Justin Timberlake is not feeling well, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is his song

Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” managed to be both retro and trendy. However, the “Cry Me a River” star seemed mixed on “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” but the crowd couldn’t get enough of the track.

Why Justin Timberlake Recorded “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” When He Didn’t Want To

On one level, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is a typical Timberlake song. He wrote it with Max Martin, the producer behind some of Timberlake’s boy band hits. It’s also a disco song. When Timberlake isn’t doing R&B, he’s doing dance songs. He’s even experimented with the genre with “Take Back the Night.” However, Timberlake seems far removed from “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

In a 2020 interview posted to his YouTube channel, Timberlake discussed “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” “That song makes me trip,” the “SexyBack” singer said. “It’s not something I would have written for myself.”

Notably, the song was taken from the soundtrack of the animated film Trollswhich is based on the popular 1980s dolls. “Again, it’s a song that I don’t think is mine,” he said. “Honestly. Because we wrote it for this movie. It turns out they said, ‘No, you have to sing it (too).’ And I said, ‘OK.'”

Justin Timberlake’s son inspired his new direction

To put things in context, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is much less risqué than most of Timberlake’s solo hits. In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Timberlake said his change of pace was inspired by his wife, Jessica Biel, and their son, Silas. “It changes everything. You literally wake up, look in the mirror, and you’re like, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing.’”

Timberlake revealed that he may have written “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” because he became a father. “I don’t know if it was directly inspired so my son could listen to my song, because there’s a lot of music he can’t listen to from me, at least not yet,” he said. “It’s crazy, this new appreciation (I have) for both of them, her and him. It’s humbling and humbling.”

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” was unstoppable

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” became Timberlake’s final No. 1 single. It held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, remaining on the charts for a total of 52 weeks. It remained on the charts longer than any other Timberlake song. The resurgence of disco in the 2010s likely helped propel the song to the top of the charts. Other songs from the resurgence include Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

To this day, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” has not appeared on any Timberlake studio album or compilation. Perhaps he feels so detached from the song that he doesn’t want to include it on one of his records. On the other hand, he still hasn’t released a greatest hits album that encompasses the music he released in the 2010s and 2020s. Perhaps Timberlake will eventually include “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” on a career-spanning album.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” may not be Timberlake’s favorite song, but it has made millions of people smile.