Setting the Record Straight
In a recent interview, Justin Timberlake has clarified a long-standing rumor regarding his 2006 hit “What Goes Around… Comes Around.” Contrary to popular belief, the song is not about his high-profile ex-girlfriend Britney Spears.
Nearly two decades after the release of the FutureSex/LoveSounds single, Timberlake addressed the speculation surrounding the song’s inspiration in a video chat with Complex. At the time “What Goes Around…” debuted, many listeners viewed it as a sequel to “Cry Me a River,” a song released in 2002 that was clearly about Spears, featuring a lookalike in its music video.
“Maybe I should dispel a rumor at this point, which has gone around forever, which is like, it’s not a personal story from mine,” Timberlake explained. “It’s actually a personal story from a friend’s. I asked permission.”
Although Timberlake did not disclose the identity of the friend, he described how the friend’s own breakup influenced the song. “He was just going through it and he was telling me what had happened and I said, ‘Do you mind if I write about this?’ And I quote, my friend said, ‘Yeah, torch that bitch. What goes around comes around.’ And I was like, ‘I have to go. Thank you,’” he shared.
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Timberlake further revealed that the writing process for “What Goes Around…” was remarkably swift, stating, “This song was written in, I mean, damn near 20 minutes. Like, it was just flowing. The interlude that goes with it, like it’s just, and then you put the video with it, there’s a 10-minute video we shot for it, like this just hit on all cylinders for me.”
Looking ahead, Timberlake is set to reflect on his musical journey in a new docuseries, which will also feature a revisitation of his infamous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” incident alongside Janet Jackson.
