Justin Timberlake is clearing up speculation about whether one of his most famous singles was inspired by his ex, Britney Spears.

In a new interview ranking his best songs, the 45-year-old Prince of Pop addressed decades-old rumors that his 2006 single “What Goes Around...Comes Around” was written about Spears, whom he dated from 1999 to 2002.

“I think, maybe I should dispel a rumor at this point, which has gone around forever, which is like — it’s not a personal story from mine, it’s actually a personal story from a friend that I asked permission to [use],” Timberlake explained to Complex in the interview, shared Thursday.

He continued: “He was just going through it, and he was telling me what happened, and I said, ‘Do you mind if I write about this?’ And I quote, my friend said, ‘Yeah, torch that b****, what goes around comes around.’

“And I was like, ‘I have to go, thank you.’ He was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘I got it.’ And I hung up the phone, and so I had the idea,” he said.

Britney Spears and…