Stay With Me

Album: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022)
Charted: 10 102
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Songfacts®:

  • Over a crunchy guitar and a dense bass, Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell Williams sing about someone who has caught their eye on the dance floor. The three guest artists swap vocals as they flirt with the love interest and beseech them to stick around.
  • Calvin Harris came up with the funky disco production and recruited the three superstars for the track. The Scottish producer previously collaborated with Pharrell Williams on his 2017 singles "Heatstroke" and "Feels" but hadn't worked with Justin Timberlake or Halsey before.

    Williams and Justin Timberlake teamed up on one previous occasion when they duetted on the 2014 song "Brand New" from Pharrell's second studio album, G I R L.
  • Calvin Harris, Halsey, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake wrote the funk-inflected disco bop with James Fauntleroy, an American singer-songwriter who is Justin Timberlake's go-to writing partner. He co-penned every track on Timberlake's 2013 album The 20/20 Experience and 12 further songs on the follow-up, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, released the same year.
  • The Emil Nava-directed video shows the three vocalists vibing in brightly colored outfits inside a lightly psychedelic universe. Harris appears twice: on the side of the road while the vocalists climb into chauffeured cars, and secondly in soft focus concealed by palm trees.

    Emil Nava is Harris' go-to visual collaborator. He first worked with Harris on his 2013 single "I Need Your Love," and since then has directed the majority of his videos.

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