Justin Timberlake Gets Roasted For 'Man of the Woods' Tracklist

Screen Shot 2018-01-05 at 2
Justin Timberlake in the trailer for 'The Man of the Woods.' YouTube

Justin Timberlake is bringing lumbersexual back. His album Man of the Woods hits stores next month, and on Friday the pop singer announced the full tracklist by posting a handwritten note on graph paper to social media.

Given those methods, is it any surprise Twitter's first reaction was to mock him mercilessly?

Fans learned a few things from this 16-song tracklist: "Filthy," Timberlake's single that dropped on Thursday, is the first song on the album. Alicia Keys and Chris Stapleton both have features. But the most important thing we now know—thanks to song titles such as "Flannel," "Livin' Off the Land," "Montana," and "Breeze Off The Pond"—is that Timberlake is trying really hard to be a Mumford and Sons-level mountain man.

MOTW https://t.co/oydnUMzBE8 pic.twitter.com/24vYbTachJ

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) January 5, 2018

So really, after reading that tracklist, you almost can't blame many Twitter users for tearing it apart. As Ira Madison III puts it, "Justin, this is just a list of Willa Cather novellas."

"Sauce?" "Supplies?" "Flannel?" Whitney Medworth has a great point: this sounds like a packing list, not an album.

why does justin timberlakes's track list look like a packing list for a hiking trip pic.twitter.com/mKz1nSr7BO

— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) January 5, 2018

Newsweek senior culture writer Zach Schonfeld wrote his own, arguably better, version of the Man of the Woods tracklist.

Justin Timberlake track list:

1. Trees and Shit
2. I Can Grow a Beard Guys I Swear
3. Skinny Love (Timbaland remix)
4. Listens to Fleet Foxes Once
5. Wet Wilderness Whoa
6. Uh
7. SexyBackpacker
8. There Is a Mountain (Donovan cover)

— Zach Schonfeld (@zzzzaaaacccchhh) January 5, 2018

And the jokes just kept coming and coming and coming.

So many raccoons and possums are going to get pregnant to this new woodsy Justin Timberlake album.

— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) January 5, 2018

justin timberlake just managed to create a humiliating self-parody of something that didn't even exist until 3 seconds ago

— Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (@Hello_Tailor) January 5, 2018

I think Ron Swanson wrote this tracklist https://t.co/APDTQJSLli

— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) January 5, 2018

JT: Yo how should we announce this tracklist?
Publicist: How about the way Kanye tweeted that Life of Pablo tracklist?!
JT: Yeah, only this time we should put the Sharpie IN the photo, just to make sure everyone sees how handwritten it is.https://t.co/YDxWzV3Szi

— Forrest Wickman (@ForrestW) January 5, 2018

The song names are mockable, but that doesn't mean Timberlake's first album since The 20/20 Experience four years ago will be terrible.

"Filthy," which Timberlake premiered alongside a music video on Thursday morning, is funky, futuristic dance pop. Initial reactions were mixed—it's certainly not your typical top 40 banger—but some fans were won over by Timberlake's ambitious new sound.

There's also the album trailer to consider, which features a shaved-head, bearded Timberlake wandering through nature. In a voiceover, he says, "This album is really inspired by son, my wife, my family, but more so than any album I've ever written, where I'm from. It's personal."

The singer-songwriter was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. His 2016 concert film was titled Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids.

Based on a few song samples in that trailer, it sounds like Timberlake will blend his past sound with this new Mumford and Sons persona. This will be Timberlake's fourth solo album. (Well, technically fifth, but only if you count the two-part The 20/20 Experience as separate albums.)

Man of the Woods drops February 2nd, 2017.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Anna is a Newsweek culture writer based in New York City. Previously she was a Film/TV writer at Elite Daily and an ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go