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[[Category:Songs written by Timbaland]]
[[Category:Songs written by Timbaland]]
[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Israel]]
[[Category:Songs produced by Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon]]
[[Category:Songs produced by Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon]]
[[Category:Songs written by Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon]]
[[Category:Songs written by Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon]]

Revision as of 18:29, 25 March 2013

"Mirrors"
Song
B-side"Suit & Tie"

"Mirrors" is a song recorded by American singer Justin Timberlake for his third studio album The 20/20 Experience (2013). On February 10, 2013 Timberlake teased on his Twitter account stating that there would be a special surprise following his performance at the 2013 Grammy Awards.[1] "Mirrors" was released to download the following day. "Mirrors" was available to buy as either as a stand-alone track or as an "instant-gratification download" when a customer pre-ordered The 20/20 Experience.[2] "Mirrors" has so far peaked at number twenty four on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one in the United Kingdom, following his comeback performance at the 2013 BRIT Awards.[3] The single also peaked at number one in Israel, number two in Germany and number four in Denmark.

Release

On February 10, 2013 Timberlake teased on his Twitter account stating that there would be a special surprise following his performance at the 2013 Grammys.[4] "Mirrors" was released to download the following day. "Mirrors" was available to buy as either as a stand-alone track or as an "instant-gratification download" when a customer pre-ordered The 20/20 Experience.[5] The single will be physically released on March 1, 2013 in Germany, as a second single from the album.[6]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

According to some sources, the song's inspiration is Timberlake's now-wife Jessica Biel.[7]

"Mirrors" is a string-laden mid-tempo pop ballad, with a duration of eight minutes and four seconds (8:04)[8][9] It begins with "triumphant-sounding synths". The song has a "buoyant" chorus, which sees Timberlake "harmonizing with himself via multi-tracked vocals".[9] Robbie Daw of Idolator cited the song as being "something straight out of 2006".[9] A writer for The Huffington Post cited "Mirrors" as being an archetypical Timbaland production, comparing it to Timberlake's 2006 single "My Love".[10] The song as being cited as being a combination of Timbaland's "classic contemporary rhythmic stylings" with Timberlake's soulful vocals.[11] Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood described "Mirrors" as a cross between Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River" and "November Rain" by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses.[12]

In "Mirrors", Timberlake sings to a lover about "coming to the realization" that she is his "other half".[13] The singer references "taking a break from the relationship", with MTV News noting that "just like he did with his now-wife, Jessica Biel": "It was easy coming back to you/ Once I figured it out, you were right here all along," he sings on the chorus. "It's like I'm your mirror, my mirror staring back at me/ I couldn't get any bigger/ With anyone else beside of me."[13] Charley Rogulewski of Vibe wrote that the strength of the song is in Timberlake's Neo Blue-eyed soul delivery of the "catchy" lyrics, "I don't want to lose you now. I'm looking right at the other half of me."[14]

Music video

The music video was directed by Floria Sigismondi[15] and saw its world premiere as the highlight of an hour-long special on The CW in celebration of The 20/20 Experience's release.[16] Timberlake dedicated the music video to his grandparents William and Sadie.[16] It features montages of three separate time periods of a couple's life, from their initial introduction and whimsically falling in love on a funhouse date, to the difficult start of their marriage with a pregnancy, to when they have grown old together and are packing up their belongings. Towards the end of the video the elderly woman drops the ring, which then transitions into Timberlake catching it, and singing while dancing through and around the earlier-referenced funhouse mirrors, along with backup dancers.

Critical response

Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy commented in a positive review, "Unlike "Suit & Tie"'s sultry and retro vibes, the selfie-taker's new jam reminds us a bit more of Justin's FutureSex/LoveSounds days with layered synths and ridiculously club-ready pop production courtesy of JT's main man Timbaland."[17] Scott Shetler of Popcrush gave the single four stars out of five, writing: "The song relies on Timbaland’s familiar handclap-style beats and layers of synths and vocals, which instantly embed their way into your brain ... over a bed of gentle piano twinkling and a distorted Timbaland vocal loop, JT delivers some falsetto crooning and a heavy dose of “oohs” and “aahs.”"[18] Another favorable review came from Digital Spy's Robert Copsey, who wrote: "Despite musical shifts in the intervening 11 years and the absence of a cheating girlfriend, [the single] still manages to sound remarkably fresh. "It's like you're my mirror/ My mirror staring back at me," he tells his lover over head-nodding Timbaland beatboxing and grandiose strings, before spilling his guts about how he should never have left them in the first place."[19] However, Marc Hogan of Spin Magazine provided a mixed review, stating "And how does the former 'N Sync singer choose to crown his return to pop prominence but with a pickup line even MxPx wouldn't touch? Backed with music that's a cross between luxe Bruno Mars '80s-grenade balladry and those human beatbox hiccups that, in all honesty, were starting to be played out even when Timberlake tapped Timbaland to use them, brilliantly, on FutureSex/LoveSounds?"[20] Vibe's Rogulewski wrote that the singer renders the song more like a pop performer than a R&B, and puts a "wider space between him and the likes of Robin Thicke. This man is making a serious comeback".[14]

Formats and track listings

CD single[6]
No.TitleLength
1."Mirrors"8:04
2."Suit & Tie" (featuring Jay Z)4:29

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[21] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 38
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[23] 50
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 14
Denmark (Tracklisten)[25] 4
France (SNEP)[26] 15
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 2
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[27] 31
Israel (Media Forest)[28] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[29] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[31] 10
Scotland (OCC)[32] 3
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[33] 38
South Korea Gaon International Chart[34] 3
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[35] 39
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[37] 1
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[38] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[39] 24

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, version, format and record label
Country Date Version Format Label
Canada[40] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download Sony Music Entertainment
France[41] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download Sony Music Entertainment
Germany[42] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download Sony Music Entertainment
United Kingdom[43] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download RCA Records
United States[44] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download RCA Records
Spain[45] February 11, 2013 Album version Digital download RCA Records
Germany[6] March 1, 2013 Album version CD single Sony Music Entertainment
Spain[46] March 13, 2013 Radio edit Digital download RCA Records

References

  1. ^ 11 HRS (November 17, 2011). "Justin Timberlake Releases 'Mirrors' After Grammys". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1549388/baauers-harlem-shake-debuts-atop-revamped-hot-100
  3. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/are-the-saturdays-finally-on-course-for-their-first-ever-number-1-single-2121/
  4. ^ 11 HRS (November 17, 2011). "Justin Timberlake Releases 'Mirrors' After Grammys". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1549388/baauers-harlem-shake-debuts-atop-revamped-hot-100
  6. ^ a b c http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00BEXE30K/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  7. ^ "Justin Timberlake releases new song Mirrors after Grammys performance". Metro. Associated Newspapers. February 11, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  8. ^ "Listen: Justin Timberlake – 'Mirrors'". Popjustice. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Robbie Daw. "Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors": Listen To The New Track From 'The 20/20 Experience' | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  10. ^ "Justin Timberlake, 'Mirrors': Singer Drops New Track After Grammys". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  11. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors – Listen". Djbooth.net. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  12. ^ Wood, Mikael (February 11, 2013). "Justin Timberlake releases new song 'Mirrors' after Grammy performance". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Atkinson, Katie. "Justin Timberlake Drops Self-Reflective Song 'Mirrors' After Grammys – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  14. ^ a b Rogulewski, Charley (February 11, 2013). "Justin Timberlake Debuts 8-Minute Track, 'Mirrors' (LISTEN)". Vibe. Vibe Media. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  15. ^ [1].videostatic.com. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  16. ^ a b [2] Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  17. ^ "New Song: Justin Timberlake, 'Mirrors'". Buzzworthy.mtv.com. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  18. ^ Shetler, Scott. "JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, 'MIRRORS' – SONG REVIEW". Popcrush. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  19. ^ Copsey, Robert. "Justin Timberlake: 'Mirrors' - Single review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  20. ^ Hogan, Marc. "Hear Justin Timberlake Drop Cheesy Pickup Lines on 'Mirrors' | SPIN | SPIN Mix | Songs". SPIN. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  21. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  22. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  23. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  24. ^ "Justin Timberlake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  25. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors". Tracklisten. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  26. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors" (in French). Les classement single.
  27. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  28. ^ "Media Forest Week 12, 2013". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  29. ^ "Chart Track: Week 11, 2013". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  30. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 08, 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  31. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  33. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201311 into search.
  34. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week, February 10, 2013 to February 16, 2013)" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  35. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  36. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Mirrors". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  37. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  38. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  39. ^ Trust, Gary (February 20, 2013). "Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' Debuts Atop Revamped Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  40. ^ http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00BEKUOE2
  41. ^ http://www.amazon.fr/Mirrors/dp/B00BEKLY3M
  42. ^ http://www.amazon.de/Mirrors/dp/B00BEKUOE2
  43. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BEKLYA0
  44. ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BEKLZUY
  45. ^ http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00BG9F0T0
  46. ^ http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00BWNK34W
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