Justin Timberlake reveals David Bowie inspired his hit single ‘SexyBack’
'What's the most audacious thing you could possibly say?' the singer recalled thinking while writing the No. 1 track
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Justin Timberlake has divulged that his 2006 single “SexyBack” was inspired by David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel”.
Speaking on the Apple Music podcast, Timberlake told host Zane Lowe, “I was listening to ‘Rebel Rebel’, which essentially is about a cross dresser. And so I was picturing guys, girls, all iterations of that in a club, singing this to each other.”
He continued, “I said, ‘This has to be so simple and a vibe and just like an attitude.’”
Timberlake, 39, recalled how he arrived at the song’s titular lyrics, “I was like, ‘What’s the most audacious thing you could possibly say?’ And that was the first line of the song.”
The artist then told the story of how the hit R&B single featuring Timbaland came to be.
“I’ll never forget this moment,” he said. “So [Timbaland’s] like, ‘All right man, I think we got to bring dance music back.’ So he’s [beatboxing]... He’s like, ‘Whatchu you gonna say?’ I just go like this, [singing] ‘I’m bringing sexy back!’”
The former NSYNC member said that when the pair finished recording, “we knew it was different”.
“We would invite people to the studio. And every time that record came on, the reaction you got from any female ... I was like, ‘This is it.’”
“SexyBack” was released in 2006 as part of Timberlake’s second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds.
The track became his first No 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at the top spot for seven weeks. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 2007 ceremony.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments