Selfish (Justin Timberlake song)

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For the song of the same name by Justin Timberlake's group NSYNC, see Celebrity (album).
"Selfish"
Promotional graphic
Single by Justin Timberlake
from the album Everything I Thought It Was
ReleasedJanuary 25, 2024 (2024-01-25)
Genre
Length3:49
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Justin Timberlake singles chronology
"3D"
(2023) 		"Selfish"
(2024) 		"No Angels"
(2024)
Music video
"Selfish" on YouTube

"Selfish" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. Released on January 25, 2024, it is his first solo single release in almost six years, following his standalone July 2018 single "SoulMate". It is the lead single from his sixth studio album Everything I Thought It Was.[3] It was followed shortly after by a promotional single, "Drown", in late February.

Background and release[edit]

Between 2020 and 2023, Timberlake did not release any solo singles, only appearing on collaborations such as "Stay with Me", "Sin Fin" with Romeo Santos, and on Timbaland's "Keep Going Up" alongside Nelly Furtado.[4] In September 2023, he reunited with NSYNC on the promotional single "Better Place" for the soundtrack album to the 2023 DreamWorks Animation film Trolls Band Together; he also co-produced the soundtrack itself.[5]

On January 25, 2024, Timberlake appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He announced the release of "Selfish" and revealed that the parent album Everything I Thought It Was had taken four years to produce.[6]

Composition[edit]

The song was written by Timberlake, Amy Allen, Henry Walter, Theron Thomas, and Louis Bell. The song was produced by Timberlake, Cirkut, and Bell.

In an Apple Music 1 interview, the singer explained that the songwriting process of the single started with his music director Adam Blackstone singing "Jealous Guy" by Donny Hathaway.[7][8] During the process, Timberlake reflected that men usually do not sing about "an emotion that makes them vulnerable".[9]

Critical reception[edit]

Billboard compared the track to Timberlake's previous lead singles saying it "is actually much more unassuming" describing it as "a honeyed, ornately produced mid-tempo ballad built on warmly groaning organs and a bossa nova drum machine," and while lyrically "not exactly a brand-new sentiment" for Timberlake, it is "one sweet enough that it's hard to really get up much hate for."[10] It was voted as favorite new music release in their weekly poll.[11] Consequence gave the song a widely negative review, calling it "a turd" and stating that "'Selfish' isn't even bad enough to be interesting, and it's certainly not ambitious; it's like he was aiming squarely for mediocre and still came up short."[12] The New York Times found it thematically similar to Nick Jonas' 2014 single "Jealous".[13] The Daily Beast also compared "Selfish" to Jonas' song, and said it "seems to be mature, radio-friendly, well-produced, and, yes, ambitionless pop."[14]

Promotion[edit]

Music video[edit]

An official music video, directed by Bradley Calder, was released on January 25, 2024.[15][16]

The music video on YouTube has received over 25 million views as of April 2024.[17]

Live performances[edit]

On January 19, 2024, Timberlake performed a free one-night-only concert at the Orpheum in Memphis where he live-debuted the new single after teasing a new project on social media in previous days.[18] On January 27, 2024, Timberlake performed the single on Saturday Night Live. The performance was introduced by Jimmy Fallon.[19] Timberlake performed the song on the February 23, 2024 episode of the UK's The Graham Norton Show.[20][21] In April 2024, Timberlake opened the iHeartRadio Music Awards, performing the single, as well as "No Angels", the second single off of Everything I Thought It Was.[22]

Chart performance[edit]

In the United States, "Selfish" debuted and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Timberlake's highest debut in six years on the chart. It became his 39th career solo entry on the Hot 100 and his 29th to reach the top 40.[23] In Canada, the track debuted and peaked at number 22 on the Canadian Hot 100.[24]

In the United Kingdom, "Selfish" debuted at number 47 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 51 on the Singles Sales Chart on January 26, 2024.[25] On January 29, 2024, the song appeared at number 35 on the country's Singles Midweek Chart and ended up debuting at number 37 on the main chart on February 2, 2024;[26][27] it appeared on that chart for nine weeks.[28] "Selfish" climbed to its eventual peak at number 29 in the following week.[29] Six weeks after its release, the song peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[30]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Selfish"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[80] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "Selfish"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various January 25, 2024
RCA [81]
Italy January 26, 2024 Radio airplay Sony Italy [82]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sacher, Andrew (January 25, 2024). "Justin Timberlake details new album Everything I Thought It Was, shares "Selfish"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Atkinson, Katie (January 20, 2024). "Justin Timberlake Unveils New Song "Selfish" at Memphis Concert & Drops Everything I Thought It Was Album Trailer". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Strauss, Matthew (January 25, 2024). "Justin Timberlake Announces First Album Since 2018, Shares Video for New Song "Selfish": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Spanos, Brittany (July 5, 2022). "What the Hell Happened to Justin Timberlake?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  5. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (September 21, 2023). "NSYNC Reunion Gives Justin Timberlake A Chance For A Comeback". Forbes. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Zemler, Emily (January 26, 2024). "Justin Timberlake Announces World Tour, Performs With Classroom Instruments on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Mali, Shreya (January 26, 2024). "The Real Meaning Behind Justin Timberlake's Selfish". The List. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
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  9. ^ Evans, Greg (January 25, 2024). "Justin Timberlake Shows "Selfish" Side In New Single And Video, And Explains Why He's Not Hosting This Week's 'SNL'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
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  13. ^ Pareles, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (January 26, 2024). "Justin Timberlake's Envious Comeback, and 12 More New Songs". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Roth, Madeline (January 25, 2024). "Justin Timberlake's 'Selfish' Comeback is Missing Something". The Daily Beast.
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