Justin Timberlake has said What Goes Around Comes Around is not about Britney Spears, and he told Complex it came from a friend’s break up instead. The track arrived on his FutureSex/LoveSounds album in 2006, and it remains one of the biggest hits of his solo career. Timberlake told Complex the song was inspired by someone close to him going through a difficult break up, and he said it was a record for the friend to say “whatever you need to say, I’m here to say it for you.” He added, “I’ve always felt like What Goes Around was a song that a lot of people could relate to in different ways. It’s not necessarily about [Britney].”
Timberlake wrote the song with Timbaland and Nate “Danja” Hills, and the sessions for FutureSex/LoveSounds took place at Timbaland’s studio in Virginia Beach. Timberlake told the magazine the three writers shared the writing duties, with Timbaland and Hills building the music around Timberlake’s ideas. The session did not last long. Timberlake said, “I don’t think it took 20 minutes to write. I think we had it done in 20 minutes.” The song reached number one in the US and number four in the UK.
Justin Timberlake on the song’s meaning
Timberlake was asked about the line “You cheated girl, my heart bleeds girl” and whether it was a dig at his former partner. He said the line was aimed at a former friend of his who had cheated on his partner, and he said the song was not written about Spears, with whom he had a high profile relationship. The song’s music video was directed by Samuel Bayer and starred Scarlett Johansson as a love interest of Timberlake’s character, who betrays him with another man. The video won the Best Video of the Year award at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
Timberlake said in the interview that the song was not written about Spears, and the lyrics do not contain any direct reference to her. The track has been a fixture of his live shows ever since, and it remains one of his most popular songs. The interview was part of a series in which Complex asked stars to revisit their biggest hits and explain the stories behind them.