text: it 's better if you don 't understand it 's better if you don 't understand is the first extended play ( ep ) and debut release recorded by american singer - songwriter and music producer bruno mars . its title comes from the final lyrics of one of its songs , " the other side " . the ep consists of four tracks and incorporates pop , pop rock , and rap music genres . the record was made available for digital download on may 11 , 2010 through elektra records in the united states , and on august 11 , 2010 through atlantic records in france . the song " count on me " was not featured on the track list of the latter release . to promote the album , mars released a home video for the recording " the other side " . all of the material on the ep was produced by the smeezingtons members mars , philip lawrence and ari levine , with the closing track being co - produced by jeff bhasker . it 's better if you don 't understand received generally rave reviews from music critics – allmusic 's david praised the album as showcasing mars ' songwriting abilities and a genre that " leans towards " pop , while about.com 's bill lamb viewed the ep positively as " music that should be on your radio " , calling it a " pop pleasure " . all of the songs from it 's better if you don 't understand were later included on mars ' debut studio album , doo - wops & hooligans ( 2010 ) , and , with the exception of " somewhere in brooklyn " , were performed on the tour of the same name . the ep peaked at number 99 on the billboard 200 in the united states , and at number 97 on the uk albums chart . as of 2011 , it has sold 27 , 000 copies in the us . " the other side " peaked on the uk singles charts at number 117 . in an interview , with los angeles times , mars ' admitted he regrets to have " wasted " the title of this record . background in an interview with rap - up , mars explained that the song " somewhere in brooklyn " is dedicated to his father who is from brooklyn , adding that : " everyone can agree that new york is a special place " . lyrically , a girl is the subject of mars ' attention . after they met briefly , he tries to find her again somewhere in brooklyn . ari levine talked in an interview with sound on sound about producing some of mars ' songs . " the other side " , whose production was re - arranged , was intended for somebody else , and several people wrote parts of the track . concerning the lyrics ' concept mars said that they describe : " the lifestyle you end up living as an artist " . he also explained that the title of the record came from the final lyrics of one of its songs , " the other side " . in the same interview , levine explained that " talking to the moon " took a long time to record , while he , mars , and lawrence decided which drums to use . as a result , the song was arranged and produced " in four different ways " . when the team started composing the track , they " only had the first verse and the horns " . however their gut told them they were onto something . at one point the team : " had three different bridges and [ they ] spent a lot of time trying to find out which one was the best " . jeff bhasker also collaborated on the track 's composition . " talking to the moon " was the first song written for mars ' debut release once the three of them finished working with other artists and focused on the ep . composition it 's better if you don 't understand is composed of four songs employing pop , pop rock , and rap genres . mars explained that the ep is hard to classify since : " i just write songs that i strongly believe in and that are coming from inside . there 's no tricks . it 's honesty with big melodies . and i 'm singing the s * * * out of them " . a romantic soft and smooth recording , the opening track , " somewhere in brooklyn " , was composed by the smeezingtons . it features " an emo - pop backing " beat , " electronic pops and bleeps " , a piano and synthesizers . lyrically , the tune is about mars chasing the " perfect woman " who got away , and wishing to find her again . mars ' vocals have been highly praised in this track . the second release , " the other side " , features a vocal collaboration with cee lo green and b.o.b. , and is considered the best on the ep by several critics . the track has been described as incorporating 60 's and 70 's soulful feeling . its instrumentation uses guitar , organ and a : " drum and bass pace that slowly builds through the verse and into the chorus " . it is reminiscent of compositions by daniel merriweather and chris isaak ’ s " wicked game " . " the other side " addresses the " excitement of courting " sung in a falsetto voice . the two final tracks were described as " bittersweet ballads " , with the third being called a " slow burner " . " count on me " draws from the works of jason mraz and david cook , featuring a laid back groove , tropical vibes , " elvis - esque adlibs at the beginning " and mars " roots in hawaii " . pardalis of 411mania.com found its hook " simple but effective " . the vocals were described as powerful , " yet pleasant " . it conveys the message of comfort found in a friend and shows mars ' " soft side " . the closing track , " talking to the moon " , was described as a pop song with power ballad influences . it was met with mixed reviews , with some reviewers calling it " the weakest because the heavy production threatens to overwhelm mars ' singing " , and others feeling that " the song just gets better " . the recording features a " soft piano " , " layers of synthesizers " , " beautiful vocals " on a chorus with a " phenomenal hook " and " perfect balance " culminating in an " over the top production " . the track 's sentiment has been highly praised , with some saying that " anyone could feel it " . its lyrics describe mars trying to reach his " lost former lover " hoping that his words reach their destiny . release and promotion it 's better if you don 't understand was released exclusively for digital download on may 11 , 2010 by elektra records in the us , and in france , on august 11 , 2010 by atlantic records ; this edition did not feature " count on me " on the track list . " the other side " was released as the first single from the ep in july 2010 . the song featured guest vocals by atlanta - based rappers cee lo green and b.o.b. the home video for " the other side " was directed by nick and cameron duddy , and premiered on mtv 's website on august 23 , 2010 . " the other side " , " count on me " , and " talking to the moon " were later included on the standard edition of mars ' debut studio album , doo - wops & hooligans ( 2010 ) . " somewhere in brooklyn " was included as a bonus track on the deluxe version of the record . all of the songs were featured on the set list of mars ' doo - wops & hooligans tour , with the exception of " somewhere in brooklyn " . reception critical reception upon its release , it 's better if you don 't understand received rave reviews from music critics . 411mania 's dan pardalis complimented the ep by calling it " pop music at its finest " , noting the song " somewhere in brooklyn " was " good " , describing the other three as " great " . he added that the four tracks tell " one love story " . pardalis complement not only mars ' " extraordinary versatility , pop sensibility , and appeal " , but also his talent at creating " memorable vocal melodies and his naturally emotive writing " , easily making a connection with the audience . bill lamb of about.com labelled the ep a " pop pleasure " , further praising the record by saying " with justice in the pop music world , this is the music that should be on your radio " , rating it 's better if you don 't understand four and a half out of five stars . writing for allmusic , david called the ep 's four songs a " sparse effort that leans towards pop " and drew attention to " the man ’ s songwriting " . he also deemed the album a " short set of easy , breezy tunes " , which doesn 't necessarily leave people " begging for more , but it will make most pop fans open to the idea " . harris decker of the website the truth about music also gave the ep a positive review , calling the record " impressive " and mars " talented " . nevertheless , he felt the release was " rushed " since it was made : " in order to capitalize on the success of the mainstream singles " . chart performance it 's better if you don 't understand failed to achieve commercial success . it debuted at number 99 on the billboard 200 , the week of may 29 , 2010 , where it remained for only one week ; it peaked at number thirteen on the billboard digital albums chart . as of 2011 , it has sold 27 , 000 copies in the united states . it 's better if you don 't understand reached number 97 on the uk albums chart on the week of august 28 , 2010 , while " the other side " charted on the uk singles charts at number 117 . track listing credits adapted from it 's better if you don 't understand liner notes . ^ a signifies a co - producer charts weekly charts personnel credits adapted from it 's better if you don 't understand liner notes and allmusic . release history