Soundtrack of My Life

Song: SexyBack
Artist: Justin Timberlake
Album: FutureSex / LoveSounds (2006)

Anyone who says this song isn't infectious and original is a liar. Period. End of sentence.

Forget all your preconceived notions about former boy band members, channeling Michael Jackson (not literally) and all the bullshit people spew about liking a cat like JT. The truth is, you should like JT and this song and this album.

FutureSex is one of my All-Time Favourite Albums and that's saying a lot because not very many artists put out worthy albums anymore. Justin did and its dynamic lead single was all the reason I needed to cop the album and keep on it heavy rotation to this very day.

What I love about this song is that when it first came out, people were totally divided on it and the majority were in the "What the hell is this?" Camp. Obviously, I was on the other side of the room, dancing my ass off knowing full well that "SexyBack" was going to end up being more than just a song.

Of course, I was right. Actually, I have to give credit where credit is due: Erica Sandy hooked me up to this track for the first time. She was my DJ at Na-Na's on Friday nights and spent her non-working hours scouring the Internet for the freshest music around. The instant this dropped, she had it and was playing it at Na-Na's to an empty dancefloor while she and I rocked out in the booth. So Erica was right and I tagged along on her very good call.

Anyway..

What has always gotten me about this song is that it was different from everything else at the time. Synthesizers hadn't made a comeback. Timbaland wasn't the producer of 2/3 of the songs on the radio and some people questioned whether the growing-up Justin that debuted with Justified could turn into Grown Man Justin and deliver something beyond bubblegum pop and thinly veiled Britney bashing.

"SexyBack" answered that in spades, as the song became more than a song; it became a fashion statement, an all-too-often-used turn of phrase and ushered in the era of Justin Timberlake, Megastar.

There are no razor sharp lyrics to speak of when it comes to this song - though I do thoroughly enjoy the line "Them other fuckers don't know how to act." YEAH!

For me, this song is about attitude and atmosphere. You can't deny that even today, as we're rapidly closing in on two years since it's release, this song still gets it done in the club and in your car and you develop a bit of a swagger whenever you hear it. At least I do.

Go White Boy Go!

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