SexyBack

2006 single by Justin Timberlake

"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 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. 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 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". having been recorded in less than a day. Mixing took place in April 2006, using a Neve VR series console. 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." 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". 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". 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 got so repetitive, everything sounds the same. I had to create something unique otherwise there's no point putting it out." "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. 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. The song's musicscape includes two note dirty electronic riffs, "leapfrogging keyboards", and incorporates the "same leaky faucet" sounds of musician Obie Trice's 2004 song "The Setup". In addition, the track features Timbaland on backing vocals. Timberlake's voice in the song is processed, slowed down to where his voice is unrecognizable, The song also features Timberlake's "low register distorted vocals." Timberlake revealed that the vocals in the song were influenced by Prince. Adam Graham of The Detroit News noted that Timberlake sings about whips and chains, 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." Jason Bracelin of the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that Timberlake sings about "threatening to steal your girl." 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". 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. in reference of the song's "sex crazed lyrics". 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". 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. PopMatters' contributor Quentin B. Huff wrote that "SexyBack" was the "fraternal twin" to Nelly Furtado's 2006 song "Promiscuous". 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". 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." 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.)" 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." 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." The Diamondback's Michael Greenwald reported that "SexyBack" was "lyrically, musically and vocally the weakest song" on the album. 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'". 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." 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." 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." 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."

"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. "SexyBack" became Timberlake's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 from his Futuresex/Lovesounds album. The single spent seven consecutive weeks at the number one position on the Hot 100. 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. "SexyBack" was certified three times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This song made the then seventh biggest jump to number one in the Billboard Hot 100 history, climbing thirty spots from number 31 landing it at the summit of the chart on September 9, 2006. "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. 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, and ascended to the top of the chart the following week, becoming Timberlake's first UK number one single. On the Australian ARIA Charts, "SexyBack" debuted at number one 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), and has been certified two times Platinum by ARIA Charts. Also, in Canada and Austria, the single has peaked at number three and number five respectively, becoming his most successful single tied with his third released single "What Goes Around / Comes Around" in both nations. It has also been certified three times Platinum in Canada. In Sweden, "SexyBack" peaked at number four, while in France it peaked at number eight The video was filmed in June 2006. 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". Timberlake and Anaya star as rival spies who become romantically entangled. 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.

"SexyBack" helped introduce EDM sounds to top 40 radio, as it brought together variations of electronic dance music with Timberlake's R&B sounds. VH1 listed it third on their list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the ’00s," 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." Entertainment Weekly deemed it a "modern day classic." "SexyBack" won the People's Choice Award for Favorite R&B song at the 2007 awards ceremony. At the 49th Grammy Awards, "SexyBack" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Dance Recording. 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". It won Best R&B/Urban Dance Track and Best Pop Dance Track at the 2007 Winter Music Conference's International Dance Music Awards. Additionally, it won an ASCAP Pop Music Award in 2007 in the category Most Performed Songs.

Timberlake performed "SexyBack" and "My Love" as a medley for the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and again for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, which he also hosted. In addition, he performed the song at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. 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). 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).