave the Door Open".[13](https://los40.com/2026/10/08/bruno-mars-cumple-41-anos-un-recorrido-por-sus-exitos-musicales-mas-romanticos/)
## References
1. [Listen to 'Versace on the Floor,' the Brand-New Slow Jam From Bruno Mars, Time (November 4, 2016)](https://time.com/4557337/versace-on-the-floor-bruno-mars/)
2. [Release "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/156b0476-177b-4be9-bc6b-5d255c706465)
3. [Versace On The Floor – Bruno Mars: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/song/1161504045/versace-on-the-floor)
4. [Versace on the Floor Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/versace-on-the-floor-mw0002996344)
5. [Bruno Mars: Versace on the Floor (Music Video 2017) – Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8276982/fullcredits/)
6. [Watch Zendaya Sparkle in Bruno Mars' Video for 'Versace on the Floor', Time (August 14, 2017)](https://time.com/4899463/versace-on-the-floor-video-zendaya/)
7. [Versace on the Floor – Song by Bruno Mars, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1720944736)
8. [Bruno Mars, vitalismo y buenas vibraciones, El País (November 22, 2016)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2016/11/22/actualidad/1479805907_518775.html)
9. [Why Versace on the Floor Is Still the Gold Standard for Modern Soul, Thefrenchblacktype](https://thefrenchblacktype.com/why-versace-on-the-floor-is-still-the-gold-standard-for-modern-soul-206w)
10. [EU Radio Airplay Top 50, Music Week (September 25, 2017)](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/Music-Week-2017-09-25.pdf)
11. [Bruno Mars 24K Magic Tour production feature, Lighting & Sound America (2017)](https://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/reprint/BrunoMars2017.pdf)
12. [Songs by Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Others Have Been Banned in Indonesia's Most Populous Province, Time (2019)](https://time.com/5539662/indonesia-ed-sheeran-bruno-mars-pop-songs-banned/)
13. [Bruno Mars cumple 41 años: un recorrido por sus éxitos musicales más románticos](https://los40.com/2026/10/08/bruno-mars-cumple-41-anos-un-recorrido-por-sus-exitos-musicales-mas-romanticos/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › R&B and soul songs › Contemporary R&B songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license