Music Review: Justin Timberlake "Not A Bad Thing"

Justin Timberlake

Not A Bad Thing

Album: The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2

Year: 2014

                Justin Timberlake tries to make a casual relationship into a serious one in the genuine “Not A Bad Thing.”

        A rousing guitar opens the single, setting an intimate tone.   She zips up her pants and asks if he knows where her bra is. He finds it at the foot of the bed. He puts his hand on her bare shoulder and broaches the subject, testing her with some hypothetical questions. He would like to take her out for dinner tomorrow and then he could pick her up from work on Thursday. He mentions that her car is still in the shop and it’s on his way back home anyway. She keeps looking into his eyes and nodding. He decides to press on. He adds he would like for her to stay over all day Sunday. Then, after that, they would see each other on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, to get her adjusted. (“Said all I want from you is to see you tomorrow/And every tomorrow, maybe you’ll let me borrow your heart/And is it too much to ask for every Sunday/If I were radical and every other day to start.”)

In the pre-chorus, he says some people say things only to get what they want. He understands why she has trust issues. Her last serious ex-boyfriend said he wanted to marry her. Two years into the relationship, he left her for another girl (the one he said was “just a friend.”) and told her he didn’t really love her. He says he knows her situation. He won’t give up on her like everyone else has. His feelings for her are genuine, not made up to just they can sleep together. (“I know people make promises all the time/Then they turn right around and break them/When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, while you beating/But I could be that guy to heal it over time/And I won’t stop until you believe it/Cause baby you’re worth it.”)

             In the chorus, she pulls a t-shirt over her head and walks away from him, telling him everything between them is working as it should. He tells her to stop and admit they are still some feelings there. They’ve been sleeping together regularly for a year now. It’s time to make their relationship official. (“So don't act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me/Cause you might fuck around and find your dreams come true, with me/Spend all that time and money just find out my love was free/So don't act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me, me/It’s not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me.”)

             He says she can feel cuddle beside him at night and he’ll tell her he loves her. It would be like that every night. In the morning, he will still be there, helping her out with breakfast or like today, trying to find her clothes. They can go at a pace where she feels comfortable. (“Now how about I’d be the last voice you hear at night?/And every other night for the rest of the nights that there are/Every morning I just wanna see you staring back at me/’Cause I know that’s a good place to start.”)

The pre-chorus is sung again.

           An extended chorus is sung. (“So don't act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me…So don't act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me, me/It’s not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me/It’s not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me/No such a bad thing to fall in love with me.”)

             In the bridge, he tells her he will be straight with her. He isn’t going to try to manipulate her for his own self-interests nor he is going to string her along. He will be there for her when she’s upset and the first person she can rely on in her life. (“No, I won’t feel your mind, broken promises, and waste of time/And if you fall, you’ll always land right in these arms/These arms of mine.”)

             The extended chorus is sung again to end the single.

          Timberlake’s  strong-minded vocals express what he wants without applying any pressure. He believes they could be something more and are cheating themselves by leaving it only as a sexual relationship. He’s being a mature, sensitive male looking out for his crush, which unfortunately, has become rare in pop music.

        The low-key “Not A Bad Thing” rises slowly, letting its light burn but it does not pop out as much as it should