Justin Timberlake grabbed his dancing shoes to pen “Can’t Stop the Feeling” with Max Martin in 2016. It marked the duo’s first collaboration since the pop icon’s ‘N Sync days in the early 2000s and his first new material in almost three years at the time.
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The fun-loving song was written for the Dreamworks animated movie Trolls, with the “Suit & Tie” singer producing the film’s soundtrack. The song went on to sweep the radio airplay charts, clinching the number one spot upon its release. Let’s dive into the lyrics below.
Behind the Lyrics
Save the two verses in this song, it’s mostly a big chorus party. After a quick intro, Timberlake tees up what’s to come with the opening line I got this feeling inside my bones / It goes electric, wavey when I turn it on.
The first pre-chorus cuts in soon after the opening verse ends, with Timberlake singing about all things buoyant and fun. He’s got sunshine in his pocket and “good soul” in his feet, ready to just “dance, dance, dance.”
I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops
I can’t take my eyes up off it, movin’ so phenomenally
Room on lock, the way we rock it, so don’t stop
Nothin’ I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
Feel a good, good creepin’ up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on
All those things I shouldn’t do
But you dance, dance, dance
Things are really heating up by the time the second verse hits. Jumping up to his falsetto he continues the party, throwing reason aside and letting go of control.
Ooh, it’s something magical
It’s in the air, it’s in my blood, it’s rushin’ on (rushin’ on)
I don’t need no reason, don’t need control (need control)
I fly so high, no ceiling, when I’m in my zone
The rest of the song is an extended chorus, intercut with a bridge that boils things down to just a bassline and snaps. It seems the feel-good tune is as simple as striving for unrelenting fun and throwing your cares away.
Music Video
Two videos were made for “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” The first features cameos from Timberlake’s Trolls co-stars—James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stafani, Icona Pop, Ron Funches, and Kunal Nayyar—lip-synching along to the track.
The second video, seen below, was directed by Mark Romanek and sees everyday people dancing in and around various businesses in Los Angeles. From a diner, a car wash, and a donut shop, it seems everyone can’t stop the feeling brought on by Timberlake’s disco track.
Trolls
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” was written for the animated movie Trolls. Along with executively producing the soundtrack, Timberlake plays one of the titular roles in the movie, Branch—a grumpy, downtrodden troll who is forced to undertake a journey with “the happiest troll ever” Poppy.
In an interview with Sirius XM’s The Morning Mash Up Show, Timberlake explained his process of writing songs for a soundtrack, calling it “more regimented” than his solo work. “When I’m making a record for myself, I don’t know, I feel like I have to take advantage of the fact that it’s done when I love every song,” he said.
Timberlake then conceded that the Trolls sessions inspired him and “definitely bled over into writing a bunch of other things.”
The pop idol was eventually recognized for his efforts in the movie, with an Oscar nod for this track. “Our task was to write a song that encapsulated the message of the movie, and by the way, we want people to be able to dance to it,” Timberlake said on the red carpet leading up to the Oscars. “When I was watching the movie it reminded me of disco, so that’s where I got the idea for a modern disco song.”
Photo: RCA Records
