Peak
1
Weeks
36
Score
7,459
Chart Year
2006
The music video for "SexyBack" was directed by Michael Haussman and features Spanish actress Elena Anaya.[66] The video was filmed in June 2006.[67] In discussion of the video filmed in Barcelona, Timberlake said: "Obviously we went for the architecture, the exteriors, the interiors — the vibe in Spain is different than anywhere else in the world. It's so cool to shoot there, but the girls are also pretty hot, so that doesn't hurt either".[7] Timberlake decided to work with director Michael Haussman, following his work on Madonna's 1994 music video for "Take a Bow". "It's one of my favorite videos Madonna's ever done," Timberlake said. "Even today, I still remember the visuals, the images, how he captured her. A lot of times, Madonna seems like she's the person in control, and in that video, she seemed vulnerable. It was a cool thing to see."[7] The video was first shown on MTV's Making the Video on July 25, 2006.[68] Timberlake and Anaya star as rival spies who become romantically entangled.[69] The video starts off with a cable car looking over Barcelona, from the West looking East, then it switches to a luxurious-looking hotel in Plaça de Catalunya with Elena Anaya taking off her shirt, revealing her black bra and a gun tucked at the back of her skirt, all while German newscaster Alexander von Roon plays on her TV. It then cuts to Timberlake in a different room; then to a club scene and Timberlake in front of a white background. Timberlake and Anaya are seeming to be spies in the hotel room and strangers in the club. In the hotel scenes, the spies both conduct espionage at each other. Elena then hides her gun at a drawer. At the club meanwhile, Timberlake is seen chasing a woman whom he recognized as Anaya herself. He keeps chasing her but she keeps disappearing out of his sight. Back at the hotel scenes, both Justin and Elena stick a tape and places a glass of water on the door so that they would know if someone snuck into their room, while Timberlake heads to the other room to deal with his rival spy Anaya. Elena then goes to the bathroom preparing to take a shower. At a certain point, Timberlake sneaks over to Anaya's room by jumping over to her balcony. Then when Anaya goes to check it out, Timberlake confronted her, but it quickly became erotic as they begin kissing each other and Justin ripped the pearl necklace from her neck. Justin finally traps Elena and she tries to reach for her gun but Justin grabs her hand and pull it away from the drawer. Their sexual tension culminated when the two are later seen in the bed together having sex. After that, Elena covered Justin's mouth to not tell anyone about their encounter, and Timberlake leaves her and went back to his room. When Justin was about to enter, he noticed that his tape was ripped, indicating that someone entered his room. Knowing that a bomb was planted, he jumps into another balcony before an explosion ensues, avoiding it completely. In the club, Justin and Elena met at the bathroom stall and they immediately kiss each other, proving that they still have a romantic interest after their sex in the hotel. It ends with the figure of Anaya sitting on a chair beside a small television in which her kiss with Timberlake is frozen on the screen. The music video on YouTube has received over 290 million views as of March 2024.
What does Justin Timberlake mean when he says he's bringing sexy back? He explained in Observer Music Monthly, July 2006: "I have trouble naming my songs. The chorus is very James Brown-ish, call out and repeat, like 'Sex Machine.' I wrote it from top to bottom. It's a very physical song, meant to provoke sexual dance. 'Sex Machine' is the closest reference. If David Bowie were to cover 'Sex Machine': 'Rebel Rebel, got ya mother in a whirrrrl'." Timberlake wrote this song with his producers, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills. This team also worked on Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" and produced Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous," which features a cameo by Timberlake in the video. Listeners spent a lot time analyzing the lyrics to this song. According to one theory, it is about S&M practices, with the "Sexy Back" the markings on the back of the person being whipped. This section in particular lends credence to this theory: Dirty babe You see these shackles, baby I'm your slave I'll let you whip me if I misbehave It's just that no one makes me feel this way The refrain in this song is "Go 'head, be gone with it," but Timberlake knew it needed a better title. He came up with "SexyBack," and make the opening line, "I'm bringin' sexy back." "Sexy back" appears only three times in the track, but it shows up at the beginning and again at the end, which make it memorable. It's also a it's a unique title, which makes it stand out. Timberlake brought Michael Haussman in to direct the music video because of his work on Madonna's "Take A Bow," which has had a lasting influence on the singer. He told MTV News: "Even today, I still remember the visuals, the images, how he captured her. A lot of times, Madonna seems like she's the person in control, and in that video, she seemed vulnerable. It was a cool thing to see." The video was shot in Barcelona over four days, with Elena Anaya starring opposite Timberlake as a rival spy who becomes his love interest. Report this ad Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Timberlake credited the Thin White Duke as an inspiration for this song. "I was listening to a lot of [David] Bowie at that time - Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs - and I played 'Rebel Rebel' over and over again, like, 15 times the day before I wrote anything for 'SexyBack'," he said. "We were interested in taking those new-wave synth sounds that were made popular by bands like Tears for Fears and the Human League and seeing how much R&B we could add to that sound." Timberlake added. "We wanted to take those synth sounds and make them arpeggiated, almost like what's very common with EDM now." Musically, this song was ahead of its time, forged from elements of electronic dance music at a time when that was a fringe genre. The foundation is "four-on-the-floor" beat typically found in disco songs: the kick drum hits every beat in the bar. Danja Hills came up with the idea to use that beat on this track. There is a certain self-awareness in the song, as at different points we hear "Take it to the bridge" and "Take it to the bridge" introducing those sections. This keeps the song lighthearted and also makes it clear that the song structure is a focal point. James Brown did this a lot, telling his band and the listeners what was coming next. Timbaland often added vocal interjections to the tracks he produced, and he's all over this one, notably in the chorus where he says, "VIP" and "Drinks on me." Timberlake's record company, Jive, planned to release "My Love" as the first single from FutureSex: LoveSounds, which was his second solo album. Justin knew from the reaction of the studio crew that "Sexyback" was a winner, so he pushed for the track to be the debut single and got his way. Released on July 6, 2006, it got a huge reaction and reached #1 on September 9, where it stayed for seven weeks. The album also went to #1 and sold over 9 million copies, vaulting Timberlake to another stratum of stardom.
I'm bringin' sexy back (yeah) Them other boys don't know how to act (yeah) I think it's special, what's behind your back (yeah) So turn around and I'll pick up the slack (yeah) Take 'em to the bridge (that's it) Dirty babe (uh-huh) You see these shackles baby, I'm your slave (uh-huh) I'll let you whip me, if I misbehave (uh-huh) It's just that no one makes me feel this way (uh-huh) Take 'em to the chorus Come here girl (go 'head be gone with it) Come to the back (go 'head be gone with it) VIP (go 'head be gone with it) Drinks on me (go 'head be gone with it) Let me see what you're twerking with (go 'head be gone with it) Look at those hips (go 'head be gone with it) You make me smile (go 'head be gone with it) Go 'head child (go 'head be gone with it) And, get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on I'm bringin' sexy back (yeah) Them other fuckers don't know how to act (yeah) Come let me make up for the things you lack (yeah) 'Cause you're burning up, I gotta get it fast (yeah) Take 'em to the bridge (that's it) Dirty babe (uh-huh) You see these shackles baby, I'm your slave (uh-huh) I'll let you whip me, if I misbehave (uh-huh) It's just that no one makes me feel this way (uh-huh) Take 'em to the chorus Come here girl (go 'head be gone with it) Come to the back (go 'head be gone with it) VIP (go 'head be gone with it) Drinks on me (go 'head be gone with it) Let me see what you're twerking with (go 'head be gone with it) Look at those hips (go 'head be gone with it) You make me smile (go 'head be gone with it) Go 'head child (go 'head be gone with it) And, get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on You ready? You ready? You ready? (Uh) yes I'm bringin' sexy back (yeah) You motherfuckers watch how I attack (yeah) If that's your girl, better watch your back (yeah) 'Cause she'll burn it up for me, and that's a fact (yeah) Take 'em to the chorus Come here girl (go 'head be gone with it) Come to the back (go 'head be gone with it) VIP (go 'head be gone with it) Drinks on me (go 'head be gone with it) Let me see what you're twerking with (go 'head be gone with it) Look at those hips (go 'head be gone with it) You make me smile (go 'head be gone with it) Go 'head child (go 'head be gone with it) And, get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on (go 'head be gone with it) Get your sexy on You ready? Yes You ready? Yes Yes
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 22, 2006 | 90 | 36 |
| 2 | Jul 29, 2006 | 81 | 45 |
| 3 | Aug 5, 2006 | 66 | 60 |
| 4 | Aug 12, 2006 | 60 | 66 |
| 5 | Aug 19, 2006 | 52 | 74 |
| 6 | Aug 26, 2006 | 35 | 91 |
| 7 | Sep 2, 2006 | 31 | 95 |
| 8 | Sep 9, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 9 | Sep 16, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 10 | Sep 23, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 11 | Sep 30, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 12 | Oct 7, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 13 | Oct 14, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 14 | Oct 21, 2006 | 1 | 125 |
| 15 | Oct 28, 2006 | 2 | 124 |
| 16 | Nov 4, 2006 | 4 | 122 |
| 17 | Nov 11, 2006 | 5 | 121 |
| 18 | Nov 18, 2006 | 7 | 119 |
| 19 | Nov 25, 2006 | 10 | 116 |
| 20 | Dec 2, 2006 | 11 | 115 |