"SexyBack" | ||||
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Single by Justin Timberlake | ||||
from the album FutureSex/LoveSounds | ||||
Released | July 18, 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Studio | Thomas Crown (Virginia Beach, Virginia) [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:02 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Justin Timberlake singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"SexyBack" on YouTube |
"SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stations [5] by Jive Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Danja, Timbaland, and Timberlake. Discussing "SexyBack", Timberlake revealed that he went "left", singing the song in a rock style, not an R&B style. [6] He described the song as musicians David Bowie and David Byrne "covering" James Brown's 1970 song "Sex Machine". [7] The track features Timbaland on backing vocals while Timberlake's voice is distorted. The instrumentation used in the song includes a pounding bass beat, electronic chords, and drum machine sounds.
"SexyBack" became Timberlake's first number-one single as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100, staying seven weeks at the top spot. It also topped several of Billboard magazine's other charts, including the Mainstream Top 40, Hot Dance Airplay, and Hot Digital Songs, and entered the top ten on most singles charts. Internationally, it became Timberlake's first single to reach number one in the United Kingdom. In Australia, the track was Timberlake's second number-one single, spending two consecutive weeks at the top. "SexyBack" was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and three-times platinum by Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).
The track won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 2007 ceremony. In addition, the song won Timberlake the People's Choice Award for Favorite R&B song and the Male Artist of the Year at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video was filmed in June 2006; Timberlake decided to work with director Michael Haussman based on the latter's work on Madonna's 1994 music video "Take a Bow". [6]
Timberlake began working on his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds , in December 2005. Within three weeks, "SexyBack" was one of several songs that were recorded for the album, [8] having been recorded in less than a day. [1] Timberlake told The Weekend Mail in 2006 that it was the "second or third song" he did with Timbaland in a list of 10 songs they recorded for the album. [9] The song was written and produced by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate "Danja" Hills, and mixed by Jimmy Douglass, using Pro Tools. [1] [10] [11] Mixing took place in April 2006, using a Neve VR-series console. [1]
Hills played the Akai MPC3000, as well as virtual synths on his Macintosh computer, while Timbaland performed instruments on the Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling keyboard. Bill Pettaway played the guitar, his part taking only two minutes to record, while Darryl Pearson was the bassist. Both the guitar and bass were digitally imported in Pro Tools during mixing, and only a section of the guitar recording was copied and pasted throughout the song. [1]
Timberlake described "SexyBack" as "an experiment gone right from the sort of synthesizer influence to the distorted vocals", adding that it was "one of the songs that the more you listen to it its just hook after hook after hook. Its just one of those 'flow off the top of your head' tracks, in terms of melody. We wanted to keep it loose and not too rehearsed, it's one of those very experimental records though." [9] Timberlake revealed that he went "left", regarding going more rock, not in how he developed the song, but in the way he sang the song. "I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer. That's the approach." [6] The day before recording, Timberlake and Timbaland had listened to David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" and the Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers". Timberlake wanted to achieve the songs' "raw energy". [12] Timberlake said that he modeled himself on Bowie and Prince, and described the song as Bowie and David Byrne "covering" James Brown's 1970 song "Sex Machine". [7] Timberlake said that the song "doesn't qualify as rock or straight funk" and that he was happy with the description "club funk". [7] He was "keen for a new musical direction" following the release of his first album, Justified. "I listened to the radio for a few months and thought, 'All this sounds like shit, what do I want to hear?'. That's really all I did. Everything's [ sic ] got so repetitive, everything sounds the same. I had to create something unique otherwise there's no point putting it out." [13]
"SexyBack" is an "urgent, pulsing track, a cocktail of soaring, distorted vocals and heavy, electronic chords threaded together with rap", according to Camilla Long from The Observer . [14] The song is performed in the key of F major (in the A Phrygian mode), and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 117 beats per minute. [15] [16] The song's musicscape includes two-note dirty electronic riffs, [17] "leapfrogging keyboards", [18] beat box sound, [19] and incorporates the "same leaky faucet" sounds of musician Obie Trice's 2004 song "The Setup". [20] In addition, the track features Timbaland on backing vocals. [21]
Timberlake's voice in the song is processed, [18] slowed down to where his voice is unrecognizable, [20] with muffled vocals. [22] The song also features Timberlake's "low register distorted vocals." [23] Timberlake revealed that the vocals in the song were influenced by Prince. [14]
Douglas explained the title of the song, and how it affected the concept: "Justin [Timberlake] goes in the chorus 'Go head be gone with it', I called the song 'Be Gone With It', just to label it. So they're developing this song and they're going nuts and loving it, and as they play it, and I'm like: 'I don't think this hook is strong enough.' But then, at the very last minute, Justin very, very cleverly decided to call it 'Sexion', he admitted that the song was not going to be titled "SexyBack", saying, "We weren't originally going to call it 'SexyBack'. I definitely didn't think it would become the most worn-out phrase of 2006. It just sounded like a nice opening to the song." [24]
Adam Graham of The Detroit News noted that Timberlake sings about whips and chains, [20] while Bill Lamb of About.com said the song has a "bit of s&m tease about shackles and whips". [23] Furthermore, The Georgia Straight 's Martin Turenne said that Timberlake is "shackled to the bedpost, invites the crack of his mistress's whip." [25] Ben Williams of New York magazine wrote that Timberlake had been working on his pickup lines, with "You see these shackles baby I'm your slave / I'll let you whip me if I misbehave." [26] Jason Bracelin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Timberlake sings about "threatening to steal your girl." [27] Charlie Brooker for The Guardian , in regard to the lyric, "them other fuckers don't know how to act", writing that Timberlake's translation is of him telling everyone in the world that they are a "clueless fornicator". Further in his report, Brooker opined that Timberlake "threatens us" by using "language so offensive" with the line, "You motherfuckers, watch how I attack". [28] In addition, Brooker noted that the line, "If that's your girl you'd better watch your back", as Timberlake stating his intention to meddle in the private affairs of others. [28] Barry Schwartz of Stylus noted that the song features "pillow talk", [29] in reference of the song's "sex-crazed lyrics". [21]
In the Billboard magazine review of the album, contributor Katy Kroll wrote that Timberlake "claims to be bringing 'sexy' back to pop music, and indeed he is. You can almost feel beads of sweat rolling off the title track and 'SexyBack' featuring Timbaland". [30] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly was complimentary towards Timbaland, producer of the song, writing that Timbaland offers "tougher, trickier rhythms, minimal live playing, a plethora of hip-hop cameos, and a self-consciously hard, edgy club sensibility" to "SexyBack". [31] Russell Baillie of The New Zealand Herald noted, "The producer's angular synthesizer crunch is all over it – at best on the single 'SexyBack' where they dispense with a chorus, leaving the song sustained by its vocal fireworks, electrofunk and Timberlake's repeated declaration that 'I'm bringing sexy back.'" [32] PopMatters' contributor Quentin B. Huff wrote that "SexyBack" was the "fraternal twin" to Nelly Furtado's 2006 song "Promiscuous". [33] Andrew Murfett of The Age wrote that the song was a "raunchy club banger that slyly suppresses" Timberlake's customary falsetto. He continues, "it's introduced a new phrase into the pop cultural lexicon". [34] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday was complimentary towards the song, writing that it was "Timberlake at his best, mainstreaming a combination of the wild, edgy dance-pop style of Basement Jaxx with Missy Elliott's more experimental hip-hop to create a boldly inventive sound that still pleases the masses." [3]
Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote: "...'SexyBack', a twitchy, emaciated track that shot to the top of the charts and also became an irritating catchphrase. (Suddenly everyone was bringing AdjectiveBack.)" [35] Dagny Salas of North by Northwestern commented that Timberlake and Timbaland trade ridiculous lines, with "Get your sexy on/Go ahead, be gone with it" and "Dirty babe/You see these shackles/Baby I'm your slave/I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave." [36] Salas continued in her review that it was not a song that should be good, "but does that really matter when it's good in the way that songs are during the summer [...] That kind of good makes songs like 'SexyBack' completely irresistible." [36] Matt Burns of The Post wrote, "Take the polarizing summer single 'SexyBack', a repetitive song with little structure that doesn't know when to stop, all centered on a ridiculous declaration. Somehow, it works." [37] The Diamondback 's Michael Greenwald reported that "SexyBack" was "lyrically, musically and vocally the weakest song" on the album. [38] A writer of The State Journal-Register was not impressed with the song and concluded, with "'SexyBack' is the most annoyingly dumb song to hit Billboard's No. 1 since 'Hollaback Girl'". [39] Guy Blackman of The Sunday Age wrote: "The distorted vocals and stilted production of first single 'Sexyback' make Timberlake's claim to be 'bringing sexy back' ... seem almost laughable." [40] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Justin Timberlake, we didn't even know that sexy was missing until 2006. We're just happy Justin brought it back safe and sound." [41] Charlie Brooker, columnist for The Guardian , jokingly criticised Timberlake, saying "How DARE this dot-eyed, crop-haired, fun-sized, guff-tongued, pirouetting waif-boy scamper on to the world's airwaves and loudly proclaim to be the sole global administrator of all things sexy? You'd think it takes massive balls to do something like that, but given the shrill, squeaking vocals cheeping through his ghastly little gobhole, it's safe to assume he's got testes the size of capers. He's practically a human dog whistle, the shrieking, high-pitched, mosquito-lunged ponce." [42]
Upon the song's release, it received divided opinions, which pleased Timberlake. "This is such a departure from the first record," said Timberlake. "More people might like it, less people might like it, but you can't call me a chicken." [43]
"SexyBack" was commercially successful in the United States. The single debuted at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2006. After climbing to number 31, it propelled to number one the following week. [44] "SexyBack" became Timberlake's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 from his Futuresex/Lovesounds album. [45] The single spent seven consecutive weeks at the number-one position on the Hot 100. [46] In addition to the Hot 100, "SexyBack" also topped the following Billboard charts: Hot Dance Airplay, Hot Dance Club Play, Hot Dance Singles Sales, Pop 100 Airplay, Pop 100, and Top 40 Mainstream charts. [47] "SexyBack" was certified three-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [48] [49] This song made the then-seventh-biggest jump to number one in the Billboard Hot 100 history, [50] climbing thirty spots from number 31 landing it at the summit of the chart on September 9, 2006. [44] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the song had its biggest selling week in September 2006 and sold 250,000 as a digital download. [51] [52] "SexyBack" was on the Hot 100 for a significant thirty-six weeks. As of 2018, the song has accumulated 6.1 million units in the US, combining sales (4.9 million copies sold) and equivalent streams. [53] [54]
In the United Kingdom, "SexyBack" debuted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart based solely on download sales one week prior to its physical release, [55] and ascended to the top of the chart the following week, becoming Timberlake's first UK number-one single. [56] On the Australian ARIA Charts, "SexyBack" debuted at number one [57] and spent two consecutive weeks at the top becoming Timberlake's second number one single there (after "Rock Your Body" reached the summit in 2003), [58] and has been certified two-times Platinum by ARIA Charts. [59] Also, in Canada and Austria, the single has peaked at number three[ citation needed ] and number five respectively, [60] becoming his most successful single tied with his third released single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" in both nations. [61] It has also been certified three-times Platinum in Canada. [62]
In Sweden, "SexyBack" peaked at number four, [63] while in France it peaked at number eight [44] becoming Timberlake's first top ten hit from the album, and would later score two more top ten singles with "My Love" and "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around". The song peaked at number one in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway, and at number two in Switzerland and Belgium. [44]
The music video for "SexyBack" was directed by Michael Haussman and features Spanish actress Elena Anaya. [64] The video was filmed in June 2006. [65] In discussion of the video filmed in Barcelona, Timberlake said: "Obviously we went for the architecture, the exteriors, the interiors — the vibe in Spain is different than anywhere else in the world. It's so cool to shoot there, but the girls are also pretty hot, so that doesn't hurt either". [6]
Timberlake decided to work with director Michael Haussman, following his work on Madonna's 1994 music video for "Take a Bow". "It's one of my favorite videos Madonna's ever done," Timberlake said. "Even today, I still remember the visuals, the images, how he captured her. A lot of times, Madonna seems like she's the person in control, and in that video, she seemed vulnerable. It was a cool thing to see." [6] The video was first shown on MTV's Making the Video on July 25, 2006. [66]
Timberlake and Anaya star as rival spies who become romantically entangled. [67] The video starts off with a cable car looking over Barcelona, from the West looking East, then it switches to a luxurious-looking hotel in Plaça de Catalunya with Elena Anaya taking off her shirt, revealing her black bra and a gun tucked at the back of her skirt, all while German newscaster Alexander von Roon plays on her TV. It then cuts to Timberlake in a different room; then to a club scene and Timberlake in front of a white background. Timberlake and Anaya are seeming to be spies in the hotel room and strangers in the club. In the hotel scenes, the spies both conduct espionage at each other. Elena then hides her gun at a drawer. At the club meanwhile, Timberlake is seen chasing a woman whom he recognized as Anaya herself. He keeps chasing her but she keeps disappearing out of his sight. Back at the hotel scenes, both Justin and Elena stick a tape and places a glass of water on the door so that they would know if someone snuck into their room, while Timberlake heads to the other room to deal with his rival spy Anaya. Elena then goes to the bathroom preparing to take a shower. At a certain point, Timberlake sneaks over to Anaya's room by jumping over to her balcony. Then when Anaya goes to check it out, Timberlake confronted her, but it quickly became erotic as they begin kissing each other and Justin ripped the pearl necklace from her neck. Justin finally traps Elena and she tries to reach for her gun but Justin grabs her hand and pull it away from the drawer. Their sexual tension culminated when the two are later seen in the bed together having sex. After that, Elena covered Justin's mouth to not tell anyone about their encounter, and Timberlake leaves her and went back to his room. When Justin was about to enter, he noticed that his tape was ripped, indicating that someone entered his room. Knowing that a bomb was planted, he jumps into another balcony before an explosion ensues, avoiding it completely. In the club, Justin and Elena met at the bathroom stall and they immediately kiss each other, proving that they still have a romantic interest after their sex in the hotel. It ends with the figure of Anaya sitting on a chair beside a small television in which her kiss with Timberlake is frozen on the screen.
The music video on YouTube has received over 290 million views as of March 2024. [68]
The song's abrasive electro-funk came as such a shock to the system in the era of pitched-up soul samples and MOR pop-rock that you might not have been quite sure what to do with it immediately upon its July release. But the song shortly proved itself as something powerful enough to both define top 40 and also push it forward, while severing the final ties between Timberlake and his teen-pop past.
——Billboard staff's "The Greatest Pop Star By Year (1981–2019)" [69]
"SexyBack" helped introduce EDM sounds to top 40 radio, as it brought together variations of electronic dance music with Timberlake's R&B sounds. [70] [71] VH1 listed it third on their list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the ’00s," [72] while the Los Angeles Times listed it as an honorable mention among "the most timeless tunes of the 2000s", with an editor stating it "sounded wholly unfamiliar and unique." [73] Entertainment Weekly deemed it a "modern day classic." [70] Complex staff acknowledged in 2013 that the song "arrived on the scene like a hurricane", adding that while it had been established that "the dude from 'N Sync" was "more than capable" when he first released solo material with Justified four years earlier, "SexyBack" put Timberlake in a position "where you were forced to take him seriously." [74]
"SexyBack" won the People's Choice Award for Favorite R&B song at the 2007 awards ceremony. [75] At the 49th Grammy Awards, "SexyBack" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Dance Recording. [76] At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Timberlake won Male Artist of the Year for "SexyBack", "Let Me Talk To You / My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". [77] It won Best R&B/Urban Dance Track and Best Pop Dance Track at the 2007 Winter Music Conference's International Dance Music Awards. [78] Additionally, it won an ASCAP Pop Music Award in 2007 in the category Most Performed Songs. [79] The song was featured in the video game Fortnite Festival. [80]
Timberlake performed "SexyBack" and "My Love" as a medley for the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards [81] and again for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, which he also hosted. [82] In addition, he performed the song at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. [83] On August 25, 2013, Timberlake performed "SexyBack" in a medley with other of his songs at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
"SexyBack" was featured on FutureSex/LoveShow (2007), Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour with rapper Jay-Z (2013), The 20/20 Experience World Tour (2013/15), The Man of the Woods Tour (2018/19) and The Forget Tomorrow World Tour (2024). [84]
In addition it was featured on the setlist for three editions of Rock in Rio in 2013, 2014 and 2017 and two editions of the iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2013 and 2018.
Timberlake performed a remixed version of "SexyBack" at Super Bowl LII (2018) and an NPR Tiny Desk Concert (2024).
The indie rock band Rock Plaza Central gained attention for their radically different cover of "SexyBack", with brass-and-banjo roots-rock stylings. [85] American rock band Poison released a cover of the song as a promotional single and a bonus track on the Wal-Mart version of their 2007 cover album Poison'd! [86] British soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae recorded a jazz/swing version whilst appearing on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2007. [87] American pop rock band Maroon 5 covered the beginning of the song as part of a medley during their 2012 Overexposed Tour. Cartoon stars Weebl and Bob covered the song with their version "Pastry" including the refrain "I'm bringing pastry back" [88]
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Credits sourced from Sound On Sound and the original album liner notes. [1]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [160] | 5× Platinum | 350,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [161] | 3× Platinum | 120,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [162] | Platinum | 8,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [163] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [164] (since 2009) | Gold | 25,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [165] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [166] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [167] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [168] | 2× Platinum | 4,900,000 [54] |
Mastertone | ||
Canada (Music Canada) [169] | 6× Platinum | 240,000* |
United States (RIAA) [170] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(September 2021) |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | July 18, 2006 | Contemporary hit radio | Jive | [5] |
Rhythmic radio | ||||
Japan | August 23, 2006 | CD single | ||
Germany | August 25, 2006 | |||
12-inch single | ||||
France | August 26, 2006 | Digital download | [171] | |
United Kingdom | August 28, 2006 | CD single | [172] | |
United States | September 5, 2006 | Hot AC radio | ||
Urban radio | ||||
September 26, 2006 | 12-inch single | |||
October 24, 2006 | Digital download (SexyTracks: The SexyBack Remixes) | [173] | ||
Germany | April 21, 2008 | |||
France |
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Dubbed the "Prince of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of his generation. Timberlake is recognized as the best performing Pop Airplay male solo artist of all time by Billboard and remains one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales of over 117 million records worldwide. Timberlake is known for his diverse artistry in songwriting, showmanship, tenor vocal range, music production, and roles in films. He has won numerous awards and accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and MTV's Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
The American rapper and record producer Timbaland has released 3 studio albums, 17 singles, and 14 music videos.
FutureSex/LoveSounds is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, released on September 8, 2006, by Jive Records and Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived the album in collaboration with producer Timbaland and the latter's colleague Danja primarily at Timbaland's Thomas Crown Studios. By comparison with Timberlake's debut album Justified (2002), FutureSex/LoveSounds was influenced by a wider range of genres including techno, electro-funk, trance, and rock. It features reprises and interludes interspersed with the album's full songs.
"My Love" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). It was released on October 24, 2006, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. The song features American rapper T.I. and background vocals from Timbaland and was co-written by Timberlake, Timbaland, Nate "Danja" Hills, and T.I., and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja.
"What Goes Around.../...Comes Around (Interlude)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja. The song was said by Timberlake to be about betrayal and forgiveness, and was described by some music critics as a psychedelic pop and sophisti-pop "sequel" to his 2002 single "Cry Me a River". The song received generally positive reviews from music critics.
"LoveStoned" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). It was released on June 29, 2007. It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills. In contrast to the album's theme about sexual innuendos with themes of love, "LoveStoned" contains sexually suggestive lyrics. Musically "LoveStoned" is an upbeat dance song, contrasting with the interlude of "I Think She Knows" which has a more slow, quiet, guitar-driven sound. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 2008 ceremony. The official remix by Justice, Tiësto and Kaskade was released later.
"Give It to Me" is a song performed by American producer, songwriter and rapper Timbaland, released as the first single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado and American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. All three artists co-wrote the song together with American rapper Attitude and American producer Danja, who co-produced the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group, in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radios in the United States on February 6, 2007, and later to urban radios on March 10, 2007. "Give It to Me" is an electro song that embodies the sensibilities of club music. The song features the protagonists addressing their critics about their successes in the music industry.
"Summer Love" is a song by American recording artist Justin Timberlake from his second studio album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). The song was released as the fourth single from the album in April 2007. It was co-written and co-produced by Timberlake, along with Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song was produced following Timberlake's two-year hiatus from the music industry; when he felt "burnt out" after the release of his debut solo album Justified in 2002. "Summer Love" is a dance-pop song about "wanting to fall in love with the lusty seasonal lover". Its instrumentation consists of keyboards, drums, guitars, pianos and handclaps.
"The Way I Are" is a song by American producer Timbaland, released as the second single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals by singer Keri Hilson, and is included on international editions on her debut album In a Perfect World... (2009). The two artists co-wrote the song with Danja, The Clutch, and Candice Nelson. Timbaland and Danja also produced the song. Mosley Music Group, in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radios in the United States on June 15, 2007. "The Way I Are" is an electrohop song with influences of R&B and dance music that help create its futuristic sound. Its lyrics are based on the theme of role reversal and sensuous desires.
"Until the End of Time" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), written and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song was later re-recorded as a duet featuring American singer-songwriter Beyoncé, which was released as a single on November 13, 2007 and included on the Deluxe Edition of the album. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, being the sixth single from the album to do so, with Timberlake becoming the only male artist in the decade to achieve this. During the concert tour FutureSex/LoveShow, Timberlake performed the song as a piano solo.
"Ayo Technology" is the fourth single from 50 Cent's third album, Curtis (2007). It was released on July 24, 2007. The song, featuring Justin Timberlake and vocals from Timbaland, who also produced the song along with Danja, has peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the song peaked within the top ten of the charts in many countries, including Australia, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The song has since been covered by Milow, a Belgian singer-songwriter whose version was successful in a number of countries, including Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. The song was also covered by Greek-Belgian singer Katerine Avgoustakis.
"Rehab" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Def Jam Recordings serviced the song to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 6, 2008, as the fifth and final single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom as a CD single on December 8, 2008.
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy (2008), featuring vocals by fellow American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. It marked the first time in Madonna's 25-year career that another artist was featured in a single. According to Madonna, the song is about saving the environment and "having a good time while we are doing it". She also cited the song as the inspiration for the documentary I Am Because We Are (2008).
"Dead and Gone" is a song by American rapper T.I. featuring singer Justin Timberlake. It became available for digital download in September 2008 and was released on January 12, 2009 as the eighth single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail (2008). Due to the high number of digital downloads upon the album's release, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 before its official single release. The song marked the second collaboration between T.I. and Justin Timberlake, the first being the hit single "My Love", from Timberlake's second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006).
"Carry Out" is a song recorded by American producer and rapper Timbaland for his third studio album Shock Value II (2009). The song features guest vocals from longtime collaborator, American recording artist Justin Timberlake. Timbaland and Timberlake co-wrote the song with Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Jim Beanz and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon; with Harmon co-producing the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group, together with Blackground and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit radio on December 1, 2009, in the United States, as the third single from Shock Value II.
"Promiscuous" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Furtado and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song's lyrics feature a conversation between a man and woman who call each other promiscuous. The song was released as the second single from the album on April 25, 2006.
"Suit & Tie" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his third studio album The 20/20 Experience (2013). It features a verse from American rapper Jay-Z. It was written and produced by Timberlake, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. It features compositional samples from the 1972 song "Sho' Nuff" by Sly, Slick and Wicked, which members are credited as co-writers to "Suit & Tie". The song was premiered on YouTube on January 13, 2013, and was released on the following day by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. It serves as Timberlake's highly anticipated musical comeback following a six-year hiatus, during which time he pursued an acting career and developed his skills as a record producer and songwriter for other artists.
"Mirrors" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his third studio album, The 20/20 Experience (2013). First conceived in 2009, the track was inspired by his relationship with Jessica Biel and the marriage of his grandparents. It is an eight-minute-long mid-tempo progressive soul and R&B ballad. Timberlake wrote and produced the song with Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy. The accompanying music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was released in March 2013 and depicts a tale of two lovers through several decades.
"TKO" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his fourth studio album, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy and a sample of Barry White's "Somebody's Gonna off the Man". The song was distributed on September 20, 2013 by RCA Records, as the second single from The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2. A remix of the track by rappers J. Cole, ASAP Rocky and Pusha T, known as the "Black Friday Remix", was also released. The lyrics use boxing metaphors to explain how somebody being knocked out feels to them when they see their ex out with another guy.
"Filthy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on January 5, 2018, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, Man of the Woods (2018). The electro-funk song was written and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja, with additional songwriting from James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson. Its music video was released on same day, which is set at a futuristic technology conference and shows Timberlake staging a proof-of-concept demo for a robot. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio on January 9, 2018. "Filthy" debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Timberlake's 18th top 10 on the chart as a soloist, and reached the top 5 in Canada.
The duo had already drawn attention with the grinding eroto-disco of "SexyBack"....
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Poison also laid down a take of Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback" which appears on special editions of "Poison 'd"