"Can't Stop the Feeling!" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriterJustin Timberlake. It was released on May 6, 2016, as the lead single ofthe soundtrack to the filmTrolls (2016), in which Timberlake voiced the character "Branch" and served as the executive music producer. It was written and produced by Timberlake,Max Martin, andKarl Schuster. Musically, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is an uptempodisco-pop andsoul-pop number withfunk influences.
The song was released as a single on May 6, 2016,[1] six months before the film debuted, and serviced tocontemporary hit radio on May 10, 2016.[2] Timberlake gave his first televised performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!" during the interval act of theEurovision Song Contest 2016 grand final. It was followed by a music video directed byMark Romanek, which was released on May 16, 2016. The music video follows Timberlake on a tour to everyday places as he dances through what a typical day may be. By December 2023 it had accumulated over 1.7 billion views. A wide number of fan-made videos followed the song's video release.
The single debuted atop the USBillboard Hot 100, opening with 379,000 downloads in its first week, marking Timberlake's fifth number-one single in the country, and making it the twenty-sixth song in the Hot 100 history to start at the summit of the chart.[3] Additionally, it became the second song to spend its first ten weeks atop theDigital Songs chart. The single marked his fifth number-one single on theRadio Songs chart and his eighth on theMainstream Top 40; it is among the top twenty longest-leading number-one singles on theAdult Contemporary chart. Internationally, it topped the charts in Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the top five in most of Europe.
In the early stages of recording his fifth studio album,[13] Timberlake also served as the executive music producer for the soundtrack to the filmTrolls.[14] The uptempodisco-pop track was written and produced by Timberlake,Max Martin andShellback.[15][16][17][18]Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "funky mix of disco and pop."[19] ForThe A.V. Club it is "asoul-pop sugar rush tweaked for maximum dance grooves."[20] "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is written in the key ofC major with atempo of 113 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of C – Am7 – Fmaj9 – Am7, and Timberlake's vocals span two octaves, from E3 to E5.[21] The track features a "jazzy", uptempo beat and afalsetto chorus.[22]
"This movie feels like one big, trippy disco experience. But we didn't have a disco song," said Timberlake of theTrolls soundtrack. "We had 'September' [byEarth, Wind & Fire], but we thought this was a great opportunity to do a modern disco song. I think that disco is a really underappreciated genre."[23] "Can't Stop the Feeling!" appears in thedenouement of the movie, conceived with the idea of covering thedisco genre inspired by the situation of the final scene.[24] Timberlake commented the song was inspired byBill Withers' "Lovely Day".[25]
What's different about this is that it's not even like writing just a song for a movie, it's writing a song for characters who are going to sing it in the movie. That's the part that made it a task that none of us had ever done. This is a modern animated musical, and we wanted to push ourselves to do something that worked in that way. I'm glad we did it, but none of it came easily.
— Timberlake's reply to a question onThe Wrap, which said: "Are there more constraints to writing a song for a film that you don't get when you're writing for yourself?"[24]
The song received positive reviews frommusic critics. Writers fromBillboard,[15]Rolling Stone,[26]Fuse[18] andUSA Today[27] highlighted its attractiveness for thesummer season. Adelle Platon fromBillboard called it "delightful" and a "feel-good jam".[15] Nate Chinen fromThe New York Times wrote "Timberlake is on firm footing here, gliding over adisco-pop beat and urging all comers to catch the spirit."[28] Jon Niles fromMusic Times wrote: "The song gives off a feeling of pure joy that only a talent as great as Timberlake could bring to the table."[29] For Lisa Respers France ofCNN Entertainment, "If Friday had a sound, it would be Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!"."[30] Ed Masley wrote inAZCentral "the lyrics sound like they were custom-made to be the soundtrack to your favorite summer memories."[31] ForThe A.V. Club,Annie Zaleski wrote "a perfect summer song is one I can blast while driving in the car with the windows down. The tune doesn't have to be meaningful—in fact, the more lightweight, the better—and it should offer a few minutes of unadulterated escapism. This year, I can already tell that "Can't Stop The Feeling!" is my hot-weather jam."[20]
The A.V. Club included it among the 40 best songs of 2016 (first half).[32]Billboard critics ranked "Can't Stop the Feeling!" at number 33 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list, adding "the rhythm is eventually gonna get you to dance."[33]Digital Spy considered it the 19th-best pop song of the year,[34] whileIdolator named it the 20th-best song of the year,[35] for "feel-good" and "infectious." Aversely, contributors forTime andSpin gave it unfavorable reviews, with the former naming itthe worst song of 2016 and the latter stating, "There are certain songs notable not only for their popularity, but for an insufferable repetition."[36][37]
Instead of Timberlake's solo version, the film version of the song was submitted to the general field and visual media category, eventually getting nominated only in the latter and winning.The Recording Academy changed some rules[which?] for the next awards. Grammy SVP Bill Freimuth explained toVariety:
An easy way to understand this would be to call it "The Justin Timberlake Rule" or "The 'Trolls' Rule". Last year, what I think prompted the proposal was we had a rule that only one version of a song could be submitted in any given year, and in that instance, it was [Timberlake's] 'Can't Stop the Feeling.' They submitted the soundtrack version because they thought it had the best chance for recognition, but that version had Anna Kendrick and James Corden and basically the whole cast singing it. That worked great for the movie, but that's not the one that was getting radio play — it was Justin Timberlake's track, and they were not allowed to submit that forRecord of the Year. So after giving more thought to that, it seemed that music for visual media is so specific that it made sense to allow [the change].[58]
Counting its first three days of airplay, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" debuted at number 24 on the USMainstream Top 40 and started at a personal-best number 19 onAdult Top 40, both for the charts dated May 21, 2016.[59] "Can't Stop the Feeling!" became the first song in the history ofMediabase Top 40 to close the entireTop 40 radio station panel in the first week, being the "most added" song in all 186 of them.[60]
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" became the26th song to debut at number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 on the chart issue dated May 28, 2016,[3] marking Justin Timberlake's fifth chart-topping single in the country. The song started at the Hot 100's summit powered most heavily by its number-one debut on theDigital Songs sales chart (where it was Timberlake's sixth leader), having sold 379,000 downloads in its first week (ending May 12), according to Nielsen Music. Timberlake scored his highest weekly sales total for a song, besting the 315,000-unit start for "Suit & Tie" in 2013. It enteredStreaming Songs at number six with 15.6 million US streams in its first full week. OnRadio Songs, it ascended from 27-9 following its first full week of airplay (83 million in audience), becoming the first song to reach the Radio Songs top 10 in just two chart weeks sinceAdele's "Hello" (November 14, 2015). With "Give It to Me" having last led the Hot 100 dated April 28, 2007, Timberlake returned to number one after nine years and one month, the longest span between leaders sinceChristina Aguilera waited 10 years, two months and one week between "Lady Marmalade" in 2001 and her featured turn onMaroon 5's "Moves like Jagger" in 2011. Among males, it saw Timberlake end the longest break between Hot 100 number ones sinceDr. Dre went 12 years, two months and three weeks between "No Diggity" (byBlackstreet featuring Dr. Dre) and "Crack a Bottle", his collaboration withEminem and50 Cent.[3] The song spent 52 weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, becoming one of a few singles to have spent at least a year on the chart,[61] and 62 weeks on theDigital Songs chart.[62]
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" reached number one onRadio Songs in just its fifth week, marking the quickest sprint to the top since Adele's "Hello" needed just four weeks in November 2015. Among male artists, the single made the fastest rise to number one on Radio Songs in nearly 25 years, sinceMichael Jackson's "Black or White" set the record with a three-week climb in 1991.Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" tied the mark in 1992.[63] The single also tied Adele's "Hello" for the fastest-ever rise to the top of theAdult Top 40. Among males, "Feeling" bestedPharrell Williams' eight-week trip to the top with "Happy", which reached number one in April 2014, for the quickest climb to the top spot by a solo male artist. "Can't Stop the Feeling!" also reached the top of theMainstream Top 40, where Timberlake passedBruno Mars for themost number ones among males.[64]
With "Can't Stop the Feeling!" spending a sixth week atopDigital Songs, it became Timberlake's longest lead atop the chart, passing "SexyBack". Additionally, it marked Timberlake's best weekly audience for a song with 163 million, passing the 159 million that "Mirrors" drew at its peak.[65] The following week, it became Timberlake's first solo number one onAdult Contemporary. Reaching the AC summit in just its eighth week, "Feeling" completed the fastest run to number one for a (non-holiday) song by a male artist in 17 years, sincePhil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" needed only six weeks in 1999. Among all songs, "Feeling" made the fastest trip to number one on AC since Adele's "Hello": four weeks, in November 2015.[66] Timberlake also earned his sixth number-one onDance Club Songs with "Can't Stop the Feeling!". He reached the top of the chart without the aid of officially commissioned remixes. However, versions from Barry Harris, Fenix and Erick Decks, among others, have helped bring the song to club crowds.[67] "Can't Stop the Feeling!" became the eighth song to top Digital Songs for at least 10 weeks and the first sinceMark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" led for a record-tying 13 weeks in 2015;Flo Rida's "Low" first set the mark with 13 weeks at number one on Digital Songs in 2007–08. "Feeling" is the second song to spend its first 10 weeks on Digital Songs at number one, joiningThe Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow", which logged its first 10 weeks on the chart at the summit in 2009.[68]
In the US it was the best-selling song of the summer, while being listed at 2 on theBillboard seasonal ranking.[69]Spotify named it the fifth most-streamed song of the summer globally.[70] As of December 2016[update], it has sold 2.495 million downloads in the country, thus being the best-selling song of the year according to Nielsen Music.[4] It was also the number three most-heard song on US radio in 2016, with 3.422 billion audience impressions for the year. It was the number two most-played song in terms of total number of plays, with 587,000.[4]
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" is among the top 20 longest-leading number-one singles on theAdult Contemporary chart. It is also one of only eight singles in theBillboard Hot 100's 58-year history to spend its first 40 weeks or more in the top 40.[71] It reached the top position of theCanadian Hot 100 in its fifth week,[72] after spending its first four weeks at number 2.[73] By September 2016, it has been certifiedquadruple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[74] and sextuple platinum byMusic Canada.[75] As of 2018[update], the song has accumulated 7.6 million units in the US, combining sales (3.3 million downloads) and equivalent streams.[76][5] In 2016, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" was ranked as the 9th most popular song of the year on theBillboard Hot 100.[77] One year after its release, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" finished as the 49th most popular song of the year on theBillboard Hot 100 in 2017.[78]
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" reached the top spot in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the top 5 in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It spent four weeks atop the Euro Digital Songs chart.[79]
The song debuted at number three on theUK Singles Chart, and remained in the number 2 position for four weeks,[80] it later reached the top spot of the UK Singles Sales Chart and spent two weeks as well at the top position.[81] TheOfficial Charts Company from the UK named it Timberlake's biggest song in the country with over 1 million units sold, surpassing 2013's "Mirrors".[7] It was ranked 10 on UK year-end chart, while being the 3rd-best-selling song of the year in the territory.[82] According toPhonographic Performance Limited, it was the most played song on UK radio, TV and in public places during 2016, while Timberlake was placed fifth.[83]
A screenshot from the clip showing the scene inspired byAnchors Aweigh
The song's official music video was released on May 16, 2016. Helmed by directorMark Romanek, the "Can't Stop the Feeling!" video follows Timberlake on a tour to everyday places inLos Angeles like a laundromat, diner, barbershop and a donut shop, with an individual dancing along to the single at every stop. All the revelers eventually end up congregating with Timberlake below a highway underpass where they dance together to the song.[93] As described byTime editor Cady Lang, Timberlake "dances through what a typical day might be: breakfast at the diner and grocery shopping."[94] Talking toEntertainment Weekly, director Mark Romanek described the concept as "just the overall feeling of unironic and sincerehumanism. It's not trying to be cool or slick or ironic. It's just fun. Most of the time, people are excellent. It's just a big sugar cookie. It makes people smile for four minutes." He stated the brief dance-off between Timberlake and aninflatable arm waving tube man was inspired byGene Kelly dancing withJerry the mouse inAnchors Aweigh.[95]Bustle writer Amy Mackelden highlighted the scene as the best moment of the video.[96]Esquire editor Jonathan Evans addressed Timberlake'smonochromatic outfit, writing "the singer nails it by playing with shades of the color [white], plus throwing some pattern and texture in the mix."[97]
On May 9, 2016, it was announced Timberlake would perform his song during the interval act of theEurovision Song Contest 2016 grand final, which took place inStockholm, Sweden, on May 14, 2016.[100] Timberlake opened the performance singing "Rock Your Body", soon switching over to "Can't Stop the Feeling!". He was joined by a group of backup singers/dancers and a horn section for the song's televised debut.[101] The performance wasn't aired in the US due to rights issues.[102] The day before the main show, Timberlake made his first appearance before an audience on night rehearsal to perform both songs.[103]
On February 26, 2017, Timberlake opened the89th Academy Awards with a performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!", which included an R&B breakdown and a cover ofBill Withers' "Lovely Day" at the end.[104] Timberlake began the performance in the front corridor of theDolby Theatre, dancing his way to the stage with his backup dancers.[105] The song was also the closing number of hisSuper Bowl LII halftime show performance.[106]
Choreographers Celia Rowlson-Hall and Crishon Landers with the help of film producer Mia Lidofsky created aflash mobdance video on October 2, 2016, in support of theHillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign set to the music of "Can't Stop the Feeling!" — with all of the dancers wearingpantsuits in reference to Hillary Clinton's outfit of choice.[115] They called the event #Pantsuitpower Flashmob for Hillary.[115] The video was covered in news media includingThe Washington Post,The Guardian, andVogue, — and garnered over 2 million views onFacebook.[115][116][117] From New York City, the Pantsuit Power movement then spread toRaleigh, North Carolina on October 23, 2016, with another flash mob.[118][119] The song was also used for an opening video for the 2017Western Conservative Summit, featuring Republican politicians from Colorado.[120]
The song is also the encore number in the Broadway musical& Juliet, which is composed of hit pop songs written by Max Martin.[122] The musical received critical acclaim on the West End in London, and in New York on Broadway. The song is also part of the main storyline of rhythm video gameJust Dance 2023 Edition.[123][124]
In June 2016, American country music groupLady A covered the song in a live performance in Columbus, Ohio.[126] Jon Freeman ofRolling Stone commented it "evoked the loose spirit of a jam band unwinding at a summer festival."[127] Country performerHunter Hayes covered the song when he headlined The Paramount in Huntington, New York in June 2017. An editor from Digital Journal opined it was "in a clever fashion, which was great deal of fun, both for him and the audience."[128]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 30. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 20. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: insert 201627 into search. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201621 into search. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
