Timberlake releases 'Cry Me a River' after split from Britney Spears

In November 2002, Justin Timberlake released "Cry Me a River" as a single from his debut solo album, Justified. He had risen to fame in the boy band NSYNC, and the record marked his first major step out on his own.

The song was produced by Timbaland, with Scott Storch among its writers. Its moody, R&B-leaning sound was a clear departure from the pop of his band years. The lyrics describe a bitter end to a relationship and a refusal to forgive.

Timberlake had dated singer Britney Spears from 1999 to 2002, and the couple's split was already a major tabloid story. Listeners, the media and fans widely took the song to be about her, and a music video featuring a lookalike fuelled that reading. Timberlake did not spell out the meaning at the time.

The single became one of the defining hits of his early solo career and helped establish him as a credible artist beyond NSYNC. The question of whom it was about followed it for more than two decades.