Justified is the debut solo studio album by American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on November 5, 2002 by Jive Records. The album was written and recorded in a six-week period, during the hiatus of Timberlake's band NSYNC. For the album, Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an R&B artist opposed to the previous pop music recorded by the group. The majority of the album was produced by The Neptunes (credited as "Williams and Hugo") and Timbaland, and features guest appearances by Janet Jackson, Clipse, and Bubba Sparxxx. Primarily an R&B album, Justified also contains influences of dance-pop, funk, and soul music.
Justified received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented the mature progression of Timberlake’s material, although some criticized its lyrical content. The album earned Timberlake four Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, and won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Justified debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and sold 439,000 copies in its first week. It was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold over 3.9 million copies in the US. As of 2012, the album has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
Four singles were released from Justified. The lead single "Like I Love You" peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the follow-up singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body" peaked within the top five on the chart. "Like I Love You", "Cry Me a River", and "Rock Your Body" peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and in the top ten in Australia (with "Rock Your Body" topping the Australian chart), Ireland, Netherlands, and Belgium. To promote the album, Timberlake performed on several television shows and award ceremonies, including the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he made his solo debut appearance. Furthermore, Timberlake embarked on two concert tours: The Justified World Tour and the Justified and Stripped Tour; on the latter, he was accompanied by Christina Aguilera.
The beautiful days are long gone
I can't seem to breathe
It feels like it hasn't been that long
Since you walked away from me
Now I can try to act real strong
But you and I both know I still think of you that way
You should know that
The beautiful lights the star filled nights
They don't mean a thing
Cause you were my star and so it don't seem right
Without you here with me
Now I can try to act real strong
But you and I both know its hard for me to say
You were my soul
Now I could say that I don't love you no more
And I could say that I've closed the door for our love
And I can tell you I feel it's time for us to go our separate ways
But baby I just wouldn't be the same
Cause girl your love is still on my brain
Now when your in love it takes time to heal
When someone's broken your heart it changes how you feel
Girl I thought that you'd never do me that way
But even after all I still think of you that way
Now I could say that I don't love you no more
(I could say this and I could say that)
And I could say that I've closed the door for our love
And I can tell you I feel it's time for us to go our separate ways
But baby I just wouldn't be the same
Cause girl your love is still on my brain
Now love is a game that we both like to play
But will I win or lose if I go or if I stay
Even though I try to hide my broken heart inside
Girl you know me inside out and I can't get you off my mind
Now I could say that I don't love you no more
And I could say that I've closed the door for our love
And I can tell you I feel it's time for us to go our separate ways
But baby I just wouldn't be the same
Cause girl your love is still on my brain