For years, fans have treated Justin Timberlake’s What Goes Around… Comes Around as another chapter in his breakup story with Britney Spears.
But the singer has finally offered a very different explanation – and it turns out his friend deserves some of the credit.
During an appearance on Complex’s YouTube series Re-Rank, Timberlake addressed the long-running speculation that his 2006 hit was inspired by his former relationship with Spears.
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“Maybe I should dispel a rumour at this point, which has gone around forever, which is like, it’s not a personal story from mine,” the singer and actor shared.
“It’s actually a personal story from a friend’s. I asked permission.”
Timberlake explained that a friend was going through a breakup when he heard the story that eventually sparked the song.
“He was just going through it and he was telling me what had happened and I said, ‘Do you mind if I write about this?’ And I quote, my friend said, ‘Yeah, torch that b****. What goes around comes around.’ And I was like, ‘I have to go. Thank you,’” he shared.
Apparently, the inspiration arrived quickly.
“This song was written in, I mean, damn near 20 minutes,” Timberlake added. He also praised the track’s accompanying 10-minute music video, saying it “just hit on all cylinders for me.”
The speculation was hardly surprising. Timberlake and Spears dated from 1999 to 2002, and fans have long connected the song to their split, viewing it as a possible follow-up to Cry Me a River.
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There’s another unexpected connection between the former couple: Spears recently released She’ll Never Be Me, an unreleased track from her Britney album sessions that was co-written with Timberlake.
