Don't Hold the Wall

"Don't Hold the Wall"
Song by Justin Timberlake
from the album The 20/20 Experience
ReleasedMarch 15, 2013
Recorded2012
StudioLarrabee (North Hollywood)
GenreR&B
Length7:10
LabelRCA
Songwriters
Producers
  • Timbaland
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon

"Don't Hold the Wall" is a song by American singer Justin Timberlake from his third studio album, The 20/20 Experience (2013). Timberlake wrote and produced the song alongside Timbaland and J-Roc, with James Fauntleroy providing additional songwriting. The song became available as the album's third track on March 15, 2013, when it was released by RCA Records. An R&B song, "Don't Hold the Wall" has tribal chants, "oozing" vocal samples, tribal drums, rainsticks, "spacious drums", and a "pseudo-Indian" beat.

"Don't Hold the Wall" received mixed reviews from music critics. In North America, it peaked at number 4 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In Asia, it debuted at number 34 on the Gaon Chart in South Korea. On March 31, 2016, Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil filed a lawsuit against Timberlake, claiming that Timbaland sampled one of their compositions, "Steel Dream" from Quidam (1997), without permission.

Background

In September 2006, Timberlake released his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds,[1] which was a commercial success[2] and received generally positive reviews from music critics.[3] The album spawned six singles, including the US number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around".[4] After wrapping up a worldwide concert tour to support the album in 2007, Timberlake took a break from his music career to focus on acting,[5][6] with occasional guest appearances on several singles by Madonna, T.I., Jamie Foxx, Timbaland, and Esmée Denters.[6]

Timberlake's music manager Johnny Wright approached him in 2010, discussing possibility of going back to his music career and the difficulties of releasing his future material, because according to Wright, "a lot of the physical record sellers were gone, by the time they've got music again they needed to think about different ways to deliver it". Wright proposed a promotion based on an application or releasing a new song every month. Timberlake, however, was not interested in returning to music; instead, he continued to focus on his film career. Around the "late part of May, first week in June" 2012, Timberlake invited Wright to dinner and revealed that he had spent the last couple of nights in the studio with Timbaland working on new material. Wright was shocked by the revelation, and the two immediately began planning how to promote and release the album. Ultimately, they agreed on a shorter period, seven or eight weeks, between the singles and the album. Wright told Billboard that "such a short window" demanded "a big impact".[7]

In August 2012, producer Jim Beanz reported that Timberlake had started work on his new music project.[8] Shortly after the announcement, Timberlake's publicist denied plans for a new album, stating Timberlake was instead working on Timbaland's upcoming project Shock Value III.[6] Wright stated that although the project involved artists who are primarily Timberlake's friends, it was tough to keep it a secret, so they used codenames. Originally planned for release in October 2012, Timberlake's project was postponed because of his wedding to actress Jessica Biel.[7] Timberlake revealed the track listing for The 20/20 Experience on February 6, 2013; "Don't Hold the Wall" was revealed as the third track.[9] The album was released on March 15, 2013, by RCA Records.[10]

Composition

"Don't Hold the Wall" was written by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and James Fauntleroy, and produced by Timbaland, Timberlake, and Harmon.[12] According to Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle, it "rides a hypnotic, sensual groove",[13] featuring tribal chants and "oozing" vocal samples.[14] Tribal drums,[15] rainsticks,[14] "spacious drums"[14] and a "pseudo-Indian" beat[16] are also present.

"Don't Hold the Wall" begins a "gorgeous sounding" the Beach Boys-like chorus, according to David Meller of MusicOMH.[11] Jean Bentley of Hollywood.com compared the a cappella introduction to that of Timberlake's former boy band, NSYNC.[17] It then shifts into a mix of hip-hop, Bollywood and Bhangra music.[11] Four minutes and twenty seconds in, "Don't Hold the Wall" transcends "darker, more muscular structure", according to Billboard's Jason Lipshutz.[14] It concludes with drum and bass loops and vocoder backing vocals.[11] Timberlake commands the object of his affection to "give in" to her "physical impulses".[14] Timbaland chants, "Dance... Don't hold the wall", in a voice that sounds "as if it is coming through a broken phone receiver", according to Allan Raible of ABC News.[16] As noted by Lipshutz, Timbaland's production on it is "the star" of The 20/20 Experience.[14] He wrote that "there are so many things happening" in it that it takes five listens just to "process them".[14]

Reception

Consequence's Sarah H. Grant wrote that "Don't Hold the Wall" and "Tunnel Vision" were the album's highlights, similar to Timberlake's best work with NSYNC.[18] In a less-enthusiastic review, Fact magazine's Lauren Martin described it and "Tunnel Vision" as "two rousing, if mildly deja vu inducing, efforts".[19] Writing for ABC News, Allan Raible called it a "sparse, hand-clap jam" that does not warrant its seven-minute length, even with its "marginally interesting breakdown".[16] Following the release of The 20/20 Experience, it appeared on the charts in South Korea and the United States. For the week dated March 17, 2013, it debuted on the South Korean Gaon International Chart at number thirty-four.[20] It also debuted at number four on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number thirty-seven on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[21][22]

Lawsuit

On March 31, 2016, Canadian avant-garde circus troupe Cirque du Soleil filed a lawsuit against Timberlake claiming that Timbaland sampled one of their compositions, "Steel Dream" from Quidam (1997), without permission.[23] The suit, filed in a New York federal court,[24] sought a minimum of $800,000 (£560,000) in copyright infringement damages,[25][26] with Sony Music Entertainment, co-writers Harmon and Fauntleroy, Universal Music, and Warner Music Group named as defendants.[23] American brewing company Anheuser-Busch was also named after using it in a beer advertisement.[25] In September 2016, Cirque du Soleil notified the court that they and the defendants had tentatively agreed to a confidential settlement.[27]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The 20/20 Experience.[12]

Locations

Personnel

  • Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley – producer, songwriter
  • Justin Timberlake – Mixer, producer, songwriter, vocal producer, vocal arranger
  • Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon – keyboards, producer, songwriter
  • James Fauntleroy – songwriter
  • Chris Godbey – engineer, mixer
  • Jimmy Douglass – mixer
  • Alejandro Baima – assistant engineer
  • Elliot Ives – guitar

Charts

Chart performance for "Don't Hold the Wall"
Chart (2013) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon)[20] 24
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[21]4
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22]37

References

  1. ↑ Derschowitz, Jessica (June 20, 2006). "Timberlake To Release His 'Lovesounds'". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ "The Evolution Of: Justin Timberlake". MTV. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ "FutureSex / LoveSounds". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Justin Timberlake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ Douglas, Ana (May 24, 2012). "After A 6 Year Hiatus, Justin Timberlake Is Going Back to Music". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Anderson, Kyle (August 7, 2012). "Justin Timberlake Totally Not Working on 'Crazy' New Album, Despite What a Dude Named Jim Beanz Says". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Aswad, Jem (March 19, 2013). "Justin Timberlake Manager Johnny Wright on Secret Plans Around '20/20 Experience,' Touring, Myspace, More". Billboard. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ Corner, Lewis (August 7, 2012). "Exclusive: Justin Timberlake Working on "Crazy" New Album, Says Jim Beanz". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  9. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie (February 6, 2013). "Justin Timberlake Reveals '20/20' Album Cover, Track List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 28, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  10. ↑ Timberlake, Justin (March 15, 2013). "iTunes – Musik – The 20/20 Experience (Deluxe Version) von Justin Timberlake" (in German). RCA Records. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013 – via iTunes Store (DE).
  11. 1 2 3 4 Meller, David (March 15, 2013). "Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Anon. (2013). The 20/20 Experience (Liner notes). Justin Timberlake. New York City, NY: RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. 88765-47850-2.
  13. ↑ Guerra, Joey (March 15, 2013). "Not a drop of hindsight on forward-looking '20/20'". Chron.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lipshutz, Jason (March 12, 2013). "Justin Timberlake, 'The 20/20 Experience': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ Brown, Helen (March 15, 2013). "Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience, album review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 Raible, Allan (March 23, 2013). "Review: Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience'". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ Bentley, Jean (March 11, 2013). "Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' is Streaming Online Right Now! An Early Review | Celebrity News". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  18. ↑ Grant, Sarah H (March 19, 2013). "Album Review: Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience". Consequence. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  19. ↑ Martin, Lauren (March 18, 2013). "Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience". Fact. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  20. 1 2 "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week, March 17 to 23, 2013)" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Justin Timberlake Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Justin Timberlake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  23. 1 2 Kaufman, Gil (April 1, 2016). "Justin Timberlake Sued By Cirque Du Soleil Over 'Don't Hold The Wall' Sample". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  24. ↑ Sage, Alyssa (April 1, 2016). "Justin Timberlake Sued by Cirque du Soleil Over His Song 'Don't Hold the Wall'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  25. 1 2 Mendelsohn, Tom (April 1, 2016). "Justin Timberlake being sued by Cirque de Soleil for alleged unauthorised sample". NME. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  26. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (April 1, 2016). "Cirque du Soleil Sue Justin Timberlake Over "Don't Hold the Wall"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ "(EXCLUSIVE) Justin Timberlake Reaches Settlement in Cirque du Soleil Lawsuit Over Stolen Music". theJasmineBRAND. September 9, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
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