User:ThinkBlue/Music

"Rock Your Body" is the third single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. The song features Vanessa Marquez. She was at that time signed to Star Trak Entertainment. Released in 2003, The Neptunes-produced single peaked at #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "Rock Your Body" entered the Australian chart at #1 and stayed there for 1 week. It also became his third #2 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

The beat was intended for Michael Jackson's 2001 album Invincible, but The Neptunes ended up selling the track to Timberlake instead.

Timberlake performed this song at the Kids' Choice Awards.

Background
"Rock Your Body" was written by Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo. In an interview with The Malay Mail in 2002, in discussion of Vanessa Marquez's collaboration on the song, Justin Timberlake said: She's just this voice that I heard through someone, they played me some songs that she had recorded with some people in the studio, and I loved her voice. And the song ended up calling for a girl's part towards the call out bridge and I just thought this would be so cool to have a new voice and people are gonna ask the question, 'Who is that girl on the record?' 'Who is that singing on the record?' and it's gonna giver her such a plateau. I know she'll have a deal soon, once she has a deal to really do her thing, and I just thought of it as a great opportunity to give somebody else an opportunity to do something that they love to do because I know if I was in her shoes I'd want to be in that position. I would want to have that opportunity. I remember that burning ambition to want that opportunity to shine, so what better way for her to do it than on such a big, highly anticipated thing? Obviously people will hear Timbaland because I can't let his voice go on the record. It's so cool.

"Rock Your Body" is a dance-pop R&B disco bounce song. Jody Rosen of The Nation reported that the title for the song conflates from two of Michael Jackson's songs, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1978) and "Rock with You" (1979). The song includes a "beat-driven" sound. It also features a "funky" guitar riff. Timberlake beat-box in the song.

Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic noted that the sound was similar to Jackson's songs "Rock with You" and "Billie Jean" (1983). Sean Daly of The Washington Post noted that Jackson's 1979 song "Rock with You" is updated in "Rock Your Body". Dave Renard of The Virginian-Pilot said that "...Timberlake's vocal imitations of his heroes, including Michael Jackson" was evidenced in the song. The Times ' contributor Lisa Verrico commented that the song was a "funky track that sounds like Nelly doing Jacko doing 1980s disco". Kitty Empire of The Guardian said that the "vintage vibes" of "Rock Your Body" are an "open tribute: classic come dancing/ come hither pop." Sean Piccoli of South Florida Sun-Sentinel said that the track was an 'N Sync "crony". Howard Cohen of The Miami Herald commented that "Rock Your Body" is a "fun slice of Queen-like funk." Ed Masley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote: "...'Rock Your Body' makes good on the title with one of the spunkier, funkier disco grooves this side of Daft Punk, as Timberlake vows to 'have you nekkid by the end of this song.'"

Reception
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, in review of the album, wrote: "In the latter category, he's more engaging -- the stud on the loose, making promises of romance and more in slurpy cuts like 'Senorita' and 'Rock Your Body'." Denise Boyd of the BBC wrote: "An eighties soul feel can be heard throughout Justified, most noticeably in 'Rock Your Body', where the influences of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder are very clear." Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian noted, "Elsewhere, he does justice to the songs, for what it's worth (not a lot, on the predictable likes of 'Rock Your Body')." Jim Farber of the New York Daily News reported that in "Rock Your Body" the Neptunes help Timberlake channel '70s funk without sounding slavishly retro. The Russia Journal ' s Martha Mercer wrote: "His lyrics ... are most of the 'my baby did me wrong' (on 'Cry Me a River') and 'shake that booty' (on 'Rock Your Body') variety, but generally harmless." Sean Richardson of The Boston Phoenix wrote: "There’s more where that came from on Justified, especially on the liquid bounce of 'Rock Your Body', the Neptunes’ sharpest MJ homage since No Doubt's 'Hella Good'." Malcolm X. Abram of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote: "...Justified is just as much a showcase for The Neptunes' burgeoning songwriting and beat making skills. Delving into the past on 'Rock Your Body', they lay down a funky '70s disco beat complete with a throbbing bass line." Tony Hicks of the Contra Costa Times said that the songs from Justified, "Rock Your Body", "Nothin' Else" and "Last Night", pay effective homage to the "simple disco funk of the late '70s." Christy Lemire of the Associated Press noted that the single's unabashedly '70s disco-influence "could just single-handedly bring back the 'Hustle' with its booming bass and double claps and lyrics like: 'So you grab your girls and you grab a couple more/And you all can meet me in the middle of the floor.'" Kevin O'Hare of the Sunday Republican reported that Timberlake had a Jackson theme throughout the album and concluded that the track was a "groove-filled dance cut" that would have fit perfectly on Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall." Jim Farber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that with The Neptunes, Timberlake "time-traveled back to late '70s funk" with the song. Yeow Kai Chai of The Straits Times noted that the track "is a throwback to early Stevie Wonder or a pre-'Thriller' Michael Jackson." James Sullivan of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the song was the album's obvious tribute to funk-pop superstars Jackson and his '80s counterpart, Prince.

Christian Dahlager of Iowa State Daily commented, "Timberlake cops classic Michael Jackson throughout the album, especially on 'Senorita' and 'Rock Your Body'." Laura Buckingham of The Spartan Daily wrote that Timberlake channels Michael Jackson with "Rock Your Body". Buckingham goes on to say that the song "is a fun dance song reminiscent of tracks from Jackson's 1979 megahit disc Off The Wall." Katie McDonald of Boston College wrote that the stand-out tracks in Justified include "Señoria", "(Oh No) What You Got," "Cry Me a River," and the Michael Jackson-esque "Rock Your Body". Chad Jackson of the University of Virginia commented, "Timberlake's only lyrical advancement from 'N Sync appears to be a move toward more overt eroticism. In the middle of 'Rock Your Body' he boasts that he will 'have you nekkid by the end of the song'". Noreen Okarter of The Johns Hopkins News-Letter reported that the Neptunes contributed to "provide great beats with dance numbers like 'Se-orita' [sic], a fun song that shows Timberlake's amazing skill in singing falsettos, 'Like I Love You', featuring the rap group Clipse and 'Rock Your Body.'" Heather Kevnick of The Michigan Journal wrote that the single is "reminiscent of the king of pop's legendary 'Off the Wall'. He can hit the high notes with the same clarity and perfects the same feel good sense that Jackson is known for."

In the January 2004 magazine issue of Vibe the song won the Guilty Pleasure Award from Vibe Awards. Marques Houston wrote a piece of the song in the issue. "'Rock Your Body' is addictive, omnipresent, and ridiculously pleasurable. Proving that even when a fuzzy-headed blond boy starts body-rocking and beat-boxing, we shouldn't be so quick to walk away."

Chart performance
In North America, the single was officially solicited to radio in May 2003. "Rock Your Body" appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, and debuted at number 61. It peaked at number five in week eight and spent one week at number five. The song spent 22 weeks on the chart.

Its first appearance in December 2003 in the US Singles Top 100 and the last appearance was in January 2004 in the France Singles Top 100. Its peak position was number one, on the Australia Singles Top 50, it stayed there for one week. Its highest entry was number one in the Australia Singles Top 50.

Music video
The video features Timberlake dancing. The female lead dancer in the music video is Staci Flood lip-syncing Marquez's parts of the song.

The video version of the song also features another beatbox breakdown in the middle of the song, much like the one performed in the *NSync single "Pop".

Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
While Timberlake was performing this song at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show with R&B singer Janet Jackson, at the moment he sang the lyric, "[I'll] have you naked by the end of this song," he ripped off part of Jackson's costume by accident, exposing her right breast on live television.

Timberlake distanced himself from the controversy while Jackson faced much criticism. Timberlake later commented that "America's harsher on women...[and] unfairly harsh on ethnic people."

Remixes/official versions

 * Album Version — 4:27
 * Instrumental — 4:27
 * Edit 1 — 3:28
 * Edit 2 — 3:28
 * Paul Oakenfold Radio Edit — 3:50
 * Paul Oakenfold Mix — 5:41
 * Sander Kleinenberg Just In The Club/Vocal Mix — 9:36
 * Sander Kleinenberg Just In The Radio Mix — 3:33
 * Sander Kleinenberg Dub — 11:54
 * Video Version - 4:55

Cover versions

 * Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra performs an instrumental cover of this song on their album, Hits the Hits!.
 * German electronic music artists Kiko & S. Deschezeaux recorded a cover of the song which was available for download on the Internet.
 * The song is regularly covered live by the experimental rock band Tub Ring, and was recorded as a B-side to their 2007 album, The Great Filter.