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''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
, released on September 8, 2006 by
Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
and Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived the album in collaboration with producer
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
and the latter's colleague Danja primarily at Timbaland's
Thomas Crown Studios Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
. By comparison with Timberlake's debut album '' Justified'' (2002), ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was influenced by a wider range of genres including
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
,
electro-funk Electro (or electro-funk)Rap meets T ...
,
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
, and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. It features
reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...
s and
interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...
s interspersed with the album's full songs. ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' received mostly positive reviews from critics, who noted its wide range of influences and eclectic sound. The album produced six singles that attained chart success; including US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles: "
SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQ ...
", " My Love", and " What Goes Around... Comes Around". With " Summer Love", the album achieved four US
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
number-one songs. Many music publications considered it among the best albums of the 2000s. Aside from earning numerous best-of-the-decade lists, the album received several
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominations, including Album of the Year and
Best Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
, while its first four singles won in their respective categories. It has been certified multi-platinum in many countries worldwide, and has sold over 10 million copies, with four million in the United States. The album has been added to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
's musical library and archive. It is also considered by critics and fans to be one of Timberlake's best albums to date. To further promote the album, Timberlake embarked on his second concert tour, entitled
FutureSex/LoveShow The FutureSex/LoveShow was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It showcased his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). The tour grossed $127.8 million. It was the third highest-grossing concert t ...
, which became one of the highest-grossing tours in 2007.


Background

In November 2002, Justin Timberlake released his debut album, '' Justified'', and produced the U.S. top-five singles "
Rock Your Body "Rock Your Body" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his debut studio album, '' Justified'' (2002). The Neptunes (consisting of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams) wrote and produced the song. The song features backgroun ...
" and " Cry Me a River". "Cry Me a River" in particular was credited for having helped the album sell and peak on the music charts. ''Justified'' ended selling four million copies in the United States alone. Although the album established Timberlake's career outside his then-band *NSYNC, Timberlake (who was 22 years old at the time), was "at a crossroads" and felt he was at the stage of being "burnt out", and thought he had lost his voice "in regards to knowing what (and how) he wanted to sing". Timberlake stated that ''Justified'' had been years in the making, and a record that would re-create its success would be a challenge he was not ready to take. In the following years, Timberlake went partially idle in the music industry. His being "burnt out" partly caused him to try acting in films. In October 2003, he hosted and was the guest musician on the late-night
variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', where he showcased his acting potentials. He also paired with American actor
Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...
on ''
The Barry Gibb Talk Show ''The Barry Gibb Talk Show'' is a recurring sketch on ''Saturday Night Live'' about a talk show starring Bee Gees lead singer Barry Gibb (played by Jimmy Fallon) and his brother, Robin Gibb (Justin Timberlake). The sketch was created by writers ...
''. After the show, Timberlake was reportedly "inundated" with acting offers, which he readily accepted partly because he needed inspiration and did not want to pass up the opportunities. Before returning to music, Timberlake shot four films; including '' Edison Force'' (2005) and ''
Alpha Dog ''Alpha Dog'' is a 2006 American crime film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hato ...
'' (2006). Timberlake opted not to pursue the reunion with *NSYNC, which he considered after ''Justified''. According to him, he was concerned with how they would reinvent their music. In late 2004, Timberlake then contacted record producers
Rich Harrison Richard Christopher Harrison (born 1979) is an American record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C., specializing in R&B and hip hop music. The winner of a Grammy Award, Harrison is well known for producing songs such as "Get Right" ...
and
Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
, who had produced songs for *NSYNC. Both producers were "impressed" by the live band-driven late-night shows Timberlake had participated in and wanted to incorporate this in his music.


Recording

In 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
"that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take". In November 2005, Timberlake visited Timbaland's brand-new
Thomas Crown Studios Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
in
Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
, United States. Timbaland had previously collaborated with Timberlake, producing four tracks for ''Justified'' including "Cry Me a River". Once in the studio, however, the team had no clear direction for the album as there were no concepts being discussed. Aside from having "Cry Me a River" to draw from, they had no "game plan" and no working title for the new album. Timberlake thought that if he could make a record that would live up to ''Justified'', he "would have". So he asked Timbaland if he could reproduce the likes of "Cry Me a River" by four or six times. While in the studio, Timbaland played on the stereo plenty of songs by American singer and musician
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
for them to listen to. Early in their sessions, they reportedly were "fooling around" and "freestyling". One night, Danja was playing a guitar
riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
and caught the attention of Timberlake, who then started humming to the
melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
and later sung the lyrics. Timbaland, who was at their side, added drums onto the progressing sound. After an hour, with no lyrics written on paper, Timberlake recorded in the vocal booth a song that would become " What Goes Around... Comes Around". Timberlake, having been teased by Timbaland, said to the latter: "Let's do something we would never do. Let's go far left and just see what happens."


Production

Official production for ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' started in December 2005. When production began,
Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
Chairman and CEO,
Barry Weiss Barry Weiss (born February 11, 1959) is an American music executive and producer who is currently an executive with RECORDS, a label he co-founded. He got his start at Clive Calder's Jive Records before working his way up to the head of the ...
, asked when the album would be completed, to which Timberlake replied that it could possibly take a year. The title was not finalized until Jive Records gave Timberlake a deadline on finishing what would become ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''. The collective thought the album is comparable with
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's landmark record, '' Thriller'', dubbing their own as ''Thriller 2006''. According to Timberlake, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is like a "fashion editorial, YSL and
Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrance ...
suits, which goes with the sonics". The album's artworks were shot by American fashion photographer
Terry Richardson Terrence Richardson (born August 14, 1965) is an American fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work for ma ...
. The cover features Timberlake stomping a
disco ball A disco ball (also known as a mirror ball or glitter ball) is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearly all of ...
using his black pointy shoe. For his new project, Timberlake collaborated with only few producers. With no concrete plans, however, Timberlake's goal for the album was "'to capture moments' with a vivid, raw, off-the-cuff sound". Timberlake, who included
record production A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
in his repertoire, managed the recording sessions with no formula. His sessions with Timbaland and Danja were described as free-flowing, and he referred to themselves in the process as "looking like ad men a mad scientist". On his collaboration with Timbaland, Timberlake asserted that they "have a very interesting connection" in music. In ten days, they composed at least eight to ten songs with the lyrics, melodies, and vocals all in place. In three weeks, after that transitional moment with "What Goes Around... Comes Around", the collective was able to produce songs like " My Love", "
SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQ ...
", and "Sexy Ladies". Unlike ''Justified'' which was recorded in six weeks, Timberlake said that ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' took one year to complete. Sessions for the album also saw Timberlake collaborating with
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...
and
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
, the latter himself a member of the hip hop group
The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...
, whose 2003 single "
Where Is the Love? "Where Is the Love?" is a song by American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on May 12, 2003, as the lead single from their third album, ''Elephunk''. The song was written by will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, Justin Timberlake, Print ...
" Timberlake lent vocals to. For the production, they are credited as Jawbreakers, a production team of their own established during their collaboration for The Black Eyed Peas' album. Four songs were produced with will.i.am, although only "Damn Girl" made it to the standard edition of the album. Actor
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
recommended producer Rubin to Timberlake, who considered the idea and discussed it with Rubin when he saw him at a music festival in
Coachella, California es, Ciudad de Coachella , nicknames = Coachello, La Coachelita and Cochela , image_skyline = Coachella City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 240px , image_caption = Coachella City Hall , image_flag ...
. Timberlake went to singer-songwriter
Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
's studio, where Rubin played him some
demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...
, one of which was a
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
that would become "(Another Song) All Over Again". Timberlake suggested that the collaboration was meant to "do the anti-whatever-you-want-to-call-it that imbaland andI came up with".


Music

During the production of ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'', Timberlake was interested in
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
. This inspiration was used in his approach in recording the songs, rather than in composing them. Timberlake reveals, "I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer." On the influences he drew from, he said that if ''Justified'' was "characterized" by
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
and
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is more like
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
stated that Timbaland spends much of the album "refurbishing the
electro-funk Electro (or electro-funk)Rap meets T ...
of Prince's early-'80s recordings," adding that "Justin marries his innuendos to grinding, squealing synths that conjure the funky spirit of the
Minneapolis Sound The Minneapolis sound is a subgenre of funk rock with elements of New wave music, new wave and synth-pop, that was pioneered by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based musician Prince (musician), Prince in the late 1970s. Its popularity was given a boost th ...
. Other influences include late
INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...
-frontman
Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into th ...
,
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
,
David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
,
The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...
,
The Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio More ...
, and
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
. Although Timberlake expressed interest in recording songs with rock influences, Timbaland was initially reluctant to pursue the idea because he was not accustomed to producing such music. Nonetheless, he suggested that they could produce a handful, since they were afraid of alienating Timberlake's urban fan base. Because of this concern, they produced several
reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...
s, encores and preludes with a rock influence, instead of full-length songs. As to the sound of ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'', " My Love", the second song composed, steered the album's direction. Danja revealed that it "changed the whole album", and the energy derived from the song was sustained throughout the process. On his inspiration for the infusion of R&B with
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
on the album, Danja remembers: Unlike his previous record that was intended to focus on R&B and pop
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
s, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is less concentrated on one particular sound, thus representing a wider range. Timberlake explains, "It's more broad as far as the styles I wanted to mix in to my own type of thing." A musically "complex" album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is a fusion of
rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
, rock,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
,
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
, new wave,
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
, and world music. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' noted that the album's sound is a "sonic departure" from both *NSYNC and ''Justified''. Although "What Goes Around" sounds similar to ''Justified'', Timberlake admitted that it is the only song in the new album to have such similarity. Critics noted that the influences and styles are varied across the album's track list. The title track " FutureSex/LoveSound" incorporates early 1980s new wave and
industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
. The song "Sexy Ladies" takes on Minneapolis funk. Another funk song on the album is the lead single "SexyBack", the style of which is described by Timberlake as "club funk". Meanwhile, the track "Damn Girl", which was produced by the Jawbreakers, incorporates '60s
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
.
Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
is infused in "Losing My Way", which is the only song on the album that features choir
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
.


Lyrics

Most of the songs' lyrics were not written down on paper, as Timberlake believed it would only slow him down. For most of the album's production, Timberlake composed the lyrics in his head and would record the song shortly after. Some songs were conceptualized within a relatively shorter time, while others took longer because Timberlake had wanted to incorporate variation. For instance, the lyrics to "Losing My Way" were in a narrative style which took Timberlake longer to write. The only song that Timberlake wrote down on paper was the
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...
-produced "(Another Song) All Over Again". Rubin felt it was unusual for Timberlake because he requested the latter to write the lyrics first instead of recording it directly in the vocal booth. Sharing common themes with ''Justified'', ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' contains songs that are thematically based on and, according to Timberlake, were motivated by sex and love.
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
editor Jennifer Vineyard summarizes that the album illustrates "the very nature of how sex and love are interchangeable and immutable and contradictory and complementary all at once". The first half of the album, ''FutureSex'', generally focuses on themes about sex that are evident on songs like the title track "FutureSex/LoveSound", "LoveStoned", "Damn Girl" and "Sexy Ladies". The second half, ''LoveSounds'', is the album's "sweet side", encompassing songs such as "My Love", the
slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is the 1983 ...
"Until the End of Time" and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Meanwhile, "LoveStoned" transitions to the two-minute prelude "I Think She Knows". Although themes of sex and love are dominant on the album, the song "Losing My Way" diverges to a more serious topic, which was inspired by a documentary of
crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...
addiction that Timberlake watched. Meanwhile, "(Another Song) All Over Again" is a homage to
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
musician
Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...
, according to Timberlake. The lyrics to "What Goes Around... Comes Around" are thought to have similar meaning to "Cry Me a River". In an interview, he revealed that the song was based on one of his friends' experience. "My Love" was also noted as "arguably" similar with "Cry Me a River". Timberlake however confirmed in many interviews that the record is not autobiographical, although he himself had an experience from which to draw.


Singles

Six major
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
were issued from the album, led by "
SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQ ...
" which was released on July 7, 2006, two months prior to the publication of the album. Regarding the song, Timberlake surmised he did not sound like he did before. "SexyBack", which lacks his distinctive
falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
, is seen as a complete departure from Timberlake's recognized sound, and his management thought it might risk being unrecognizable as a "Justin Timberlake song". But that risk nonetheless appealed to Timberlake, who reportedly insisted to have "SexyBack" released as the album's lead single.
Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
executive Barry Weiss, who initially doubted the suggestion, later told in an interview in February 2007 that albeit an "unusual record", it was a "risk that clearly paid off". "SexyBack" was followed with the release of " My Love" in the third quarter of 2006, and " What Goes Around... Comes Around" in early January 2007. The single releases for the standard edition of the album spanned a year, during which time the fourth single, " LoveStoned/I Think She Knows", was released. When the deluxe edition was issued, the duet version of " Until the End of Time" was also released in the same month. The single version includes as its
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
the "Set the Mood (Prelude)", which is juxtaposed with " Summer Love" in the album's track listing. The European release of "Until the End of Time" omits "Set the Mood (Prelude)", and instead included "Summer Love" as double A-side. Commercially, the album's first three singles have been the most successful in the domestic music market. They each peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Timberlake credit as the only artist to achieve such feat since R&B singer Usher accomplished four chart-topping singles between February and December 2004. "SexyBack" and "My Love" have since been certified multi-platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), an achievement that was seen as "rare" amidst free file-sharing in the Internet, which had made reaching the million mark in sales a struggle in the music industry.


Tour

In support of the album, Timberlake embarked on the
FutureSex/LoveShow The FutureSex/LoveShow was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It showcased his second studio album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). The tour grossed $127.8 million. It was the third highest-grossing concert t ...
, his first concert tour on a global scale. Promoted primarily by
AEG Live Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...
, the concert tour reached North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, with 119 venues in total. It began on January 8, 2007, in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California, and culminated in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, on December 6, 2007. FutureSex/LoveShow, which drew 1.6 million people worldwide, grossed a total of US$126.8 million, the third top-grossing concert tour in 2007. In May 2007, it was announced that Timberlake signed a deal with
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
network to broadcast the live concert. Timberlake previously appeared on an HBO special, which aired the *NSYNC Live From Madison Square Garden concert in 2000. FutureSex/LoveShow was taped on the second night at the
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
on August 16, 2007. The footage was broadcast by HBO on September 3, 2007, and later on September 6 due to demand. On November 20, 2007, a two-disc edition of '' FutureSex/LoveShow: Live from Madison Square Garden'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray formats that were sold exclusively by the retailer
Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
. The release included extra footage including a song-by-song commentary by Timberlake and pre- and post-show clips. In 2008, the broadcast earned Timberlake an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
in the category Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special (Single Or Multi-Camera). For Timberlake's performance of "What Goes Around... Comes Around" at the Madison Square Garden,
Josh Tyrangiel Josh Tyrangiel is an American journalist. He was previously the deputy managing editor of ''TIME'' magazine and an editor at ''Bloomberg Businessweek''.Stephanie Clifford (November 17, 2009"Josh Tyrangiel Named Editor of BusinessWeek"/ref> In Ju ...
of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine ranked it second on its list of top ten live performances in 2007. Tyrangiel writes, "It's a little on the long side, but Timberlake earns this symphonic take on What Goes Around from his HBO special." On October 31, 2007, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine announced the finalists for the 2007 ''Billboard'' Touring Awards, which was based on actual box office performance from January 1, 2007, to September 30, 2007. Timberlake was nominated in the categories Top Tour, Top Draw and Breakthrough Artist; he won the latter that was announced during the awards show on November 15, 2007.


Release and promotion

''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was released worldwide on September 13, 2006. More than a year after its initial release, a deluxe edition of the album was issued on November 27, 2007. This edition contains three additional tracks on the album, each featuring guest artist. One of the tracks is a re-recording of " Until the End of Time", now a duet between Timberlake and American R&B singer
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
. Also included with the Deluxe Edition is a bonus DVD, which contains footage from Timberlake's live performances and behind the scenes on the music videos of four singles, including "SexyBack" and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The main album included with the Deluxe Edition is the edited version; and an explicit version was not issued. According to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine, Jive's mother company
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
offered 71 distinct products to tie in with ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''. This was an attempt at finding solutions to declining sales in physical albums, and Timberlake's album was among those offered in various configurations and versions. Aside from the album itself, the project included digital versions,
ringtones A ringtone, ring tone or ring is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. Originally referring to and made by the electromechanical striking of bells, the term now refers to any sound on any device alerting of a new incoming ...
, wallpapers and individual tracks. Before, an artist's release was made available in less than ten formats. In recent years, however, versioning strategies have been increasingly applied to the recording industry. On the 2010 book ''The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud'' which examines such context, author Patrik Wikström noted ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' as one "high-profile" example. From the project, a total of 115 versions or products have been sold. According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI), the project has sold more than 19 million units worldwide, 20 percent of which were sales on CD format.


Critical reception

''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was met with generally positive reviews from critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 70, based on 25 reviews. ''
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
'' commended Timberlake for "manag ngto surprise with an eclectic collection of sounds, and in a good way". Katy Kroll of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' noted the album's sound as a "bit different, but the music's sex appeal remains a force to be reckoned with".
Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' suggested that the album is not "an easy listen at first", but "repeated listening helps the tunes unravel".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
senior editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
commended Timberlake's "clear musical vision" and stated that the "serious undercurrent" of several songs on the album, "when combined with Timbaland's retro-future production makes ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' fascinating."
Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' stated, "How well do Mr. Timberlake and Timbaland work together? So well that they can make even the world's most irritating percussion instrument, the human beatbox, sound pretty good." He also took notice of the album's preludes and interludes, writing, "Timbaland has long been known for hiding little surprises near the end of songs, and here he takes his obsession with transformation to new heights." In a mixed review, ''
Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' magazine found the album "laudable, but overreaching". ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' felt that Timberlake and Timbaland's songwriting is "frustratingly awkward".
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
, writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', said that the album "almost works: close, but no enema". Ben Williams of ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
'' magazine commented that Timberlake is "better at being sappy than sexy" and concluded, "If he hasn't yet invented a persona intriguing enough to live up to his music, give him credit for being one of the few white men still brave enough to make
black music Black music is a sound created, produced, or inspired by black people, people of African descent, including African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including Caribbean music, Lati ...
."
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' found Timberlake's "best new" songs "thrilling", although "some of the up-tempo stuff flirts with mechanical muscle-flexing" and "Losing My Way" is a "well-meaning" but "clueless embarrassment." In his consumer guide for ''
MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History I ...
'', he cited "My Love" and "SexyBack" as highlights and gave the album a three-star honorable mention, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".


Accolades

The album earned numerous best-of lists in 2006 and the following years. Music magazine ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' listed ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' as their 26th among 2006's top 50 albums of the year. On the British newspaper ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', the album made it at number 47 on the publication's list best 50 albums of 2006. On the general publication ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', the album is ranked eighth among its list of ten best albums in 2006. The publication notes that Timberlake "levitates into a falsetto that honors Prince and Michael Jackson without stealing from them". ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' earned numerous best-of-the-decade lists. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it 46th on their top 100 albums of the 2000s - calling it "an avant-garde sprawl of abstract electronica and hallucinatory space funk". ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' ranked the album at number nine on their list of 10 best albums of the decade. It says that ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is an album that "redefined pop's cutting edge". Earlier in 2008, the album made it at number 31 on the magazine's 100 new classics in music. The album received additional acclaim from ''
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' and ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'', ranking the album at number 79 and 49 on their respective "Best of the 2000s" lists. In 2013, ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' named it the greatest album of the 2000s and ranked it at 5 on their list of "The Greatest 50 Albums Since '93". In 2015, ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' made a list of the 300 best albums of the past 30 years (1985-2014), ranking the album at number 101.


Awards

In
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, the album received four nominations at the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s, including Album of the Year and Pop Vocal Album. Timberlake lost the two; however, he won
Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
for "SexyBack" and
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
for " My Love", featuring rapper T.I. The following year at the Grammys, " What Goes Around... Comes Around" was nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
; Timberlake won
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
for the same song and another
Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
for " LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)". In 2007, Timberlake was nominated for seven categories at the
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, winning four, including Artist of the Year. He also earned the Quadruple Threat Award, an accolade that recognizes those artists who have excelled in multiple media including music, fashion and acting. For the album, Timberlake won Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the
American Music Awards of 2007 The 35th Annual American Music Awards took place on November 18, 2007 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Performers Winners and nominees Winners are highlighted in boldface. Re ...
. For the album and its singles, Timberlake won World's Best Selling American Artist and World's Best Selling Pop Male Artist at the 2007 World Music Awards. It also won Foreign Album of the Year at the
Danish Music Awards The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called ''IFPI-prisen'' ("IFPI-Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to ''Dansk Grammy'' ("Danish Grammy"). It was chang ...
and was awarded IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Ten Best Sales Releases, Foreign. Among others, it was nominated for International Album of the Year at the
Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
s, Album of the Year at the
MTV Australia Awards The MTV Australia Awards (previously known as the MTV Australia Video Music Awards or AVMA's) started in 2005 and were Australia's first awards show to celebrate both local and international acts. The last edition happened in 2009. History The M ...
, International Album of the Year at the
NRJ Music Awards An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisi ...
, and International Album at the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
. In the two latter he won their awards for International Male Artist of the Year.


Commercial performance

Fueled by its lead single "SexyBack", ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' sold more than 684,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the official US albums chart. It became Timberlake's first number-one album as a solo artist. The album has sold over four million units in the United States, and has been certified four-times platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' became the eighteenth best-selling album of 2006 in the United States. As of 2018, the album has accumulated 6.49 million
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...
s in the country, combining sales (4.7 million copies sold) and equivalent streams. Internationally, the album was also well received, selling almost equal units and topping many charts worldwide. Sony BMG distinguished ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' as the biggest-selling album among the record company's releases in 2006. Weiss noted that in the past three to five years before the album's release, American artists found it increasingly hard to achieve commercial success in international music markets. He found that Timberlake was among those few "that successfully sells in every country around the world". According to
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, the album has since sold more than 10 million units worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one. ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' became the biggest pre-order album in
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
history, breaking the all-time record for one week digital sales previously held by the English
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
. Elsewhere in Europe, the album debuted at number one in Ireland, and opened at number two in Sweden and Switzerland. In Australia, the album peaked at number one and has since been certified five-times platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
, denoting shipments of over 350,000 units. ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was the thirty-fourth best-selling album of 2006 in Australia, and third in the following year. In 2006, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was ranked as the 18th most popular album of the year on the ''Billboard'' 200. The following year, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was ranked as the 7th most popular album of 2007 on the ''Billboard'' 200.


Legacy

The success of ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' affected both Timberlake's and Timbaland's careers. For Timberlake, it further established his career as a solo artist. He comments, "'SexyBack' was the point when people stopped asking me when *NSYNC were going to reunite and started asking what I was going to do next." Timberlake has also beefed up his fan base, gaining "hipster" fans in the wake of the album's success. Combining the international success of Timberlake's ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' and
Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...
's ''
Loose Loose may refer to: Places *Loose, Germany *Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album), ...
'', demands for Timbaland's work reportedly surged. Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'', Chris Willman remarked that ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is "like Timberlake's '
cred Credibility comprises the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Credibility dates back to Aristotle theory of Rhetoric. Aristotle defines rhetoric as the ability to see what is possibly persuasive in ...
' record", although Chris Collis said Timbaland nearly stole the spotlight, sharing with Timberlake the "star" status. Aside from earning critical acclaim for the album, according to
Sia Michel Sia Michel (born May 17, 1967, in Erie, Pennsylvania) is the deputy culture editor of ''The New York Times''. Before her promotion to that position in 2018, she was the editor of Arts & Leisure and pop music editor for the "Times", which she had j ...
of ''The New York Times'', Timberlake was responsible for popularizing in 2006 the catchphrase "I'm bringing sexy back", which is culled from the lead single "SexyBack". It spawned a "phenomenon" in which video-makers spoofed the song. At least four parodies gained attention such as "SweatyBack" and "HairyBack". In 2007, Timberlake is ranked among ''Time'' magazine's 100 men and women "whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world". For the publication, Timbaland writes, "It's as if Justin had been born 26 years ago to deliver music to the world. There are those who follow and those who lead. Justin is a leader, setting the bar for what's expected of others." The album has been added to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
's musical library and archive. Andrew Barker of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' (2016) stated the album "helped recalibrate the sonic frequency of several years' worth of pop-radio trends." In 2013, Maura Johnston from ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' called it an "ambitious classic", writing ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' "musically propelled the pop&B genre with audio novellas, interlude twists, Timbaland's weirdo sound effects and that irresistible falsetto" and "embraced the hard/soft duality implied by the title to thrilling effect—and because of their mastery of that balancing act, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' would go on to influence, if not define, much of the pop music that came after it." also adding it "pushed boundaries more forcefully than works by fellow crooners R. Kelly and Usher." For its 10th anniversary, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' editor Brittany Spanos wrote "Ten years ago, Timberlake destroyed any doubt of his artistry or potential with the mature, innovative ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''. The pop star experimented with R&B, funk and rock to create a piece of music well ahead of its time. Today, the LP's influence can still be heard in everything from the worldly electro-soul of
Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...
to the moody sound of newcomers like
Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he began his career in 2011 with a mixtape entitled ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. Tiller initially gained mainstream success in 2015 follow ...
. The album also signaled Timberlake's transition from pop hitmaker and Hollywood It Boy to a legitimate force as a musician and actor." ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' was ranked as the 97th best album of all time on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 Albums of All Time.


Track listing

All songs are written and produced by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, and
Nate "Danja" Hills Floyd Nathaniel Hills (born February 22, 1982), professionally known as Danja (), is an American record producer and songwriter from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Starting off as a co-producer for Timbaland, he has since then created an extensive cat ...
, except where noted. *Notes *"Damn Girl" contains a sample of "A New Day (Is Here at Last)", written and performed by J. C. Davis. * signifies a remix producer.


Personnel

Credits are adapted from album’s
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...
. *
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
- lead and background vocals, guitar (5), additional beat box (5), keyboards (9), choir arrangement and director (11), piano (12) *Richard Adkins - violin (10) *Peggy Baldwin - cello (10) *Adrienne Banks - choir (11) *Davis Barnett - viola (5, 6, 11) *Brian Benning - violin (10) *Charlie Bisharat - violin (10) *Benorce Blackmon - guitar (12) *Paul Blake - guitar (1) *Roni “SuSu” Bobien - choir (11) *Ida Bodin - double bass (10) *Kevin Brandon - double bass (10) *Tyann Brown - choir (11) * David Campbell - conductor and string arrangements (12) *Mark Cargill - contractor, concertmaster, and violin (10) *Lenny Castro - percussion (12) *Susan Chatman - violin (10) *Phillippa “Pip” Clarke - violin (10) *Jeff Clayton - flute (10) *Mary Collymore - choir (11) *Heather Covington - choir (11) *Salvator Cracchiolo - trumpet (10) *Mario De León - violin (12) *Yvette Devereaux - violin (10) *Jenny D’Lorenzo - cello (5, 6, 11) *Andrew Duckles - viola (12) * Melvin Dunlap - bass (12) *Ernest Ehrhardt - cello (10) *James Ford - trumpet (10) *Matt Funes - viola (12) *James Gadson - drums (12) *Pam Gates - violin (10) *Larry Gold - conductor and string arrangements (5, 6, 11) * Nate “Danja” Hills - drums and keyboards (1-7, 9-11) *Smokey Hormel - guitar (12) *Robert James - choir (11) *Gloria Justin - violin (5, 6, 11) *Suzie Katayama - cello (12) *Valarie King - flute (10) *Emma Kummrow - violin (5, 6, 11) *Timothy Landauer - cello (12) *Hope Lawrence - choir (11) *Songa Lee-Kitto - violin (10) *Natalie Leggett - violin (12) *Jennifer Levin - violin (12) *Darrin McCann - viola (12) *Marisa McLeod - violin (10) *Clarence McDonald - organ (12) *Roudy Michel - choir contractor (11) *Melinda Michelle - choir (11) *Patrick Morgan - viola (10) *Giovana Moraga - cello (10) *Oresa Napper - choir (11) *Michele Nardone - viola (10) *Charles Parker Jr. - violin (5, 6, 11) *Cameron Patrick - viola (10) *Darryl Pearson - bass (2, 3) *Bill Pettaway - guitar (2) *Ta-Ron Pollard - choir (11) *Michele Richards - violin (12) *Kathleen Robertson - violin (10) *Jimbo Ross - viola (10) *Renee Smith - choir (11) *Caleb Speir - bass (8) *Tereza Stanislav - violin (12) *Nancy Stein-Ross - cello (10) *Igor Szwec - violin (5, 6, 11) * T.I. - rap (4) *
Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...
- rap (7) *
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
- drums (1-7, 9-11), keyboards (2-7, 9-11), additional vocals (2, 7), background vocals (3, 4), beat box (5) *Mari Tsumura - violin (10) *Josephina Vergara - violin (12) *
Hezekiah Walker Bishop Hezekiah Walker (born December 24, 1962) is a popular American gospel music singer and artist and pastor of prominent Brooklyn New York Pentecostal megachurch, Love Fellowship Tabernacle. Walker has released several albums on Benson Reco ...
- narrator (11) *Ahmed Wallace - choir (11) *Thomas Warren - choir (11) *Imani Welch - choir (11) *
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
- drum programming, keyboards, and rap (8) *John Wittenberg - violin (12) *
Benjamin Wright Benjamin Wright (October 10, 1770 – August 24, 1842) was an American civil engineer who was chief engineer of the Erie Canal and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969, the American Society of Civil Engineers declared him the "Father of America ...
- conductor and string arrangements (10) *Craig Wiggins - choir arrangement and director (11)


Production

* Executive Producer:
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
* Produced by Justin Timberlake (1-11),
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
and Nate “Danja” Hills (1-7, 9-11),
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
(8),
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...
(12) ** Production Coordinator for Rick Rubin: Lindsay Chase * Recorded by
Jimmy Douglass Jimmy Douglass, also known as "The Senator", is an American recording engineer and record producer. His career has spanned more than four decades. Career In the early 1970s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio ca ...
(1-7, 9-11), Ethan Willoughby (4), Padraic Kerin (8), Jason Lader (12) * Mixed by Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland (1-7, 9-11), Serban Ghenea (8), Andrew Scheps (12) * Assistant Engineers: Scott Elgin & Rob Montes (8) * Strings Recorded by Jeff Chestek (5, 6, 11), Kaliq Glover (10) ** Assisted by John Stahl (5, 6, 11) *
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
Engineer: Lisa Hampton (10) * Additional Pro Tools Engineer: John Hanes (8) * Additional Engineering: Ethan Willoughby (10), Dana Nielson (12) ** Assisted by Phillip Broussard (12) * Technical Director: Dave Hampton (10) * Three 6 Mafia Vocals Recorded by Ari Raskin (7) * Mastered by Herb Powers Jr. for PM Entertainment * Assisted by Ricardo Gutierrez * Management: Johnny Wright for Wright Entertainment Group, Paul & Lynn Harless for Just-in Time Entertainment Inc. * Legal Representation: Gary Stiffelman (Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Ficher, Gilbert-Lurie, Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson, Lande & Wolf LLP) * Business Management: Barry Klarberg, Kyle Tessiero of Guggenheim Partners, LLC * Marketing/Promotions/Publicity: M2M Construction LLC, Sonia Muckle & Louis Muckle * A&R: Venus Brown for Buddah Brown Entertainment, Inc. * A&R Administration: Nancy Roof * Production Coordinator: Stephanie Cooper Willoughby for Buddah Brown Entertainment, Inc. * Sample Clearance: David Schmidt & Kobie “The Quarterback” Brown * Creative Director: Doug Lloyd * Design: LLOYD&CO * Photography: Terry Richardson * Stylist: Joe Zee * Hair: Frankie Payne * Grooming: Catherine Furniss * Additional Photography: Rankin * Stylist: Annie Psaltiras * Grooming: Kim Verbeck


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time chart


Certifications


Release history


See also

*
List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2000s The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom; during the 2000s, a total of 274 different albums by 170 artists reached number one. The chart was compiled weekly by the Official ...
* List of number-one albums of 2006 (Australia) *
List of number-one albums of 2006 (Canada) These are the Canadian number-one albums of 2006. The chart is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and published by ''Jam!'' Canoe, issued every Sunday. The chart also appears in ''Billboard'' magazine as Top Canadian Albums. See also * List of Cana ...
*
List of number-one albums of 2006 (Ireland) These are the Irish Recorded Music Association's number one albums of 2006, per the Top 100 Individual Artist Albums chart. See also * 2006 in music *List of number-one albums (Ireland) This is a list of number-one albums in Ireland by year ...
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2006


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Futuresex Lovesounds 2006 albums Albums produced by Danja (record producer) Albums produced by Justin Timberlake Albums produced by Rick Rubin Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by will.i.am Jive Records albums Justin Timberlake albums Art pop albums Progressive pop albums