Songfacts®:

• Similar to the 1979 Michael Jackson hit "Rock With You," this song finds Timberlake getting it on with a girl on the dance floor. But while Jackson's song makes just opaque reference to what might happen at the end of the night, "Rock Your Body" gets a lot more saucy, with some cocky flirtation by Justin. When it girl looks like she's going to make her exit, he tells her, "Don't be so quick to walk away." He drops a few more lines, then goes for the big finish, telling her, "Bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song."
• This was produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, who were known as The Neptunes. In addition to their group N.E.R.D, they worked on songs for Jay Z, Kelis, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Nelly and many others.
• This song helped Timberlake transform from a teen idol to a legitimate R&B/pop star. As a member of The Mickey Mouse Club and the group 'N Sync, he had a very clean image and appealed to a very young audience. "Rock Your Body" has a slinky dance groove that appeals to all ages, but the lyrics are PG-13, giving it more agency with adults.
• Timberlake performed this with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. At the end of the performance, he sang the line, "Bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song," and ripped off part of Jackson's costume, revealing her breast. Timberlake and Jackson claimed it was a "wardrobe malfunction," but it was pretty clearly staged.
  
  CBS, which aired the Super Bowl, came under pressure from outraged viewers and from the FCC. They ran the Grammys a week later on a five-minute delay to avoid more problems, and allowed Timberlake and Jackson on the show only if they agreed to apologize. Janet was scheduled to appear as part of a Luther Vandross tribute, but backed out. Timberlake showed up and apologized to anyone he offended. He won his first two awards at the ceremony, Album Of The Year for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me A River," and quickly got his career back on track. His fellow 'N Sync member JC Chasez got caught in the fallout - the NFL canceled his appearance at halftime of the Pro Bowl. Jackson never did another NFL event, but in 2018, Timberlake, apparently absolved by the league, returned to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
• The beat was intended for Michael Jackson's comeback album Invincible, but The Neptunes ended up selling the track to Timberlake instead. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR
• Fourteen years after the famous "wardrobe malfunction," Timberlake returned to the Super Bowl, where he was once again that halftime entertainment. Again, he played this song, but this time he cut it off before he got to the "have you naked" line.