Justin Timberlake Almost Didn't Write 'Can’t Stop the Feeling'

The singer said fans should thank the film, "Trolls."

ByABC News
August 5, 2016, 10:46 AM
Justin Timberlake attends the 49th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 4, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn.
Justin Timberlake attends the 49th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 4, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn.
Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

— -- Can you imagine a world without Justin Timberlake's infectious hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling”? Well, it almost never happened.

Timberlake told People magazine that the only reason the song exists is because of the movie "Trolls," which hits theaters Oct. 13.

"I would've never written a song like 'Can't Stop the Feeling' if it wasn't for this movie," he said. "True story."

The song is the lead single on the movie's upcoming soundtrack.

Timberlake, who usually infuses his songs with some soulful R&B, said for this track, he looked to dance songs from the 1970s for inspiration.

"Listening to [producer] Gina Shay and [directors] Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn talk about the movie and how it was really inspired by the '70s, I started bringing up the soundtrack from 'Saturday Night Fever,' movies where the soundtrack was released before the movie and got people equally excited," he explained.

He added that he set out to write an “unabashed pop song” that captured the spirit of the movie. As for the other music he’ll be contributing to the film, he says he’ll be sticking with that “pop song” theme.