Justin Timberlake: “Mirrors”

Justin Timberlake‘s The 20/20 Experience requires more patience than the majority of traditional pop albums. Seven out of the ten tracks are longer than seven minutes, with the shortest clocking in at just under five minutes. This approach isn’t atypical for the former boy band star’s collaborations with producer Timbaland. Previously, they tested our endurance with “What Goes Around/…Comes Around” and “Love Stoned/I Think She Knows“, and current single “Mirrors” comes in at a whopping eight minutes and five seconds (the longest on the album).

These songs aren’t long for the sake of being long. There’s intention behind them, and whether or not you believe that intention’s ill-advised or not is purely a matter of personal preference. Could Timberlake handle to edit himself and deliver material that caters to Top 40 radio? Absolutely! However, he actively chose to avoid genero-bangers in favor of a mature, cohesive sound.

Despite the attention-span-challenging length, “Mirrors” is, quite possibly, the poppiest offering on the entirety of The 20/20 Experience. The lyrics are sincere and heartfelt almost to a fault, heading especially when you take into account Timberlake’s recent marriage to Jessica Biel. Essentially, it’s like watching a young couple share a romantic kiss on a subway platform, pull apart and go back for another one. You hate them for flaunting their love, you hate them for being so cutesy, and in some combination of jealousy and angst, you think to yourself, “Well, they’re never going to last”.

Yet on a good day where you’re feeling vulnerable and susceptible to schmaltz like this? It’s actually quite beautiful.

– Dewitt

Watch the music video for “Mirrors” below: