My Love (Justin Timberlake song)
Encyclopedia
"My Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake
from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds
(2006). It was released on September 26, 2006, by Jive Records
as the second single from the album. The song was co-written by Timberlake, Timbaland
, Nate "Danja" Hills, and T.I.
, and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja.
Timberlake revealed that the song's creating process took time to image and execute. He also stated that "My Love" was less about marriage and a more humble approach to love. The song features synthesizer chords with a slow beat and includes a beatboxing
, percussion
, and staccato
sounds. The single features a rap verse from rapper T.I. Timberlake described the track as "a rock-techno ballad". "My Love" was well-received by music critics, although some criticized Timberlake for some of the lyrics and sounds.
The track entered the top ten on most charts, topping several of Billboard
magazine's component charts, including the Billboard Hot 100
, Pop 100
, Hot Dance Airplay
, and Hot Digital Songs
charts. "My Love" also became Timberlake's second consecutive number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the single peaked in the number two position, becoming Timberlake's fourth single to reach number two. In New Zealand, the track peaked at number one for five non-consecutive weeks, to become Timberlake's second number one single.
Pitchfork Media
named "My Love" as their number one song of 2006. Many have cited that the song is similar to Timberlake's 2002 song "Cry Me a River
". The track won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
at the 2007 Grammy Awards. "My Love" also won Timberlake the Male Artist of the Year and Best Choreography in a Video at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
.
, the follow-up to Justified (2002). Within three weeks, "My Love" was one of several songs that were recorded. In September 2006, Timberlake told Rolling Stone
that the song was "a rock-techno ballad" and that the process of creating "took two hours to imagine and execute". While promoting the album in an interview with MTV News
, Timberlake revealed that the second half of the album (including "My Love") focuses on anthems of love. In another interview, he revealed that "My Love" was a "contradiction of sounds. You've got this operatic thing going on. If you take all the staccato
sounds out, the essence of the song is it's a ballad, but the way the beat is inlaid underneath the vocals, it becomes a percussive ballad."
In discussion of T.I.
's participation in the track, Timberlake said: "The second hook finished and I said, 'Oh, a rapper would sound good on this'." Timbaland, who co-wrote and produced the song, agreed to the idea and suggested T.I. Timberlake agreed to the idea, although he doubted that T.I. would say yes, and said that he was thankful that T.I. agreed to take part.
R&B
song. The song is composed in the key of E minor
and is set in time signature
of common time
with a tempo
of 121 beats per minute. The music begins with a stop-start trance-style synthesizer
, right after the quote from part of the chorus, "Ain't another woman the can take your spot my-", which actually cuts off. The song also includes Timbaland beatboxing and adding "toy sounds", as well as Timberlake's falsetto
. The track features a rap verse from rapper T.I. It also carries a slower beat, with an electro-Southern hip hop sound. The Guardian
described the song as a "languid love ballad, prickling with dark emotion", while MTV News described the beat
as "slow and saucy". Ben Williams of New York
magazine wrote that it has "stabbing techno riff, crunched-together mouth-popping noises, and wailing opera singer". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said that the single is "a twitching mass of rave synthesizers and [agonizingly] slow beats". Jacqui Swift of The Sun
wrote that the song "begins with a tinny percussion sound before launching into a frantic repetitive chorus".
In July 2006, The Observer Music Monthly
interviewed Timberlake and stated that the track "is arguably the album's 'Cry Me a River'." In response, Timberlake said, "It is similar. You go back to Aaliyah
's biggest record, 'Are You That Somebody' – it's similar to that too because it's that percussive ballad." When asked about the lyrics, "There's just one thing I need from you: say I do", being autobiographical, he said no, adding that the line before that, "this ring here represents my heart", is about marriage and love. Timberlake stated, "It's not specifically about marriage, but about a humble approach to love. None of it is autobiographical, though obviously I have experience to draw from."
Williams stated that the song is "an obvious sequel" to Timberlake's 2002 song "Cry Me a River
". The Georgia Straight
' s Martin Turenne interprets the song's background as Timberlake lowering himself on bended knee, proposing long walks on the beach and asking, "Would you date me on the regular?". Dagny Salas of North by Northwestern
considered it a more romantic song, about Timberlake professing his love to a woman. Others have opined that "My Love" is a marriage proposal.
review of the album, critic Kelefa Sanneh
wrote: "...'My Love', a sumptuous collaboration with the rapper T.I. It starts with a 90-second 'prelude', a clattering rhythm track with a bit of rapping and snippets of melody. Then the real thing hits: sleek synthesizer chords punctuated by tiny bursts of silence." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
wrote that the track "mixes Timberlake's proud beatboxing talent with colossal, futuristic synth swirls and a cartoonish, maniacal giggle that's looped ad infinitum a la the crying baby from Aaliyah's 'Are You That Somebody?'". Matthew Gasteier of Prefix magazine noted that the song "is probably the standout triumph here, with stuttering synths and a fade-in-fade-out shimmering beat that may be the best ever from Timbaland". Lauren Murphy of entertainment.ie
stated that the single is "undeniably fluid and features some of the niftiest slo-mo effects around". Jonah Weiner of Blender
magazine cited the song as the "standout" song from the album and wrote that the single "...straddles the album's up-tempo FutureSex and balladeering LoveSounds halves — one coos about puppy love over the other's stroboscopic, salivating beat, and both trade devotionals on the chorus".
"My Love" was criticized for some of the lyrics and sounds that were featured. Sanneh reported that Timberlake "exhales his clumsy pickup lines" with the lyrics "If I told you you were beautiful / Would you date me on the regular?". Murphy contemplated that the song is "ultimately ruined" by a "bizarre Crazy Frog
-meets-Laughing-Policeman underlay". Emily Vaughan of North by Northwestern commented that Timberlake claims to have gone around the world twice in "My Love" and "Damn Girl" and that he is also "running out of creative ways to say he would like you to go to bed with him". Vaughan, however, was positive towards "My Love", stating that the song, along with "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
", sounded considerably different from the rest of the album.
The song was picked by Pitchfork Media
as their number one song of 2006. Timberlake performed "My Love" and "SexyBack
" as a medley for the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
, and again for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
, which he also hosted. He also performed the song on Saturday Night Live
(SNL). Timberlake, alongside Robyn Troup
and T.I., performed the song live at the 49th Grammy Awards. At the awards ceremony, "My Love" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
. The song was covered by Irish band The Coronas
, and by British group Klaxons
on BBC Radio 1
's Live Lounge
and was included in the B-side of their song "It's Not Over Yet", which was released in June 2007.
, prior to its physical release. From number five on November 11, 2006, it propelled to number one the following week. "My Love" became Timberlake's second consecutive number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 from his Futuresex/Lovesounds album, becoming the first male artist since Usher
in 2004 to have three or more consecutive number one hits from one album. The single charted on the Hot 100 for three weeks. In addition to the Hot 100, "My Love" also reached number one on the following Billboard charts: Pop 100
, Hot Dance Airplay
and Top 40 mainstream charts, and has peaked at number three on the Rhythmic Top 40. Also, on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
, "My Love" peaked at number two to become Timberlake's most successful single on this chart. The song also charted on the Hot Dance Club Play
and Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks charts, peaking at number 15 and number 29, respectively.
In the United Kingdom, "My Love" debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart
on November 18, 2006, one week prior to its physical release, and ascended to its peak the following week at number two, to become Timberlake's fourth single to reach number two. The digital download sales helped propel the single to number two on November 20, 2006. The song spent nineteen weeks within the top 75, retiring on March 24, 2007, spending four of those within the top ten. The single entered the top five in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, and entered the top ten in France and Austria. In Australia, "My Love" debuted and peaked at number four on the Australian ARIA
singles chart on November 26, 2006, gaining the Highest Debut certification. It spent a total of twenty-four weeks on the chart. "My Love" was certified Gold
by Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA). In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 25 and eventually peaked at number one for five non-consecutive weeks, to become Timberlake's second number one single.
for "My Love" was directed by Paul Hunter
and premiered on October 23, 2006. The video includes the prelude
to the song ("Let Me Talk to You"), which includes the song's producer, Timbaland
and features T.I. The video incorporates a black-and-white background and dancing, choreographed as the steps are in synch with the beat of the song.
The video starts with "Let Me Talk to You" as the background is surrounded by faulty fluorescent lighting, turning on and off in a programmed pattern. It also begins with Timberlake and Timbaland chanting "hey" to one another. The video proceeds with Timberlake dancing to the beat of the song. Timbaland then begins singing the first verse of the song, which then is proceeded by Timberlake. This is immediately followed with "My Love" playing; the first verse of the song, "Ain't another woman that could take your spot my", plays. Timberlake comes floating toward the camera, down the faulty fluorescent tube. Once Timberlake stops floating, he begins singing the main verse of the song, which violins begin to float swirling gently around him, for "If I wrote you a symphony / Just to say how much you mean to me". The scene then changes with Timberlake and various dancers dancing accordingly in a choreographed style. When Timberlake begins the second verse, "Now if I wrote you a love note / And made you smile at every word I wrote", pens and paper begin to float. This later exceeds with Timberlake singing "This ring here represents my heart" with a ring swirling into the camera. T.I. is then seen in the shot. T.I. begins rapping
his lines in the song. After T.I. finishes his verse, Timberlake is then seen dancing with a female back-up dancer. Though, as they continue dancing, the female then leaves the shot, leaving Timberlake to dance to the end of the song. In the closing moments, the camera swirls around him, proving, conclusively, from every angle, that everyone has gone.
At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
, Timberlake won Male Artist of the Year for "Let Me Talk To You/ My Love", "SexyBack", and "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around". He, alongside choreographer Marty Kudelka, won Best Choreography in a Video for "My Love".
UK CD2
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds
FutureSex/LoveSounds
In 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take"...
(2006). It was released on September 26, 2006, by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
as the second single from the album. The song was co-written by Timberlake, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Nate "Danja" Hills, and T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, and produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja.
Timberlake revealed that the song's creating process took time to image and execute. He also stated that "My Love" was less about marriage and a more humble approach to love. The song features synthesizer chords with a slow beat and includes a beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, and staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
sounds. The single features a rap verse from rapper T.I. Timberlake described the track as "a rock-techno ballad". "My Love" was well-received by music critics, although some criticized Timberlake for some of the lyrics and sounds.
The track entered the top ten on most charts, topping several of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's component charts, including the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
, Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
, and Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
charts. "My Love" also became Timberlake's second consecutive number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the single peaked in the number two position, becoming Timberlake's fourth single to reach number two. In New Zealand, the track peaked at number one for five non-consecutive weeks, to become Timberlake's second number one single.
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
named "My Love" as their number one song of 2006. Many have cited that the song is similar to Timberlake's 2002 song "Cry Me a River
Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...
". The track won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
at the 2007 Grammy Awards. "My Love" also won Timberlake the Male Artist of the Year and Best Choreography in a Video at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
.
Background
In December 2005, Justin Timberlake began working on his second album, FutureSex/LoveSoundsFutureSex/LoveSounds
In 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take"...
, the follow-up to Justified (2002). Within three weeks, "My Love" was one of several songs that were recorded. In September 2006, Timberlake told Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
that the song was "a rock-techno ballad" and that the process of creating "took two hours to imagine and execute". While promoting the album in an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, Timberlake revealed that the second half of the album (including "My Love") focuses on anthems of love. In another interview, he revealed that "My Love" was a "contradiction of sounds. You've got this operatic thing going on. If you take all the staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
sounds out, the essence of the song is it's a ballad, but the way the beat is inlaid underneath the vocals, it becomes a percussive ballad."
In discussion of T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
's participation in the track, Timberlake said: "The second hook finished and I said, 'Oh, a rapper would sound good on this'." Timbaland, who co-wrote and produced the song, agreed to the idea and suggested T.I. Timberlake agreed to the idea, although he doubted that T.I. would say yes, and said that he was thankful that T.I. agreed to take part.
Music and lyrics
"My Love" is a hip hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song. The song is composed in the key of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
and is set in time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 121 beats per minute. The music begins with a stop-start trance-style synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, right after the quote from part of the chorus, "Ain't another woman the can take your spot my-", which actually cuts off. The song also includes Timbaland beatboxing and adding "toy sounds", as well as Timberlake's falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. The track features a rap verse from rapper T.I. It also carries a slower beat, with an electro-Southern hip hop sound. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described the song as a "languid love ballad, prickling with dark emotion", while MTV News described the beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
as "slow and saucy". Ben Williams of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine wrote that it has "stabbing techno riff, crunched-together mouth-popping noises, and wailing opera singer". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said that the single is "a twitching mass of rave synthesizers and [agonizingly] slow beats". Jacqui Swift of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
wrote that the song "begins with a tinny percussion sound before launching into a frantic repetitive chorus".
In July 2006, The Observer Music Monthly
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
interviewed Timberlake and stated that the track "is arguably the album's 'Cry Me a River'." In response, Timberlake said, "It is similar. You go back to Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
's biggest record, 'Are You That Somebody' – it's similar to that too because it's that percussive ballad." When asked about the lyrics, "There's just one thing I need from you: say I do", being autobiographical, he said no, adding that the line before that, "this ring here represents my heart", is about marriage and love. Timberlake stated, "It's not specifically about marriage, but about a humble approach to love. None of it is autobiographical, though obviously I have experience to draw from."
Williams stated that the song is "an obvious sequel" to Timberlake's 2002 song "Cry Me a River
Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...
". The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
North by Northwestern
North by Northwestern is a daily online newsmagazine at Northwestern University, started in September 2006 by students at the Medill School of Journalism. It is noted for its multimedia coverage of campus events. In 2008 the site was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists with eight...
considered it a more romantic song, about Timberlake professing his love to a woman. Others have opined that "My Love" is a marriage proposal.
Critical reception
In The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
review of the album, critic Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa T. Sanneh is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for the New York Times, covering the rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes...
wrote: "...'My Love', a sumptuous collaboration with the rapper T.I. It starts with a 90-second 'prelude', a clattering rhythm track with a bit of rapping and snippets of melody. Then the real thing hits: sleek synthesizer chords punctuated by tiny bursts of silence." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
wrote that the track "mixes Timberlake's proud beatboxing talent with colossal, futuristic synth swirls and a cartoonish, maniacal giggle that's looped ad infinitum a la the crying baby from Aaliyah's 'Are You That Somebody?'". Matthew Gasteier of Prefix magazine noted that the song "is probably the standout triumph here, with stuttering synths and a fade-in-fade-out shimmering beat that may be the best ever from Timbaland". Lauren Murphy of entertainment.ie
Entertainment.ie
entertainment.ie is a Dublin-based Irish website which provides extensive cinema, TV, live music, theatre, comedy, exhibition and festival listings for free, as well as celebrity gossip, music and movie news, movie and DVD reviews, CD reviews and up-to-date lottery results.The site was developed in...
stated that the single is "undeniably fluid and features some of the niftiest slo-mo effects around". Jonah Weiner of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine cited the song as the "standout" song from the album and wrote that the single "...straddles the album's up-tempo FutureSex and balladeering LoveSounds halves — one coos about puppy love over the other's stroboscopic, salivating beat, and both trade devotionals on the chorus".
"My Love" was criticized for some of the lyrics and sounds that were featured. Sanneh reported that Timberlake "exhales his clumsy pickup lines" with the lyrics "If I told you you were beautiful / Would you date me on the regular?". Murphy contemplated that the song is "ultimately ruined" by a "bizarre Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog
Crazy Frog, originally known as Adam King, is a computer-animated character created in 2003 by Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl in 1997 while attempting to imitate the sound of a...
-meets-Laughing-Policeman underlay". Emily Vaughan of North by Northwestern commented that Timberlake claims to have gone around the world twice in "My Love" and "Damn Girl" and that he is also "running out of creative ways to say he would like you to go to bed with him". Vaughan, however, was positive towards "My Love", stating that the song, along with "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
"What Goes Around... Comes Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was written and produced by Timberlake, Nate "Danja" Hills, and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley for Timberlake's second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds...
", sounded considerably different from the rest of the album.
The song was picked by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
as their number one song of 2006. Timberlake performed "My Love" and "SexyBack
SexyBack
"SexyBack" is a song by American recording artist Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on July 7, 2006, by Jive Records as the lead single from the album...
" as a medley for the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
2006 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 31, 2006, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Jack Black at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
, and again for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
The MTV Europe Music Awards hit Copenhagen at the Bella Center/Rådhuspladsen in 2006. The venue was made to feel like a VIP club with exclusive, intimate performances...
, which he also hosted. He also performed the song on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(SNL). Timberlake, alongside Robyn Troup
Robyn Troup
Robyn Troup is an American singer who was the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest organized by NARAS and Yahoo! Music and announced at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on February 11, 2007...
and T.I., performed the song live at the 49th Grammy Awards. At the awards ceremony, "My Love" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
. The song was covered by Irish band The Coronas
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock and indie band. They have released three studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts , Tony Was An Ex-Con and "Closer to You"...
, and by British group Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
and was included in the B-side of their song "It's Not Over Yet", which was released in June 2007.
Chart performance
"My Love" was commercially successful in the United States. The single debuted at number 89 on September 23, 2006, on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, prior to its physical release. From number five on November 11, 2006, it propelled to number one the following week. "My Love" became Timberlake's second consecutive number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 from his Futuresex/Lovesounds album, becoming the first male artist since Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
in 2004 to have three or more consecutive number one hits from one album. The single charted on the Hot 100 for three weeks. In addition to the Hot 100, "My Love" also reached number one on the following Billboard charts: Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
, Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
and Top 40 mainstream charts, and has peaked at number three on the Rhythmic Top 40. Also, on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, "My Love" peaked at number two to become Timberlake's most successful single on this chart. The song also charted on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
and Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks charts, peaking at number 15 and number 29, respectively.
In the United Kingdom, "My Love" debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on November 18, 2006, one week prior to its physical release, and ascended to its peak the following week at number two, to become Timberlake's fourth single to reach number two. The digital download sales helped propel the single to number two on November 20, 2006. The song spent nineteen weeks within the top 75, retiring on March 24, 2007, spending four of those within the top ten. The single entered the top five in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, and entered the top ten in France and Austria. In Australia, "My Love" debuted and peaked at number four on the Australian ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
singles chart on November 26, 2006, gaining the Highest Debut certification. It spent a total of twenty-four weeks on the chart. "My Love" was certified Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA). In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 25 and eventually peaked at number one for five non-consecutive weeks, to become Timberlake's second number one single.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "My Love" was directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
and premiered on October 23, 2006. The video includes the prelude
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
to the song ("Let Me Talk to You"), which includes the song's producer, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and features T.I. The video incorporates a black-and-white background and dancing, choreographed as the steps are in synch with the beat of the song.
The video starts with "Let Me Talk to You" as the background is surrounded by faulty fluorescent lighting, turning on and off in a programmed pattern. It also begins with Timberlake and Timbaland chanting "hey" to one another. The video proceeds with Timberlake dancing to the beat of the song. Timbaland then begins singing the first verse of the song, which then is proceeded by Timberlake. This is immediately followed with "My Love" playing; the first verse of the song, "Ain't another woman that could take your spot my", plays. Timberlake comes floating toward the camera, down the faulty fluorescent tube. Once Timberlake stops floating, he begins singing the main verse of the song, which violins begin to float swirling gently around him, for "If I wrote you a symphony / Just to say how much you mean to me". The scene then changes with Timberlake and various dancers dancing accordingly in a choreographed style. When Timberlake begins the second verse, "Now if I wrote you a love note / And made you smile at every word I wrote", pens and paper begin to float. This later exceeds with Timberlake singing "This ring here represents my heart" with a ring swirling into the camera. T.I. is then seen in the shot. T.I. begins rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
his lines in the song. After T.I. finishes his verse, Timberlake is then seen dancing with a female back-up dancer. Though, as they continue dancing, the female then leaves the shot, leaving Timberlake to dance to the end of the song. In the closing moments, the camera swirls around him, proving, conclusively, from every angle, that everyone has gone.
At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
, Timberlake won Male Artist of the Year for "Let Me Talk To You/ My Love", "SexyBack", and "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around". He, alongside choreographer Marty Kudelka, won Best Choreography in a Video for "My Love".
Tracklisting
UK CD1- "My Love" (Featuring T.I.) - 4:43
- "My Love" (Instrumental) - 4:38
UK CD2
- "My Love" (Featuring T.I.) - 4:43
- "My Love" (Paul Oakenfold Radio Edit) - 3:46
- "My Love" (Pokerface Club Mix) - 5:48
- "My Love" (Pual Jackson Remix) - 6:30
- "My Love" (Linus Loves Remix) - 5:07
- "My Love" (Video) - 6:11
Charts
| Chart (2006-07) | Peak position |
|---|
End of Year Charts
| Year | Chart | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | German Singles Chart | #53 |
Release history
| Country | Release Date |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Europe | |
| United Kingdom |