"Suit &Tie" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his third studio album,The 20/20 Experience (2013). Featuring a rap verse by American rapper Jay-Z,it was written and produced by Timberlake,Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley,and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon,with additional writing from James Fauntleroy and Jay-Z. It contains a portion of the 1972 song "Sho' Nuff" by Sly,Slick and Wicked,whose members are credited as co-writers on "Suit &Tie". It was released on January 14,2013,by RCA Records,as the lead single from The 20/20 Experience. It serves as Timberlake's highly anticipated musical comeback following a six-year hiatus. During this time,he pursued an acting career and developed his skills as a record producer and songwriter for other artists.
Musically,"Suit &Tie" is a mid-tempo R&B and soul song that incorporates a "slow-drawl" consisting of slowed-down synths and "slightly out of time" drum claps,similar to the chopped and screwed remixing style. Lyrically,it is an ode to the joys of "being handsome and well-dressed". Upon release,it received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics,with some praising both it and Timberlake for representing R&B in a way many contemporary songs could not. Commercially,"Suit &Tie" was a success,selling 315,000 first-week downloads in the US and surpassing the 250,000 debut of "SexyBack" in 2006 and becoming Timberlake's highest sales week for a download at the time,until the release of "Can't Stop the Feeling!" in 2016. It went on to peak at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top five in both the UK and Canada,peaking at number three in both regions. As of 2018,it has sold 3.3 million downloads in the US.
An accompanying music video for "Suit &Tie" was shot on January 25,2013,and was directed by David Fincher,whom Timberlake had previously worked with in The Social Network. To promote it,Timberlake and Jay-Z performed "Suit &Tie" at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10,2013. They performed it again during Timberlake's hosting of Saturday Night Live on March 9,2013. The music video was released on Timberlake's Vevo page on Valentine's Day 2013. It won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and production
In June 2011,Specific Media Group and Timberlake jointly purchased the former world's biggest social network Myspace for approximately $35 million.[1][2] Timberlake started writing and recording for his third studio album in the "late part of May,first week in June" and concluded in July 2012.[3] The project was produced in a span of 20 days.[4] In August 2012,producer Jim Beanz reported that Timberlake started work on his new music project.[5] However,at that time,shortly after the announcement,Timberlake's publicist revealed that there were no current plans for a new Timberlake album,affirming instead that Timberlake was working with Timbaland on songs for his upcoming project Shock Value III.[5] Although,originally planned for release in October 2012,its date was postponed because of the singer's wedding with actress Jessica Biel.[3] Timberlake's manager,Johnny Wright,stated that although the project involved artists who are primarily Timberlake's friends,it was tough keeping it a secret,making them use codenames for the project.[3] "Suit &Tie" was later included as the second track on his third studio album,The 20/20 Experience,released on March 15,2013.[6]
Written by Timberlake,Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley,Shawn Carter,Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon,James Fauntleroy,Terrence Stubbs,Johnny Wilson,and Charles Still,"Suit &Tie" was produced by Timbaland,Timberlake,and Harmon. It contains a portion of "Sho' Nuff" by Sly,Slick and Wicked. Timberlake arranged and produced his vocals,which were recorded at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood,California. Harmon provided keyboards for it,while Elliott Ives played the guitar. Chris Godbey,with assistance from Matt Weber,engineered it,and Jimmy Douglass mixed it with Godbey and Timberlake at Larrabee Studios.[7]
"Suit & Tie" is a mid-tempo R&B[8][9] and soul song.[10] Written in the key of D major, it begins with a "slow-drawl" intro[11] consisting of slowed-down synths and "slightly out of time" drum claps.[12] A distorted Timberlake growls "awoo", before he and Timbaland sing: "I be on my suit and tie shit". After a brief pause, it settles into a "rolling, laidback" groove, featuring finger clicks and old-school horn blasts[12] that add a layer of sophistication.[13] Timbaland's "shiny collection" of percussion is featured on the track.[14] Featuring a portion of Sly, Slick and Wicked's 1972 recording "Sho' Nuff", produced by James Brown,[15] "Suit & Tie" is a dance-oriented track that incorporates stop-and-start sections, drawing comparisons to his debut single "Like I Love You" (2002).[14]
Mickey Woods of Glamour said it "is filled to the brim with horns, addictive hooks, and unprecedented swagger",[16] while Jim Farber of the New York Daily News wrote that it is in the "classic" style of Curtis Mayfield, yet "isn't in any way conventionally retro".[13] Dan Hyman of NBC News described it as "a horn-addled shuffler likely to inspire many new dance routines",[17] while Billy Johnson Jr. of Yahoo Music said it "offers a more mature sound saturated in a live band feel with trumpets, saxophones, bass guitar, chimes and cowbells that recall the rich soul music of the '70s."[18] Brian Mansfield of USA Today described it as having a "seductive swirl of synths and horn riffs",[19] while Zach Dionne of Vulture noted that it starts with "45 seconds of slow groove" before "dipping into an atmospheric, horn-padded Timbaland beat that'll set necks swiveling and bodies moving this week and long beyond."[20] It "floats along" like a song from the Whispers, but according to Melinda Newman of HitFix, Timbaland's production manages to pay homage without sounding dated.[21] It then goes into a "hypnotic, engaging outro before a great, cold ending".[21] Lyrically, it is an ode to the joys of "being handsome and well-dressed".[22]
Release
Jay-Z's contribution on "Suit & Tie" received mixed reviews
In early January 2013, via his official Twitter account, Timberlake posted a tweet, "I think I'M READY", before posting a link to a YouTube video which shows him walking into a studio[23] and explaining his absence from releasing new music.[24] In the minute-long video, a camera follows Timberlake as he walks through a recording studio, while the singer's voice-over discusses why it has been so long between albums, with him revealing that he is not interested in releasing something he does not love.[24] The video closes with Timberlake entering a recording booth, putting on headphones, and saying, "I'm ready."[24] Subsequently, on the singer's official site, a countdown leading up to Monday, January 14, at 12 a.m. ET appeared, prompting speculation about the release of a new single and album to break Timberlake's hiatus.[24] That timing coincided with a tweet that Power 105.1 radio personality Charlamagne posted, saying, "Justin, Jay-Z Timbaland. New record Monday".[24]
Following months of private beta testing, Myspace was relaunched on January 15. The site's front page featured an image of Timberlake in a suit and tie. Additionally, a chance to stream or download "Suit & Tie" was offered for joining or signing into Myspace.[25]Wired magazine wrote that by doing this, the site, which was completely revamped to focus on "assisting artists in sharing their music with passionate fans", is sending a "clear message" about what the network is good for: "posting music for free, and trying to upsell it to downloads".[26]
Critical reception
Timberlake performing "Suit & Tie" at DirecTV Super Night in New Orleans on February 2, 2013.
"Suit & Tie" received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon release. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave it three out of five stars, and said it "serves the same flirty dancefloor purpose" as "Rock Your Body".[27] Andrew Halverson of Beats Per Minute said it "seems to point to the notion that JT still knows what he's doing."[28] Kevin Goddard of HotNewHipHop described it as "a worthy addition" to Timberlake's catalog.[29] A reviewer from The Independent wrote that Timberlake appears to have "gone up an octave" since he last released new music. The reviewer also compared it to "Rock Your Body" and "SexyBack".[22] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times called it "a radiant, ramshackle song that's less of a coherent single and more of a coronation event."[30] Melinda Newman of HitFix said to "leave it to Timberlake" to represent R&B in a way that "few contemporary artists are today", noting Bruno Mars and Miguel being a few exceptions.[21] Kia Makarechi of The Huffington Post wrote that "Our expectations are our greatest enemy. ... If we ditch the notion that Justin needs to reinvent dance music every time he drops an album (a tall order for any artist), 'Suit & Tie' may actually give us a lot to look forward to".[31]Stephen Deusner of Pitchfork awarded the track their Best New Track tag, praising Timberlake's vocal performance and Timbaland's production by saying, "Timbaland creates a smooth beat out of a marimba roll and harp glissando that Marvin Gaye must have left on the cutting-room floor, and Timberlake rides it with that fluid, effortless falsetto." Deusner, however, noted that the feature verse from Jay-Z is "another in a string of uninspired cameos," but it could not "sink its slinky vibe."[32]Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars, and said it "is natty – as expertly tailored and crisply pressed as a high-end tux."[33]
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars, and said it "is a good song, but it's not the artifact from another planet that we've been expecting, nor it is the ambitious experiment that Timberlake alludes to when he describes heading into the studio and "just creating with no rules.""[34] Ernest Wilkins of the Chicago Tribune said it "sounds like it was conceived, recorded, funded, and sponsored by a department store that hasn't been relevant in a long time."[35] Michael Cragg of The Guardian wrote that it feels like the work of someone "luxuriating in the fact they're making music again" and not someone "desperate to redefine pop in the face of its recent club-related slump". He stated that it is not a "sound-redefining, statement-making, globe-conquering comeback single" like "SexyBack" (2006) was, but "more of a midway point" between his previous singles "Señorita" and "Summer Love".[12] Joseph R. Atilano of the Philippine Daily Inquirer said it "might just be a case of him being away too long from the music scene which could have resulted in, just maybe, Justin losing a step or two."[36] Adam R. Holz of Plugged In said it "sounds practically vintage, in fact. Which isn't necessarily a good thing."[37]Popjustice, in the same vein, claimed that it was "officially, and very disappointingly, mediocre" and "it could make a decent third single from an album, if they were struggling".[38] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said it "is more filler than killer, more informal reintroduction than explosive comeback."[39] Eight editors from Spin — Charles Aaron, Christopher R. Weingarten, David Marchese, David Bevan, Caryn Ganz, Brandon Soderberg, Philip Sherburne, and Marc Hogan — reviewed it, giving it mixed scores ranging from five to seven out of ten, with an average score of 6.25.[40]
Accolades
BET ranked it among Timberlake's best collaborations.[41] Katie Atkinson of Billboard placed it at number fourteen in a ranking of Timberlake's singles,[42] Rania Aniftos ranked it among Timberlake's sixteen best collaborations,[43] and Adelle Platon ranked it among Timberlake's fourteen best hip-hop/R&B collaborations.[44] Maria Sherman of Complex Networks placed it at number thirteen in a ranking of the best Timberlake songs.[45] Kyle Hodge of Highsnobiety placed it at number fifteen in a ranking of the twenty best Timberlake songs.[46] Ashley Lee of The Hollywood Reporter placed it at number eight in a ranking of the top ten music collaborations of 2013.[47] Marco Torres of the Houston Press placed it at number six in a ranking of Timberlake's top ten collaborations.[48] Falyn Freyman of the Miami New Times placed it at number three in a ranking of Timberlake's top five collaborations.[49] Sal Cinquemani and Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine placed it at number seven in a ranking of Timberlake's singles.[50]
Commercial performance
Within hours of its release, "Suit & Tie" reached number two on the US iTunes Store.[51] It debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 based on two days of airplay in the week ending January 26, 2013.[52] It also debuted at number 14 on Billboard's Pop Songs chart with 6,045 plays, the highest detections total by a new entry in the chart's history.[53] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 3.[54] As of June 2013, "Suit & Tie" has sold 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[55]
The following week, "Suit & Tie" jumped to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 with 315,000 first-week downloads sold.[56] It was Timberlake's highest sales week for a download, surpassing the 250,000 debut of "SexyBack" in 2006,[57] but later bested by "Can't Stop the Feeling!" in 2016 with 379,000.[58] "Suit & Tie" then fell to number 13 for two weeks, but returned to the top 10 on the week of February 10, 2013[59] after Timberlake performed it at the 2013 Grammy Awards. It reached a new peak at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its eleventh week due to the album release.[60] It reached the number one position on Billboard's Rhythmic Airplay chart in its April 1, 2013 issue.[61] As of March 2014, it has sold 3,044,000 downloads in the United States.[62] As of 2018, it has accumulated 4.6 million units in the country, combining sales (3.3 million downloads) and equivalent streams.[63][64]
Music video
Background and release
A 30-second sample of the "Suit & Tie" music video.
The music video for "Suit & Tie" was shot in Los Angeles on January 25, 2013.[66] It was released on Timberlake's Vevo page on Valentine's Day 2013.[67] Entirely black-and-white, it begins with Timberlake eating cereal while Jay-Z sits on a couch watching television,[68] before cutting to Timberlake performing in a studio as well as an art deco style theater replete with a "swanky nightclub band", "sexy backup dancers", "female fans bopping to the beat", and "a horn section."[69]
The music video on YouTube has received over 197 million views as of December 2025.[67]
Timberlake and Jay-Z performing "Suit & Tie" at the Legends of the Summer TourTimberlake performing "Suit & Tie" with the Minnesota Marching Band at Super Bowl LII
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
↑Reed, Ryan (January 31, 2021). "Every Justin Timberlake Album, Ranked". Spin. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2025. Snazzy soul single "Suit & Tie" opens at a squished half time, with Timbaland's voice deepened to monster movie levels...
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