Can't Stop the Feeling

Submission 5,420

About

"Can't Stop the Feeling" is a song by pop singer Justin Timberlake which proved both extremely popular and critically reviled among fans and critics. It has also been widely parodied online.

Origin

"Can't Stop the Feeling" was recorded by Timberlake for the 2016 film Trolles and was released on May 6th, 2016.^[1] Ten days later, the music video was released on YouTube, gaining over 829 million views (shown below).

Spread

The song performed very well on international charts, reaching number 1 in several countries and performed well on year-end charts in several countries. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. It also won and was nominated for several awards that year. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and Critics' Choice Award for Best Song. However, despite its acclaim, it was not beloved by everyone. Time Magazine^[2] listed it as the worst song of 2016. Inverse^[3] called the song an example of "Why we suck." Jezebel also called it one of the worst songs of 2016.^[4]

Online, the song has been widely parodied. On July 15th, 2016, YouTuber Phantabolous posted a Minecraft parody that gained over 9 million views (shown below, left). On June 22nd, 2016, YouTuber Andres Diaz posted a parody which gained over 22 million views (shown below, right).

On May 6th, 2018, YouTuber Jono Howan posted a Music Videos Without Music parody of the song that gained over 128,000 views in two days. The song was covered by Mashable.^[5]

Also of note, when Justin Timberlake played the Super Bowl LII halftime show, he closed with the track and led to a moment where he sang near a teenage fan who stood awkwardly next to him, leading to a meme after the game.