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FutureSex/LoveSounds

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For the song, see FutureSex/LoveSound.
FutureSex/LoveSounds
A picture of a young man who wears a suit while crushing a disco ball. The background is gray and in the middle are the words 'Justin' (written in black) and 'Timberlake' (written in orange), while under them is 'FutureSex/LoveSounds' in niances of gray.
Studio album by Justin Timberlake
Released September 8, 2006 (2006-09-08)
Recorded November 2005–June 2006
Studio
Genre
Length 66:12
Label
Producer
Justin Timberlake chronology
Justified
(2002)Justified2002		 FutureSex/
LoveSounds
(2006)		 12" Masters – The Essential Mixes
(2010)12" Masters – The Essential Mixes2010
Singles from FutureSex/LoveSounds
  1. "SexyBack"
    Released: July 18, 2006
  2. "My Love"
    Released: October 24, 2006
  3. "What Goes Around... Comes Around"
    Released: December 19, 2006
  4. "LoveStoned"
    Released: June 29, 2007
  5. "Until the End of Time"
    Released: November 13, 2007
  6. "Summer Love"
    Released: December 7, 2007

FutureSex/LoveSounds is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on September 8, 2006, by Jive Records and its affiliated label of the Zomba Group of Companies. During the two-year hiatus, Timberlake resolved his feelings on being unable to be recording of any new materials, and as he returned to record some new music, he began collaborating with his longtime record producer Timbaland, alongside the latter's colleague Danja with these contributors that wrote FutureSex/LoveSounds and amongst these other songs. This album's contents were produced at the Timbaland's Thomas Crown Studios. The album has shared some lyrical themes than Timberlake's debut album Justified (2002), although FutureSex/LoveSounds has more music more diverse in genre. It infuses with R&B and pop, with techno, funk, and these elements of rock. The reprises and interludes interspersed on the album's tracks were created by the production team with the goal of channeling Timberlake's influences; including David Bowie and Prince.

FutureSex/LoveSounds was met with acclaim from music critics,[1][2] who noted its wide range of influences and collection of eclectic sounds. The album produced six singles that attained chart success; including US number-one hit singles: "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album at number 46 on its list of the best albums of the 2000s, and aside from earning numerous best-of-the-decade lists, the album received several Grammy Award nominations; including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. It has been certified multi-platinum in many countries worldwide, and has sold over ten million copies, with four million in the United States. The album has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive.

Background

A young man dressed in black shirt and pants is walking while holding a golf stick
While on hiatus, Timberlake engaged in non-musical activities.

In November 2002, Justin Timberlake released his debut album Justified,[3] and it has produced the US top-five singles: "Rock Your Body" and "Cry Me a River".[4] "Cry Me a River" has been credited for having helped the album sell and peak on the music charts.[5] Justified has sold four million copies in the United States.[5] Although the album established his career outside his then-band 'NSYNC,[6] Timberlake (who is 22 years old), was "at a crossroads" and felt he was at the stage of being "burnt out",[5][7] and thought he had lost his voice "in regards to knowing what (and how) he wanted to sing".[7] 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.[8]

In the following years, Timberlake went partially idle in the music industry.[5] 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 Saturday Night Live where he showcased his acting potentials. He also paired with American actor Jimmy Fallon on The Barry Gibb Talk Show. 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.[5][9] Before returning to music, Timberlake shot four films; including Edison Force (2005) and Alpha Dog (2006).[5] 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.[6] In late 2004, Timberlake contacted record producers Rich Harrison, and Rodney Jerkins who had produced songs for 'NSYNC. Both producers were "impressed" by the live band-driven late-night shows of Timberlake and they wanted to incorporate this style in his music.[10]

Recording

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We had no direction at all ... other than 'Cry Me a River,' and not in the sense of mimicking the track, but in how big the song was. There was no direction for how he wanted the song to sound, because there was no direction for how he wanted ['FutureSex/LoveSounds'] to sound.

 —producer Danja speaking to MTV News[11]

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.[5] Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take".[12] In November 2005, Timberlake visited Timbaland's brand-new Thomas Crown Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. Timbaland had previously collaborated with Timberlake, producing four tracks for Justified including "Cry Me a River".[5][9]

Once in the studio, however, the team had no clear direction for the album as there were no concepts being discussed.[11][13] Aside from having "Cry Me a River" to draw from, they had no "game plan" and no working title for the new album.[11] Timberlake thought that if he could make a record that would live up to Justified, he "would have".[7] So he asked Timbaland if he could reproduce the likes of "Cry Me a River" by four or six times.[5]

While in the studio, Timbaland played on the stereo plenty of songs by American singer and musician Prince for them to listen to. Early in their sessions, they reportedly were "fooling around" and "freestyling".[11] One night, Danja was playing a guitar riff and caught the attention of Timberlake, who then started humming to the melody 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".[11] 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."[7]

Production

Official production for FutureSex/LoveSounds started in December 2005. When production began, Jive Records Chairman and CEO, Barry Weiss, asked when the album would be completed, to which Timberlake replied that it could possibly take a year.[14] The title was not finalized until Jive Records gave Timberlake a deadline on finishing what would become FutureSex/LoveSounds.[15] The collective thought the album is comparable with Michael Jackson's landmark record, Thriller, dubbing their own as FS/LS Thriller 2006. Timberlake is a fan of Jackson and even name-drops the latter in the song "Chop Me Up".[16]

According to Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds is like a "fashion editorial, YSL and Gucci suits, which goes with the sonics".[17] The album's artworks were shot by American fashion photographer Terry Richardson.[17] The cover features Timberlake stomping a disco ball using his black pointy shoe.

File:Timbaland Live Lyon 2007 FutureSex-LiveShow.jpg
Timbaland guested on several dates on Timberlake's 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow worldwide concert tour. Timbaland, his protégé Danja, and Timberlake wrote and produced a majority of tracks that appeared on the album.

For his new project, Timberlake collaborated with only few producers.[15] With no concrete plans, however, Timberlake's goal for the album was "'to capture moments' with a vivid, raw, off-the-cuff sound".[16] Timberlake, who included record production in his repertoire, managed the recording sessions with no formula.[15] His sessions with Timbaland and Danja were described as free-flowing, and he referred to themselves in the process as "looking like [mad men], a mad scientist".[18]

On his collaboration with Timbaland, Timberlake asserted that they "have a very interesting connection" in music.[15] 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", and "Sexy Ladies".[19] Unlike Justified which was recorded in six weeks, Timberlake said that FutureSex/LoveSounds took one year to complete.[17]

Sessions for the album also saw Timberlake collaborating with Rick Rubin and will.i.am, the latter himself a member of the hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, whose 2003 single "Where Is the Love?" 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.[15] Four songs were produced with will.i.am,[15] although only "Damn Girl" made it to the standard edition of the album.

Actor Chris Rock 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.[8][17] Timberlake went to singer-songwriter Neil Diamond's studio, where Rubin played him some demos, one of which was a ballad 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 [Timbaland and] I came up with".[16]

Music

During the production of FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake was interested in rock music.[20] 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."[12] On the influences he drew from, he said that if Justified was "characterized" by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, FutureSex/LoveSounds is more like David Bowie and Prince.[17] Other influences include late INXS-frontman Michael Hutchence,[16] Arcade Fire, David Byrne, The Killers, The Strokes, and Radiohead.[20]

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.[18] Nonetheless, he suggested that they could produce a handful, since they were afraid of alienating Timberlake's urban fan base.[18] Because of this concern, they produced several reprises, encores and preludes with a rock influence, instead of full-length songs.[18] 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",[13] and the energy derived from the song was sustained throughout the process. On his inspiration for the infusion of R&B with trance in the album, Danja remembers:

I heard dance and techno and was always interested in it but didn't really know where to go. But I went to a club one night and saw that people were losing their mind to these dance tracks. It wasn't really that I wanted to mimic that sound. I just wanted to have that energy and have people going crazy. So I knew the fusion was putting R&B with trance.[13]

Unlike his previous record that was intended to focus on R&B and pop genres,[18] FutureSex/LoveSounds is less concentrated on one particular sound,[8] 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."[8] A musically "complex" album, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a fusion of rap, rock, funk, soul, gospel, new wave, opera, and world music.[17] Entertainment Weekly noted that the album's sound is a "sonic departure" from both 'NSYNC and Justified.[21] Although "What Goes Around" sounds similar to Justified, Timberlake admitted that it is the only song in the new album to have such similarity.[18] Critics noted that the influences and styles are varied across the album's tracklist. The title track "FutureSex/LoveSound" incorporates early 1980s new wave and industrial rock. The song "Sexy Ladies" takes on Minneapolis funk.[22] Another funk song on the album is the lead single "SexyBack", the style of which is described by Timberlake as "club funk".[12] Meanwhile, the track "Damn Girl", which was produced by the Jawbreakers, incorporates '60s soul music.[23] Gospel music is infused in "Losing My Way", which is the only song in the album that features choir arrangement.

Lyrics

Rick Rubin produced "(Another Song) All Over Again", the only song in the album that was written on paper.

Most of the songs' lyrics were not written down on paper,[18] as Timberlake believed it would only slow him down.[9] 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.[18] The only song that Timberlake wrote down on paper was the Rubin-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.[18]

Sharing common themes with Justified, FutureSex/LoveSounds contains songs that are thematically based on and, according to Timberlake, were motivated by sex and love.[24] MTV 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".[24] The first half of the album, FutureSex, generally focus on themes about sex that are evident on songs like the title track "FutureSex/LoveSound", "LoveStoned", "Damn Girl" and "Sexy Ladies".[24] The second half, LoveSounds, is the album's "sweet side",[24] encompassing songs such as "My Love", the slow jam "Until the End of Time" and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Meanwhile, "LoveStoned" transitions to the two-minute prelude "I Think She Knows".[24]

Although themes of sex and love are dominant in the album, the song "Losing My Way" diverges to a more serious topic, which was inspired by a documentary of crystal meth addiction that Timberlake watched.[24] Meanwhile, "(Another Song) All Over Again" is a homage to soul musician Donny Hathaway according to Timberlake.[16] 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.[16] "My Love" was also noted as "arguably" similar with "Cry Me a River".[17] Timberlake however confirmed in many interviews that the record is not autobiographical, although he himself had an experience from which to draw.[17][24]

Singles

Six major singles were issued from the album, led by "SexyBack" 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 himself before.[25] "SexyBack", which lacks his distinctive falsetto, is seen as a complete departure from Timberlake's recognized sound,[26] and his management thought it might risk being unrecognizable as a "Justin Timberlake song".[25] But that which nonetheless appealed to him,[25] Timberlake reportedly insisted to have "SexyBack" released as the album's lead single.[25] Jive 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".[27]

"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 prelude "Set the Mood", which is juxtaposed with "Summer Love" in the album's tracklisting. The European release of "Until the End of Time" omits "Set the Mood", 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-topper singles between February and December 2004.[28] "SexyBack" and "My Love" have since been certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), an achievement that was seen as "rare" amidst free file-sharing in the internet in which reaching the million mark has become a struggle in the music industry.[29]

Tour

Timberlake performing at St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the venues of his first worldwide tour, FutureSex/LoveShow

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Main article: FutureSex/LoveShow

In support of the album, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow, his first concert tour on a global scale. Promoted primarily by AEG Live, the concert tour reached North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, with 119 venues in total. It began on January 8, 2007, in San Diego, California, and culminated in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 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 tours in 2007.[30]

In May 2007, it was announced that Timberlake signed a deal with HBO network to broadcast the live concert. Timberlake previously appeared on HBO which aired the 'N Sync Live From Madison Square Garden concert in 2000. FutureSex/LoveShow was taped on the second night at Madison Square Garden on August 16, 2007. The footage was broadcast by HBO on September 3, 2007, and later on September 6 due to demand.[31] 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. The release included extra footage including a song-by-song commentary by Timberlake and pre- and post-show clips.[32]

In 2008, the broadcast earned Timberlake an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special (Single Or Multi-Camera).[33] For Timberlake's performance of "What Goes Around... Comes Around" at the Madison Square Garden, Josh Tyrangiel of Time magazine ranked it second on its list of top ten live performance 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."[34] On October 31, 2007, Billboard 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;[35] he won the latter that was announced during the awards show on November 15, 2007.[36]

Release and promotion

FutureSex/LoveSounds was released worldwide on September 13, 2006.[37] More than a year after its initial release, a deluxe edition of the album was issued on November 27, 2007.[38] 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 Knowles. Also included with the Deluxe Edition is a bonus DVD, which contains footage from Timberlake's live performances and behind the scenes on 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 magazine, Jive's mother company Sony BMG 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 was among those proffered in various configurations and versions. Aside from the album itself, the project included digital version, ringtones, wallpaper and individual tracks.[39]

Before, an artist's release was made available in less than ten formats.[40] In recent years, versioning strategies have been increasingly applied particularly 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.[41] From the project, a total of 115 versions or products have been sold.[40] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the project sold as of 2008 more than 19 million units worldwide, 20 percent of which were sales on CD format.[41]

Commercial performance

Fueled by its lead single "SexyBack",[42] FutureSex/LoveSounds sold more than 684,000 units in its first week, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, the official US albums chart. It became Timberlake's first number-one album as a solo artist.[43] The album has sold over four million units in the United States, and has been certified four-time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[44] FutureSex/LoveSounds became the eighteenth best-selling album of 2006 in the United States.[45] As of March 2013, the album has sold 4.4 million copies in the US.[46]

Internationally, the album was also well received, selling almost equal units and topping many charts worldwide.[26][47] Sony BMG distinguished FutureSex/LoveSounds as the biggest-selling album among the record company's releases in 2006.[47] 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".[21] According to MTV, the album has since sold more than 10 million units worldwide.[48]

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one.[47] FutureSex/LoveSounds became the biggest pre-order album in iTunes history, breaking the all-time record for one week digital sales previously held by the English alternative rock band Coldplay.[47] Elsewhere in Europe, the album debuted at number one in Ireland, and opened at number two in Sweden and Switzerland.[49] In Australia, the album peaked at number one and has since been certified five-time platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting shipments of over 350,000 units.[50] FutureSex/LoveSounds was the thirty-fourth best-selling album of 2006 in Australia, and third in the following year.[51][52]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3.5/5 stars[53]
Blender 4/5 stars[54]
The Guardian 3/5 stars[55]
Los Angeles Times 3.5/4 stars[56]
NME 8/10[57]
Pitchfork Media 8.1/10[58]
Q 3/5 stars[59]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[60]
Slant Magazine 3.5/5 stars[61]
Uncut 3/5 stars[62]

FutureSex/LoveSounds received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100, the album received an average score of 70, based on 25 reviews.[63] Torque commended Timberlake for "manag[ing] to surprise with an eclectic collection of sounds, and in a good way".[64] Katy Kroll of Billboard noted the album's sound as may be a "bit different, but the music's sex appeal remains a force to be reckoned with".[65] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times suggested that the album is not "an easy listen at first", but "repeated listening helps the tunes unravel".[56] Allmusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine commended Timberlake's "clear musical vision" and stated, "Graceless he may be, [he] is nevertheless kind of fascinating on FutureSex/LoveSounds".[53] Q called it a "set of forward-thinking pop reminiscent of" Prince's 1987 album Sign "O" the Times.[59] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times 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."[66] She 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."[66]

In a mixed review, Uncut magazine found the album "laudable, but overreaching."[62] Vibe felt that Timberlake and Timbaland's songwriting is "frustratingly awkward".[67] Alexis Petridis, writing for The Guardian, said that the album "almost works: close, but no enema."[55] Ben Williams of New York 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."[68] Robert Christgau of Rolling Stone 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."[60] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, he cited "My Love" and "SexyBack" as highlights and gave the album a three-star honorable mention,[69] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure."[70]

Accolades

In 2007, the album received four nominations at the Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Pop Vocal Album.[71] Timberlake lost the two; however, he won the Best Dance Recording for "SexyBack" and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "My Love", featuring rapper T.I.[72][73] The following year at the Grammys, "What Goes Around... Comes Around" was nominated for Record of the Year; Timberlake won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the same song and another Best Dance Recording for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows".[74][75] In 2007, Timberlake was nominated for seven categories at the MTV Video Music Awards, 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.[76] 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.[77]

Aside from procuring awards and nominations, the album earned numerous best-of lists in 2006[26] and the following years. Music magazine Rolling Stone listed FutureSex/LoveSounds as their 26th among 2006's top 50 albums of the year.[78] On the British newspaper The Observer, the album made it at number 47 on the publication's list best 50 albums of 2006.[79] On the general publication Time, 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".[80]

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."[81] Entertainment Weekly 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".[82] Earlier in 2008, the album made it at number 31 on the magazine's 100 new classics in music.[83] The album received additional acclaim from Pitchfork Media and Slant Magazine, ranking the album at number 79 and 49 on their respective "Best of the 2000s" lists.[84][85] In 2013, Vibe named it the greatest album of the 2000s and ranked it at 5 on their list of "The Greatest 50 Albums Since '93".[86] In 2015, Spin made a list of the best album of past 30 years (1985-2014), raking the album at number 101.[87]

Legacy

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"It changed the game. A bold departure from the warm, synthesized soul that the Neptunes helmed on Justified, FutureSex was steely and sweaty, a universal dance opus that made room for intimacy. The album had some of Timbaland’s smartest work as a producer, with beds of elastic funk and electro-pop for Timberlake to roll around in. The album also had adult themes and f-bombs, speeding up the transition from Curly-Haired Boy to Shaved-Head Man for Timberlake. And it was so blindingly successful, from blockbuster sales to hit singles to a huge tour to real critical acclaim, that the pop world grew deeply anxious while awaiting Timberlake’s post-FutureSex return, which finally occurred seven years later with The 20/20 Experience. And still, to me, those are not the greatest achievement of Timberlake’s 2006 album. Ten years later, it’s more clear than ever: FutureSex/LoveSounds had the best first half of any pop album in 25 years. You have to go back to 1979 for Off The Wall, by JT’s idol Michael Jackson, to find a pop album with a first half that matches up."

—Fuse TV's music critic Jason Lipshutz writing for the 10th anniversary of the release.[2]

The success of FutureSex/LoveSounds has had an impact to both Timberlake's and Timbaland's careers. For Timberlake, it further established his career as solo artist. He comments, "'SexyBack' was the point when people stopped asking me when *NSYNC [sic] were going to reunite and started asking what I was going to do next."[88] Timberlake has also beefed up his fan base, gaining "hipster" fans in the wake of the album's success.[89]

Combining the international success of Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds and Nelly Furtado's Loose, demands for Timbaland's work reportedly surged.[29] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Chris Willman remarked that FutureSex/LoveSounds is "like Timberlake's 'cred' record",[90] although Chris Collis said Timbaland nearly stole the spotlight, sharing with Timberlake the "star" status.[91]

Aside from earning critical acclaim for the album, according to Sia Michel of The New York Times, Timberlake was responsible for popularizing in 2006 the catchphrase "I'm bringing sexy back",[21][92] 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".[93]

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."[94] The album has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive.[95]

In 2013, Maura Johnston from Vibe 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."[86]

Track listings

FutureSex/LoveSounds – Standard edition
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "FutureSex/LoveSound"  
4:01
2. "SexyBack" (featuring Timbaland)
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 4:02
3. "Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk to You (Prelude)"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 5:32
4. "My Love" (featuring T.I.)
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 4:36
5. "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 7:24
6. "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around (Interlude)"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 7:28
7. "Chop Me Up" (featuring Timbaland and Three 6 Mafia)
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 5:04
8. "Damn Girl" (featuring will.i.am)
Jawbreakers 5:12
9. "Summer Love/Set the Mood (Prelude)"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 6:24
10. "Until the End of Time"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 5:22
11. "Losing My Way"  
  • Timberlake
  • Mosley
  • Hills
  • Timbaland
  • Timberlake
  • Hills
 5:22
12. "(Another Song) All Over Again"  
Rick Rubin 5:45
Total length:
 66:12

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Allmusic.[97]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[134] 6× Platinum 420,000
Belgium (BEA)[135] 2× Platinum 40,000
Brazil (ABPD)[136] Gold 30,000
Canada (Music Canada)[137] 5× Platinum 500,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[138] Gold 18,005[139]
France (SNEP)[140] Platinum 200,000
Germany (BVMI)[141] 2× Platinum 400,000
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[142] Gold 7,500
Ireland (IRMA)[143] 6× Platinum 90,000
Japan (RIAJ)[144] Gold 100,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[145] 3× Platinum 45,000
Poland (ZPAV)[146] Platinum 20,000
Portugal (AFP)[147] Gold 10,000
Russia (NFPF)[148] Diamond 60,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[149] 2× Platinum 60,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[150] 3× Platinum 1,136,081[151]
United States (RIAA)[152] 4× Platinum 4,400,000[46]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[153] Platinum 1,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

Release history

Country Date Edition Format Label Ref.
Germany September 8, 2006 Standard CD Sony [154]
Australia September 9, 2006 [155]
United Kingdom September 11, 2006 RCA [156]
Canada September 12, 2006 Sony [157]
United States
[158]
Japan September 20, 2006 Sony [159]
Canada October 3, 2006 LP [160]
United States
  • Jive
  • Zomba
 [161]
United Kingdom October 16, 2006 RCA [162]
Germany November 22, 2007 Deluxe CD+DVD Sony [163]
United Kingdom November 26, 2007 RCA [164]
Canada November 27, 2007 Sony [165]
United States
  • Jive
  • Zomba
 [166]
Japan December 19, 2007 Sony [167]
March 25, 2009 Standard CD [168]
December 23, 2015 [169]

References

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  150. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter FutureSex/LoveSounds in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
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Bibliography

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=FutureSex/LoveSounds&oldid=719100953"