Music became an outlet for Justin Timberlake after his sour split from Britney Spears in 2002, resulting in one of his most successful numbers: "Cry Me A River." The breakup anthem was featured on his debut solo album, released that same year, and was famously inspired by the heartbreak he had incurred. The official music video for the song seemingly alluded to the circumstances surrounding Timberlake's breakup, and even featured a Spears lookalike. Francis Lawrence, music director for the song, however, told Dazed that there was an "unspoken agreement" not to explicitly discuss the identity of the muse, even on set (though one would be a fool not to know who the song was about).
Timberlake wrote his revenge ballad in two hours, he revealed in his 2018 book "Hindsight." As quoted by People, he wrote, "I've been scorned. ... The feelings I had were so strong that I had to write it."
When asked about the song, Spears, in a tell-all interview with Rolling Stone in 2011, said, "I think guys have egos, and when their egos get hurt and their pride's messed up, they deal in weird ways." She claimed Timberlake had called her up prior to the video's release, to let her know she was in it. Spears allegedly responded with her own musical release in 2003: "Everytime." Per PopSugar, the song supposedly reflected on the cheating allegations that broke the relationship.
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