Justin Timberlake’s comeback album The 20/20 Experience, has been one of the year’s bigger success stories when it comes to album releases, making a small fortune for the pop star even after he gave away his music for free ahead of the album’s March release.
He’s set to find further success again when he releases the sequel, The 20/20 Experience – Part 2, this September ahead of a 2014 Australian Tour, but the lead single from his fourth studio album, ‘Take Back The Night’ has landed JT in hot water with the anti-sexual violence charity group of the same name, as Radar Online reports.
Katherine Koestner, Executive Director of the Take Back The Night Foundation (TBTN), says that the singer failed to ask permission to use the group’s name for his new tune while also taking issue with what they see as the song’s sexually aggressive lyrics that contradict the foundation’s aims to ‘Shatter The Silence. Stop The Violence.’
“Everyone at Take Back the Night is really shocked, because normally, we get asked when people want to use the name,” says Koestner. “Normally entities as large as Justin Timberlake do very kind and thoughtful things to support our cause.”
Koestner adds that the organisation has “some big concerns” with the lyrics of Timberlake’s ‘Take Back The Night’. Over an Off The Wall-styled disco groove, the 32-year-old croons lines like: “You got that lil’ something I like /A little something I’ve been wanting to borrow / Tonight the night’s, come on surrender.”
“The lyrics are definitely very sexual and not at all clearly anti-sexual violence,” says the TBTN Executive Director. “‘Use me,’ for example, is not a great phrase for anyone affiliated with the organization,” she adds, in reference to the song’s refrain of “use me up until there’s nothing left.”“The lyrics are definitely very sexual and not at all clearly anti-sexual violence,” – Katherine Koestner, Take Back The Night
Upon hearing about the new single, Koestner’s organisation “tried to contact [Timberlake] through his website and got no answer,” she says. “Then we sent him a letter Friday (12th July) from our legal counsel saying ‘You used our name without our permission.’”
“His legal agent got back to us and said they’re sorry,” she said. “His agent said ‘Justin’s a good guy! He’s a family man!’ They claimed he’d never heard of us before he wrote that song. I don’t know what country he’s been in. I suppose it could have slipped off his radar screen somehow. Somebody working for him definitely messed up.”
Koestner said that while the anti-rape foundation were disappointed that the pop star “didn’t take the necessary steps to make sure that it was appropriate,” to use their name for his “big song,” they emphasised they were seeking an agreement with the singer rather than pursuing serious legal action.
“Usually people are pretty mindful because no one is actually ‘for’ sexual assault,” she explains. “This whole thing with Justin is just really unfortunate and we’re hoping it can be amicably resolved.”
In a statement from Timberlake issued to Radar Online, the singer says he had never heard of the Take Back The Night foundation and says the song title was pure coincidence. The statement reads:
I wanted to take this opportunity to let all know that neither my song nor its lyrics have any association with the organization. As I’ve learned more about The Take Back The Night Foundation, I’m moved by its efforts to stop violence against women, create safe communities and encourage respectful relationships for women — Something we all should rally around. It is my hope that this coincidence will bring more awareness to this cause.”
Justin Timberlake also made headlines recently when his NSFW music video for ‘Tunnel Vision’ was banned from YouTube, as New York Daily News reports. The clip, which features Timberlake’s singing visage projected onto several topless models as well as nude dancers, was pulled from the video sharing website for violating its nudity policies shortly after its premiere on 3rd July.
