"Let the Groove Get In" 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 eighth track on March 15, 2013, when it was released by RCA Records. A Latin song, "Let the Groove Get In" contains a sample from the recording "Alhamdulillaahi", a part of the field recording Explore Series: Africa-Burkina Faso: Rhythms of the Grasslands (2002).

"Let the Groove Get In" received positive reviews from music critics, who noticed its similarity to the works of Michael Jackson, in particular his 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and tracks from his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979). In North America, the track peaked at number 9 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 39 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In Asia, it peaked at number 31 on the Gaon Chart in South Korea.

Background In September 2006, Timberlake released his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, which was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album spawned six singles, including the US number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". 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, with occasional guest appearances on several singles by Madonna, T.I., Jamie Foxx, Timbaland, and Esmée Denters.

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".

In August 2012, producer Jim Beanz reported that Timberlake had started work on his new music project. 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. 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. Timberlake revealed the track listing for The 20/20 Experience on February 6, 2013; "Let the Groove Get In" was revealed as the eighth track. The album was released on March 15, 2013, by RCA Records.

Composition "Let the Groove Get In" was written by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and James Fauntleroy, and produced by Timbaland, Timberlake, and Harmon. It is a Latin song accompanied by canned horns, propulsive percussion and Timberlake's harmonized voice over a pop arrangement made by Timbaland. It contains a sample from the recording "Alhamdulillaahi", a part of the release Explore Series: Africa-Burkina Faso: Rhythms of the Grasslands (2002), an album that features field recordings collected in Africa during the 1970s.

Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that although the song is built on African hand-drum rhythms, it later transforms into a classical Michael Jackson song, similar to the tracks from his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979). People Chuck Arnold and Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone compared "Let the Groove Get In" to Jackson's 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" from his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song a sassy and salsa-driven "earworm with a chanted chorus whose arrangements are sublime".

Reception Writing for ABC News, Allan Raible noted that "Justin feels like a singer standing still ... or coasting at best". Robert Christgau cited it as a highlight of the album. Billboard editor Jason Lipshutz listed the song among a list of 15 pop songs "that weren't released as singles but should have been." VH1's Emily Exton wrote, "In addition to using a few of his more successful techniques (echoed call-and-response, general clapping) Timberlake dives into the sounds of the Miami Sound Machine, bringing back an electric dance number unlike anything else in his catalog."

Following the release of The 20/20 Experience, "Let the Groove Get In" appeared on the charts in South Korea and the United States. For the week dated March 17, 2013, the song debuted on the South Korean Gaon International Chart at number thirty-one with sales of 6,204 digital copies. It also debuted at number nine on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and at number thirty-nine on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Live performances Timberlake included "Let the Groove Get In" on the set list of his worldwide tour entitled The 20/20 Experience World Tour (2013–15), and The Forget Tomorrow World Tour (2024–25).

Credits and personnel Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The 20/20 Experience.

Locations Vocals recorded and mixed at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, California

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 The Benjamin Wright Orchestra – horns The Regiment – horns Terry Santiel — percussions

Charts + Chart performance for "Let the Groove Get In" Chart (2013) Peakposition South Korea (Gaon) 31

References