Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake (Part 1/2) — real world music theory
Today I will analyze the song „Can’t Stop The Feeling“ by Justin Timberlake in terms of music theory and its harmonic content. The idea is to bring the dry topic of music theory to the real world and help you understand why songs like „Can’t Stop the Feeling“ work and sound like they do. Since the pre-chorus section of this song is particularly interesting, I split this article into two posts (part 1 and part 2). So let’s get started with part 1…
Overall
This song is in the key of C major and borrows elements from funk & soul music, which is typical for Justin Timberlake. „Can’t Stop The Feeling“ is designed as a great mixture between a summer hit song and a club hit: The music video, the „sunshine“ in the lyrics and the sound make it a fantastic song for daytime; simultanously the right lines („under the lights when everything goes“), the filter fades and the 4-to-the-floor bass drum make it work in the club during nighttime.
The song is about dancing, being happy and not caring what others think. The video depicts everyday people dancing in their work or leisure clothes. This mood is typical for many hits and it tries to associate the positive feeling of „you can dance, too, don’t care what others think“ with the song. It’s a simple yet effective…
