Image via Complex Original
Last evening, Justin Timberlake gifted fans with an opportunity to stream his latest album, The 20/20 Experience, on iTunes—for free and four days early.
Twitter nearly exploded, and Timberlake's upcoming effort proved to be what many of his listeners could have only hoped for: a matured artist whose growth over the years came to a head in his work. "Suit & Tie" was a mere glimpse into what's over an hour of 10 tracks with heavy, consistent Timbaland production that works cohesively with live instrumentation and R&B style that JT's put forth on this release.
This album is everything for those who've been on edge since 2006, when he last dropped new music, in the form of FutureSex/LoveSounds. His latest album is predicted to sell over 500,000 copies in its first week, which would land JT at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 Chart.
But before any of that happens, and before some of you even listen, here are 20 Things You Need to Know About Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience.
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He didn't tell anyone he was recording the album.
Fans weren't the only ones surprised when Timberlake announced his album earlier this year. He says that when he and Timbaland got back in the studio to work on music, he still didn't tell anyone that he planned to record a new album. Sneak attack.
It's called The 20/20 Experience because his best friend called it "music that you can see."
When Justin played the album in full for a select few, his unnamed best friend referred to new material as "music that you can see," and therefore, a 20/20 experience.
It sounds nothing like his previous albums.
There's none of the electro pop of FutureSex/LoveSounds. There's none of the sweaty dance grooves of Justified. Timberlake has evolved as an artist and person. The 20/20 Experience is all mature, grown man, sweeping, lounge R&B—like "Suit & Tie."
2373 days have passed since his last album.
2373 days.
6 years, 6 months.
56,952 hours.
3,417,120 minutes.
205,027,200 seconds.
You get the point. There's a reason why this one sounds so different. Time passes. Things change.
He recorded more than 20 songs in 20 days.
In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, JT talked about the decision-making process when planning his album alongside Timbaland. Seacrest asked about a rumor that Justin finished 20 songs in 20 days. JT replied, "We probably did even more than that, but there's a lot of music."
Almost every song has a two-part breakdown.
The formula that we first saw Timberlake and Timbaland experimenting with on FutureSex/LoveSounds has reached its full potential here. Nearly every record on the album morphs into something completely different before it ends.
7 of the 10 songs are over 7 minutes long.
There were two songs over seven minutes on FutureSex/LoveSounds. There were none over seven minutes on Justified. JT is hoping your attention spans have grown in the past decade.
He wasn't afraid to do long songs because legends like Pink Floyd and Queen have had success with the same formula.
Timberlake told UK radio station Capital FM: "When we were making the record I said, 'If Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin can do 10-minute songs and Queen can do 10-minute songs then why can't we?' We'll figure out the radio edits later."
The album is still only 4 minutes longer than FutureSex/LoveSounds (66:16) and 7 minutes longer than Justified (63:15).
The theatrical nature of nearly every track on The 20/20 Experience combined with the variety of breakdowns, tempo changes, and live instrumentation—added to the average track length of over 7 minutes—leaves listeners feeling like the album is longer than usual. But it's actually on par with Timberlake's other releases.
The first song mentions 7 drugs.
On "Pusher Love Girl," he compares a woman's love to a range of intoxicants: heroin, cocaine, plum wine, MDMA, nicotine, weed (blue dream, hydroponic, chronic), and a "little pill." It makes you feel like him and Jessica Biel know how to party.
He's not heartbroken anymore.
That "Cry Me A River," "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" stuff is no more. All of these songs are about how happy dude is in his current relationship.
Production is almost exclusively by Timbaland.
JT's worked with Timbaland on his first two albums, and it seems like nothing's changed their chemistry since. Everything from Timbaland's ad-libs to hypnotizing beats are explicitly present on the album. "My relationship with Tim is a relationship that I have with nobody else in the world," he said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and Timberlake himself are the only others who wind up behind the boards on the project.
Jay-Z is the only feature on the album.
Jay-Z's verse on "Suit & Tie" is the only feature on the entire album. His "Tell your mother that I love her 'cause I love you/Tell your father we go farther as a couple/They ain't lose a daughter, got a son" lines makes even more sense after listening to the album as whole, with the theme of being deeply in love running rampant through every track. Aside from Hov, the most you'll get is Timbaland chanting on "Don't Hold The Wall"—but that's producer duty.
It seems tailor made for his "Legends of the Summer" tour.
Watching JT perform "Suit & Tie" at the Grammys was refreshing. He sounded great, he looked great, he was backed by a live orchestra, and he still had those moves. Once you hear the entire album, it's especially apparent that the music is tailored for live performances. Tickets to his tour with Jay-Z just got hotter.
"Spaceship Coupe" has a great guitar solo by Elliott Ives.
Elliott Ives, a member of FreeSol, a group signed to Timberlake's Tennman Records, kills it during his solo time on "Spaceship Coupe."
"Let the Groove Get In" sounds like "Wanna Be Startin' Something."
"Let the Groove Get In," which is described on iTunes as employing a Latin beat, is reminiscent of Michael Jackson circa his Off the Wall years with the strong drum rhythms and energy.
"Strawberry Bubblegum" is probably about oral sex.
For starters, there's: "Don't ever change your flavor 'cause I love the taste." Then, there's: "If you be my strawberry bubblegum, then I'll be your blueberry lollipop, and then I'll love you 'til I make you pop." Not subtle at all, b.
He sings in a falsetto on almost every song.
Timberlake's voice has always registered a few octaves above the normal frequency, but he's been sparse about incorporating that in the past. On The 20/20 Experience that vocal style is used constantly.
"Mirrors" is the No. 1 song in the UK right now.
The first single, "Suit & Tie," has peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America. However, his follow-up single "Mirrors" is on top of charts across the pond right now. International player's anthem.
The album is high on concepts.
You won't find many aimless lyrics from JT here. Every song seems intent on driving a very specific point home, and the metaphors in each hold true to the song titles. "Spaceship Coupe" mentions aliens, "Blue Ocean Floor" sounds like it was recorded on the ocean floor, and so on. It's a well thought out project.
