The song was said by Timberlake to be about betrayal and forgiveness, and was described by some music critics as a psychedelic pop and sophisti-pop "sequel" to his 2002 single "Cry Me a River".

Internationally the song was also successful, reaching the top ten in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and Australia.

The song won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, where it also received a nomination for Record of the Year.

[2] Danja, a protégé of Timbaland, stated: "We had no direction at all other than 'Cry Me a River,' and not in the sense of mimicking the track, but in how big the song was.

"[2] The song was written and produced by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Nate "Danja" Hills.

By the time Timberlake was in the vocal booth, the basic track was done, then Timbaland produced a prelude of the song.

[7] In the beginning of the song, there is a five-second harmony line of two bağlamas (one each panned far left and far right on respect octaves), a Turkish folk instrument.

After hearing the vocals of Timberlake, they decided to remove the bridge and follow a simple flow, because they felt it's "too much" to have it and a break at the end of the song.

[6] According to him, many fans and critics alike, after hearing the song, insisted that it is similar in meaning to "Cry Me a River", which allegedly accounts to Timberlake's relationship with former girlfriend, pop singer Britney Spears.

Rolling Stone called the single "a soaring ballad featuring Timberlake's falsetto, with verses and choruses that pile on top of one another with dizzying effect.

[12] Zach Baron of Pitchfork Media referred to it "some real can't-let-go shit that'll save you the repeat stabs on the bad night.

[9] In later reviews, Billboard's Katie Atkinson noted "with a whopping 7:28 running time, it was a very long single.

"[14] Complex staff described it as "smooth, velvety and self-assured" track, noting the singer "is not guessing that his cheating ex will be punished for her transgression—he's sure she will be.

"[15] Idolator staff stated, "This track is also probably what influenced many of Taylor Swift kiss-off ballad in the years to come.

[17] The song was nominated twice at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance but lost to Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" for Record of the Year.

[22] The single entered the top five in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Romania (where it reached number one) and Switzerland.

[22] "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" was certified two-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 30,000 units.

[35][36] The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, who had first directorial works with Nirvana's 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

[35][36] The video features dialogues written by Alpha Dog writer and director Nick Cassavetes, who had previously worked with Timberlake in the film.

[35][36] Timberlake and Bayer enlisted American actress Scarlett Johansson after deciding on using "real" actors.

After punching Hatosy, he chases after Johansson, who speeds off in her 1967 Corvette Sting Ray; Timberlake follows in his Porsche Carrera GT.

[37] Some scenes shows Timberlake performing on the stairway with a microphone while a group of unknown girls with red paint on their eyes are seen dancing next to him while one (Johansson) is seen waving her batons with fire on them near the end of the video.

[47] Timberlake performed twice at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, once at the piano for "What Goes Around Comes Around" and later "My Love" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine.

[50] On May 28, 2007, Dutch singer Esmée Denters posted a version of the song on YouTube accompanied by Justin Timberlake on piano and backing vocals.

[51] French singer Myriam Abel, the winner of Nouvelle Star 3, also recorded a non-commercial cover of "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" with a Raï influence, accessible through her official MySpace page.

[53] On April 7, 2011, Pitbull's artist Jamie Drastik heavily sampled the song on his track "Let's Be Clear" which is included on Champagne And Cocaine.

[54] Benny Davis, of the Australian musical comedy act The Axis of Awesome, also heavily sampled the song on his track "Another Four Chords" on The Human Jukebox EP, released in 2013.