Today, we’re diving deep into the infectious energy of Justin Timberlake’s chart-topping song “Can’t Stop The Feeling” to unravel its musical genius from a music theory perspective. Our goal is to bridge the gap between complex music theory and real-world application, helping you understand the elements that make songs like “Can’t Stop The Feeling” so irresistibly catchy and successful. The pre-chorus of this track is particularly fascinating, which is why we’ve broken down this analysis into two parts. Let’s jump into part 1 and explore what makes this song tick.
Overall Song Structure and Feel
“Can’t Stop The Feeling” is firmly rooted in C major, drawing inspiration from funk and soul, genres that are hallmarks of Justin Timberlake’s signature sound. This song “Can’t Stop The Feeling” masterfully blends the vibes of a summer anthem with the energy of a club banger. Its lyrics, infused with “sunshine,” and its overall sound make it perfect for daytime listening, while subtle cues like the lines “under the lights when everything goes,” filter fades, and a driving four-on-the-floor bass drum ensure it’s equally at home in a nighttime club setting.
The lyrical theme revolves around pure, unadulterated joy – dancing, happiness, and letting go of inhibitions. The music video reinforces this message, showcasing everyday people spontaneously dancing in various everyday scenarios, from work to leisure. This relatable and positive sentiment, encouraging listeners to “dance, too, and not care what others think,” is a simple yet incredibly effective foundation for a hit song. It’s about associating that liberating feeling directly with the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”.
From a structural standpoint, the song adheres to classic pop song conventions. Following a brief intro, we’re immediately introduced to a stripped-down, low-energy glimpse of the chorus. Each verse is strategically followed by a pre-chorus – arguably the most harmonically rich section – which then builds anticipation for the full chorus. A typical pop song technique is employed here: the second verse is significantly longer than the first. This shorter initial verse serves to quickly reach the first chorus with full impact, usually hitting around the one-minute mark. The extended second verse then prevents the second chorus from arriving too soon. A bridge section further develops the song before leading into another chorus and a concise outro.
Let’s begin by dissecting the intro and the initial taste of the chorus.
Intro and Chorus Preview
The intro, a concise four bars, lays the groundwork by presenting the four core chords that define the chorus:
Image alt text: Chord progression diagram for the chorus of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” song, illustrating the main chord changes.
This brief musical statement serves to familiarize the listener’s ear with the primary chord progression. By doing so, it allows us to fully appreciate the vocals and lyrics when they enter in bar 5. This sets the stage for the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling” to unfold.
The first chorus rendition is intentionally low-energy, characterized by the absence of lower frequencies such as bass and kick drum. This technique, reminiscent of DJ’s high-pass filter effects, creates a sense of anticipation and tension. The listener subconsciously awaits the return of these missing frequencies to make the sound feel complete and full. Consequently, when the full instrumentation enters with the first verse, it delivers a powerful impact, even though it’s “just” the verse. This dynamic approach effectively reserves dynamic headroom for the later, more impactful choruses. Employing dynamic variations like this is crucial for crafting engaging songs – avoid reaching your peak intensity too early in the track.
Verse 1 Harmonic Foundation
Verse 1 cleverly utilizes the same chord progression as the chorus. This is a common and effective technique in pop songwriting, where using familiar chords in both verse and chorus acts as a cohesive element, binding the sections together. As long as other aspects of the arrangement – such as instrumentation, rhythm, and melody – are varied, these consistent chords ensure a sense of unity throughout the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”. There should always be at least one unifying element across different song sections to prevent the song from sounding disjointed.
An alternative, insightful way to notate these four core chords is using slash chords:
Image alt text: Slash chord notation for “Can’t Stop The Feeling” song’s main chord progression, emphasizing the consistent C major triad over a changing bass line.
This slash chord notation highlights the voice leading, or rather, the subtle nature of it. It suggests that a C major triad (more accurately a C6 chord, considering the later guitar note) is consistently present, played over a shifting bass line. This technique, where a static upper structure is combined with a moving bass, is a recurring element in modern pop music. You can hear similar approaches in songs like Drake’s “Hotline Bling” (analyzed in this article and video) and Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” (analyzed in this article and video). These examples demonstrate how this harmonic technique contributes to the unique character of each song “Can’t Stop The Feeling” and others.
Pre-Chorus: Building Harmonic Momentum
The pre-chorus serves as a crucial transitional section, strategically positioned between the verse and chorus. Its primary function is to create a harmonic and dynamic bridge, smoothly guiding the listener from one section to the next. While some may consider the pre-chorus as an extension of the verse, in “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” it stands out as a distinct and harmonically rich section, arguably the most theoretically interesting part of the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”.
Let’s examine the chord progression of the pre-chorus:
Image alt text: Diagram of the pre-chorus chord changes in “Can’t Stop The Feeling” song, showing the harmonic movement.
Or, simplified using slash chord notation:
Image alt text: Slash chord notation for the pre-chorus of “Can’t Stop The Feeling” song, simplifying the harmonic structure.
The pre-chorus initiates a temporary key change, preparing us for the chorus. We transition from C major in the verse, moving a fifth down in the circle of fifths to F major. However, instead of commencing on an F major chord, the pre-chorus cleverly starts on a C chord, mirroring the verse’s beginning, but this time in the mixolydian mode. The C7sus4 (or Bb/C) chord acts as the dominant in C mixolydian and also functions as a dominant chord resolving to F. This harmonic maneuver subtly transforms the preceding Am7 chord from the verse’s end, reinterpreting it from a iv chord in C major to a iii chord in F major retrospectively. This “re-interpretation” of chords within a new key is a common technique for modulation, although its significance is somewhat subtle in this particular song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”.
The modulation to F major is particularly effective due to several factors:
- The root of the initial pre-chorus chord (C) is identical to the chord occupying the same position in the verse.
- The new key (F major) is a fifth down from C major – a strong and natural relationship between keys.
- The opening chord of the pre-chorus, a dominant chord, inherently creates harmonic tension and a desire for resolution.
Therefore, the pre-chorus masterfully combines elements of predictability and surprise. Adding to the harmonic interest, the arrangement also undergoes a shift. Similar to the intro and the initial chorus glimpse, the instrumentation thins out again, amplified by DJ-style low-pass filter effects, further building tension. This section is perfectly tailored for a club environment, with filter sweeps and lyrics like “under the lights when everything goes” directly aligning with the conventions of club-ready hits. The song “Can’t Stop The Feeling” pre-chorus is a masterclass in building anticipation.
Harmonically, the pre-chorus progresses to Bb, the subdominant of F major. However, in a nod to funk, soul, blues, and gospel traditions, this chord is treated as a dominant. Rooted in blues stylings, tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords are frequently voiced as dominant chords, incorporating a minor 7th. This tradition resonates throughout gospel, funk, and soul music. If you aim to infuse your music with these stylistic influences, consider interpreting the I, IV, and V chords as dominants. This is a key element in the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”‘s genre blending.
Alternatively, the move from C7sus4 to Bb7sus4 can be perceived as a simple downward shift of the chord voicing. Shifting a chord voicing up or down by any interval can often be surprisingly effective, even with chords outside the current key. This works because of the fundamental principle of maintaining consistency in some elements (the internal intervallic structure of the voicing) while altering others (the key center). This is a subtle but powerful technique used throughout the song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”.
The final two chords of the pre-chorus – Fm and Bb13sus4 – form a cadence designed to lead us back to the tonic of the chorus. But how can this cadence, seemingly a ii-V7 progression in Eb, resolve to a C major tonic chord? This intriguing question will be addressed in part 2 of our analysis of song “Can’t Stop The Feeling”.
End of Part 1
Hopefully, this first part has illuminated some of the musical techniques employed in “Can’t Stop The Feeling.” For more in-depth music theory explorations, be sure to visit my YouTube channel and explore other articles on Real World Music Theory.
Continue your journey into the harmonic intricacies of the pre-chorus in part 2…
About the Author
I’m a professional piano and keyboard player based in Germany, actively touring and deeply passionate about music theory. Music has been an integral part of my life since the age of three, encompassing playing, creating, analyzing, understanding, teaching, and, most importantly, enjoying it. Feel free to reach out with any questions you have regarding music theory or songwriting!
