"Take Back the Night" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his fourth studio album, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy. The song was released on July 12, 2013, by RCA Records, as the lead single from The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2. "Take Back the Night" is a disco and R&B song that lyrically addresses a potential love interest.
Commercially, the song reached the top-forty in most countries. The song gathered controversies with the Take Back the Night Foundation, an anti-rape organization, who expressed concerns about the similarities between the song's title and the organization's name.
Release
While releasing and promoting The 20/20 Experience, Timberlake revealed that he only released half of the album and that the second half of The 20/20 Experience was going to be released later in 2013. However, it was revealed the same day that the second part would be released in November. On July 10, 2013, Timberlake posted a 45-second video on his official YouTube channel. In the video, Timberlake is seen hopping out of a convertible holding several white signs in his right hand. The signs list the various release dates of Timberlake's 2013 releases – "Suit & Tie January 14th", "Mirrors February 11th" and "The 20/20 Experience March 19th".
The next card reads "Take Back the Night", while the final card displays a blurred-out sign that was presumed to be its release date. Timberlake then walks into a club and a 10-second snippet of the song is played. The video closes with a message that reads: "The 20/20 Experience Continues..." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard was confused by the announcement, stating that if "Take Back the Night" is a new single, "it will blow by 'Tunnel Vision' which was bestowed with a controversial music video last week but has not yet been promoted to radio as the third official single from The 20/20 Experience." Two days later, on July 12, the full audio for "Take Back the Night" was posted to Timberlake's YouTube channel at noon Eastern time. The song was offered as a free download with a pre-order of The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2 on the iTunes Store on the same date.
Controversy
Shortly after the song was released, the Take Back the Night Foundation, an anti-rape organization, expressed concerns about the similarities between the song's title and the organization's name. Executive director of the foundation Katherine Koestner was critical of the lyrics, telling Radar Online that "The lyrics are definitely very sexual and not at all clearly anti-sexual violence. 'Use me,' for example, is not a great phrase for anyone affiliated with the organization." Take Back the Night sent Timberlake's lawyers a letter detailing their concerns. Shortly after that, the singer apologized saying that he was unaware of the organization and has come forward to support them, "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." The anti-rape organization, for their part, has decided not to pursue any suit against the singer, with Koestner saying, "At this point, we’re going to bow down gracefully, and accept that fighting this in court probably isn't the best use of anyone's time."
Music and lyrics
"Take Back the Night" is a disco and R&B song, with a length of five minutes and fifty-five seconds. It carries a "sleek, rhythmic pop production", with instrumentation consisting of stirring strings, percolating percussion horn stabs, thumping bass and waka-waka guitars. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard wrote that the song "nods to Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson", while MTV News' James Montgomery declared "Take Back the Night" a "sumptuous slice" of "Off the Wall-indebted disco" that seems "custom-made for roller rinks everywhere (or at least the five that are still open for business in 2013)". The song contains a "dizzyingly light hook". Similarly, a reviewer of Spin wrote that the song has a distinct Jackson vibe, "throwing back to soul's post-disco evolution, infusing dance floor rhythms with impeccable class." According to Lipshutz the song is also a "souped-up version" of "Let the Groove Get In".