{"id":5640,"date":"2026-09-10T19:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T23:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=5640"},"modified":"2026-09-10T19:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T23:50:09","slug":"revisit-the-time-justin-timberlake-brought-sexyback-20-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/revisit-the-time-justin-timberlake-brought-sexyback-20-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisit the Time Justin Timberlake Brought \u201cSexyBack\u201d 20 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year marks two decades since Justin Timberlake released his second solo LP, <em>FutureSex\/LoveSounds,<\/em> and his colossal single, \u201cSexyBack\u201d. Buoyed by Timbaland\u2019s groundbreaking production, the album moved Timberlake further away from the teen pop of his former boy band, NSYNC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Timbaland, who had perfected the art of stuttering beats, had altered hip-hop in his (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/missy-elliott\/work-it\">and Missy Elliott\u2019s<\/a>) image. But his collaboration with Timberlake utterly transformed pop music, turning both artists into massive stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But before they, with fellow producer Danja, nudged pop music into its spicy future, Timberlake and Timbaland renewed the old-school genre that shaped them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (Official Video) ft. Timbaland\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3gOHvDP_vCs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dirty Pop<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSexyBack\u201d began with a challenge from Timbaland: \u201cAll right, man, I think we got to bring dance music back.\u201d Then, while beatboxing, Timbaland <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/pop\/justin-timberlake-apple-music-interview-sexyback-recording-with-timbaland-9439280\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a>, \u201cWhat you gonna say?\u201d And Timberlake answered, \u201cI\u2019m bringing sexy back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I\u2019m bringing sexy back (Yeah)<br>Them other boys don\u2019t know how to act (Yeah)<br>I think it\u2019s special, what\u2019s behind your back (Yeah)<br>So turn around, and I\u2019ll pick up the slack (Yeah)<br>Take it to the bridge.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inspired by David Bowie\u2019s 1974 glam anthem, \u201cRebel Rebel\u201d, Timberlake aimed for a similar immediacy. He wanted to say something provocative. But it also needed to be the kind of hook disparate groups of people could shout together in a club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Dirty babe (Uh-huh)<br>You see these shackles, baby, I\u2019m your slave (Uh-huh)<br>I\u2019ll let you whip me if I misbehave (Uh-huh)<br>It\u2019s just that no one makes me feel this way (Uh-huh)<br>Take it to the chorus.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Let Me See What You\u2019re Twerking With<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Timberlake\u2019s record label was initially hesitant about the track, \u201cSexyBack\u201d topped the <em>Billboard<\/em> Hot 100 and won a GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Let me see what you\u2019re twerking with&nbsp;(Go \u2019head, be gone with it)<br>Look at those hips (Go \u2019head, be gone with it)<br>You make me smile (Go \u2019head, be gone with it).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And following the release of <em>FutureSex\/LoveSounds<\/em>, Timberlake was no longer operating in the shadow of NSYNC. The adult vibe of \u201cSexyBack\u201d proved the curly-headed kid had, in musical terms, grown up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I\u2019m bringing sexy back (Yeah)<br>You motherf***ers watch how I attack<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo by John Shearer\/WireImage<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year marks two decades since Justin Timberlake released his second solo LP, FutureSex\/LoveSounds, and his colossal single, \u201cSexyBack\u201d. Buoyed by Timbaland\u2019s groundbreaking production, the album moved Timberlake further away from the teen pop of his former boy band, NSYNC. Meanwhile, Timbaland, who had perfected the art of stuttering beats, had altered hip-hop in his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":5642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"savage_platform_markdown_available":false,"savage_platform_markdown_version":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[528,36],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-5640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-justin-timberlake","tag-pop-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Justin Timberlake","term_id":528,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/justin-timberlake\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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