The song was released on October 7, 2013, as the lead single from Pitbull's extended play (EP) Meltdown.

The song was produced by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and Sermstyle, with additional production by Nick Seeley.

[2][3] The song interpolates Lee Oskar's 1978 single "San Francisco Bay" and features harmonica player Paul Harrington, who plays through the entire song and was told to emulate Oskar.

On August 15, 2024, Kesha's name was removed from the song title on YouTube but her credits in the description were kept.

In an interview in December 2013, Pitbull said that Rihanna was originally meant to be the featured artist on "Timber", but she had already been asked to be the featured artist on Shakira's "Can't Remember to Forget You" and did not have time to record "Timber".

[11] Paul Harrington, who plays the harmonica throughout the track, was initially given a flat fee of $1,000 for his services.

[14] Before topping the Hot 100, it had been stuck at number two for four weeks, behind "The Monster" by Eminem featuring Rihanna.

[18] On June 23, 2022, the song was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of ten million in the United States, making it both Kesha's and Pitbull's first diamond certified single in the country.

The video also features a cameo by Italian model Raffaella Modugno and The Bloody Jug Band, an Orlando-based Americana Group, who perform on stage as the bar's house band.

The lawsuit alleged that while Sony Music may have obtained permission to use the sample, which is credited in the album notes for Meltdown, from a license holder, the label failed to obtain permission from the songwriters themselves.

[30] In December 2024, Muni Long, alleged on TikTok that Atlantic Records gave Pitbull "Timber" without her permission and made her re-do the chorus because Kesha wasn't able to hit the right note in the song.