Album: Man of the Woods (2018)
Charted: 15 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from Man of the Woods, this electro-funk number finds Justin Timberlake encouraging his love interest to get it on with him.

    I said, put your filthy hands all over me
    And no, this ain't the clean version
    And what you gonna do with all that meat?
    Cookin' up a mean servin'


    "This song should be played very loud," advised Timberlake on Twitter.
  • Justin Timberlake produced the song with long time collaborators Timbaland and Danja. James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson also contributed to the writing of "Filthy." Both Dopson and Fauntleroy are members of the California music collective 1500 Or Nothin' and while Faunteloy previously co-wrote all the tracks on The 20/20 Experience and all but two of the tunes on 2 of 2, this was Dopson's first collaboration with Timberlake to be released.
  • Justin Timberlake interpolates Snoop Dogg's 1994 single, "Gin And Juice" when he croons during the pre-chorus "and they ain't leavin' till six in the morning (six in the morning)." The singer also borrows a line from Jay-Z's 2001 track "All I Need" ("I guess I got my swagger back"), during the hook.
  • The Mark Romanek directed music video sees Timberlake portraying an inventor at the Pan-Asian Deep Learning Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the year 2028. He unveils a dancing cyborg that displays some risqué moves while being remotely manipulated by the singer's own dancing.

    Mark Romanek (Nine In Nails, Johnny Cash, JAY-Z) and Timberlake previously teamed for the "Can't Stop The Feeling!" clip.
  • Chris Stapleton contributed some instrumental work to this song. "I play guitar on the very first sound you hear on 'Filthy,'" he told Billboard magazine. "That's me playing with a delay pedal on a jazz master."
  • Timberlake opened his performance at the 2018 Super Bowl halftime show with this song, starting it in the concourse of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and making his way onto the field.
  • Jessica Biel, Timberlake's actress wife, contributed uncredited vocals to the outro of this track. She also voiced the short Man of the Woods interlude "Hers."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.