Can't Stop the Feeling!

Background and composition

In the early stages of recording his fifth studio album, Timberlake also served as the executive music producer for the soundtrack to the film Trolls. The uptempo disco-pop track was written and produced by Timberlake, Max Martin and Shellback. Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "funky mix of disco and pop," and The A.V. Club called it "a soul-pop sugar rush tweaked for maximum dance grooves". "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is written in the key of C major with a tempo 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. The track features a "jazzy", uptempo beat and a falsetto chorus.

"This movie feels like one big, trippy disco experience. But we didn't have a disco song," said Timberlake of the Trolls soundtrack. "We had 'September' [by Earth, 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". "Can't Stop the Feeling!" appears in the denouement of the movie, and is inspired by the final scene. Timberlake commented the song was inspired by Bill Withers' "Lovely Day".

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Writers from Billboard, Rolling Stone, Fuse and USA Today highlighted its attractiveness for the summer season. Adelle Platon from Billboard called it "delightful" and a "feel-good jam". Nate Chinen from The New York Times wrote, "Timberlake is on firm footing here, gliding over a disco-pop beat and urging all comers to catch the spirit". Jon Niles from Music Times wrote, "The song gives off a feeling of pure joy that only a talent as great as Timberlake could bring to the table". For Lisa Respers France of CNN Entertainment, "If Friday had a sound, it would be Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!"". Ed Masley wrote in AZCentral, "the lyrics sound like they were custom-made to be the soundtrack to your favorite summer memories". For The 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".

The A.V. Club included it among the 40 best songs of the first half of 2016. 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". Digital Spy considered it the 19th-best pop song of the year, while Idolator named it the 20th-best song of the year for being "feel-good" and "infectious". Conversely, contributors for Time and Spin gave it unfavorable reviews, with the former naming it the worst song of 2016 and the latter stating, "There are certain songs notable not only for their popularity, but for an insufferable repetition".

Accolades

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and received two honors at the 2016 Hollywood Film Awards. The track was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, Satellite Awards, and by the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for Best Song/Recording Created for a Film.

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" won the award for Song of the Year at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards and Favorite Song at the 43rd People's Choice Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Song from a Movie. At the 2016 Teen Choice Awards, it received nominations for Choice Summer Song, Choice Party Song, and Choice Song from a Movie or TV Show. It received nominations for Song of the Summer at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, for International Song of the Year at the 2016 NRJ Music Awards, and for Favorite Song at the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards. The 2016 BBC Music Awards shortlisted it for Song of the Year nominee. Among other international awards, it was nominated at the Australian APRA Music Awards in the category International Work of the Year, at the Hungarian Music Awards in Modern Pop-Rock Album/Record of the Year, and at the Mexican Telehit Awards in Song of the Year. "Can't Stop The Feeling!" was also nominated for the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards in the categories Song of the Year and Song to Dance to, and at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Musical Moment.

At the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, it won the awards for Top Selling Song and Top Radio Song, and was also nominated for Top Hot 100 Song. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized it as one of the most performed songs of 2016 and 2017. It was also nominated for the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film.

Commercial performance

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 issued for May 28, 2016, becoming Timberlake's fifth number-one single and his first in nine years; it received a 4× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The song peaked at number two on the UK singles chart and received a 5× platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry. It reached number one on the Canadian Hot 100 issued for May 28, 2016, and became Timberlake's third number-one single. "Can't Stop the Feeling!" was certified diamond in Canada by Music Canada. In Australia, the song charted at number three and received an 11× platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association. It peaked at number two in New Zealand and was certified 8× platinum.

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" charted at number one on the single charts of Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela. It peaked at number two in Austria, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, and Poland. "Can't Stop the Feeling!" was certified 3× diamond in Brazil, diamond in France, Germany, and Poland, 8× platinum in Sweden, 5× platinum in Denmark and Italy, 4× platinum in Belgium and Mexico, 3× platinum in Spain, 2× platinum in Switzerland, and platinum in Austria and Portugal.

Music video

The first video, titled "First Listen", featured cast members from DreamWorks Animation's Trolls, among them Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kunal Nayyar.

The song's official music video was released on May 16, 2016. Helmed by director Mark Romanek, it follows Timberlake on a tour to everyday places in Los 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. As described by Time editor Cady Lang, Timberlake "dances through what a typical day might be: breakfast at the diner and grocery shopping". Talking to Entertainment Weekly, director Mark Romanek described the concept as "just the overall feeling of unironic and sincere humanism. 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 an inflatable arm-waving tube man was inspired by Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the mouse in Anchors Aweigh. Bustle writer Amy Mackelden highlighted the scene as the best moment of the video. Esquire editor Jonathan Evans addressed Timberlake's monochromatic outfit, writing "the singer nails it by playing with shades of the color [white], plus throwing some pattern and texture in the mix".

The video received nominations for Best Male Video International at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, Best Music Video at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and Favorite Music Video at the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.

Live performances

On May 9, 2016, it was announced that Timberlake would perform his song during the interval act of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 grand final, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 14, 2016. 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. The performance was not aired in the US due to copyright issues. The day before the main show, Timberlake made his first appearance before an audience on night rehearsal to perform both songs.

On February 26, 2017, Timberlake opened the 89th Academy Awards with a performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!", which included an R&B breakdown and a cover of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day". Timberlake began the performance in the front corridor of the Dolby Theatre, dancing his way to the stage with his backup dancers. The song was also the closing number of his Super Bowl LII halftime show performance.

The song was featured in the set lists of The Man of the Woods Tour (2018–2019) and The Forget Tomorrow World Tour (2024–2025).

Usage in other media

In June 2016, Billboard named "Can't Stop the Feeling!" the wedding DJs' fourth most popular party song in the US. Numerous fan-made videos followed the video's release, including from the Memphis Grizzlies, the United States Olympic Committee, citizens of Memphis and Gilbert, and graduates of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, among others. On May 26, 2016, Victoria's Secret Angels released a video in which they lip-synced to the song.

Choreographers Celia Rowlson-Hall and Crishon Landers, with the help of film producer Mia Lidofsky, created a flash mob dance video on October 2, 2016, in support of the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign set to the music of "Can't Stop the Feeling!" — with all of the dancers wearing pantsuits in reference to Hillary Clinton's outfit of choice. They called the event #Pantsuitpower Flashmob for Hillary. The video was covered in news media including The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Vogue, and garnered over 2 million views on Facebook. From New York City, the Pantsuit Power movement then spread to Raleigh, North Carolina on October 23, 2016, with another flash mob. The song was also used for an opening video for the 2017 Western Conservative Summit, featuring Republican politicians from Colorado.

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" is the encore number in the Broadway musical & Juliet, which is composed of hit pop songs written by Max Martin. The song is also part of the main storyline of rhythm video game Just Dance 2023 Edition.

Other versions and covers

The film version featured in the soundtrack album includes additional vocals from Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel and Gwen Stefani.

In June 2016, American country music group Lady A covered the song in a live performance in Columbus, Ohio. Jon Freeman of Rolling Stone commented it "evoked the loose spirit of a jam band unwinding at a summer festival". Country performer Hunter 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 a great deal of fun, both for him and the audience".

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of the CD single of "Can't Stop the Feeling!".

Locations

Engineered at MXM Studios and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, and MXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden

Recorded (horns) at Studio Willow-Valley in Gothenburg, Sweden

Mixed at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City

Personnel