Perfect Way to Die

Perfect Way to Die is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It was written and produced by Keys and Sebastian Kole. The song was released on July 19, 2020 through RCA Records as the fifth single from Keys' seventh studio album Alicia (2020).

"Perfect Way to Die"
Single by Alicia Keys
from the album Alicia
ReleasedJune 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
Length3:31
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Keys
  • Kole
Alicia Keys singles chronology
"Good Job"
(2020)		 "Perfect Way to Die"
(2020)		 "So Done"
(2020)

"Perfect Way to Die" is a piano ballad about police brutality and racism, and was inspired by the deaths of Mike Brown and Sandra Bland.[1] The music video was directed by Chris Robinson, and was premiered at the BET Awards held in June 2020.[2]

Background

Keys officially announced the song on Twitter on June 19, 2020, posting the cover art, and a message explaining the inspiration and meaning of the song.[3] The songs release coincided with Juneteenth and amid weeks of civil unrest across the United States in response to police brutality against African Americans.[3] In in interview with British Vogue, Keys stated that the song is "a musical expression of what we’re seeing every day, this police brutality that is completely out of hand".[4]

Composition and lyrics

The song is written in the key of F♭ major with a 12
8 time signature and a tempo of 86 beats per minute.[5] In the sing, Keys discusses killings at the hands of the police, singing about a mother who receives "a call from the coroner" about her son that has been "gunned down".[2] Keys sings about "another king and queen lost", which according to Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone are references to the deaths of Michael Brown and Sandra Bland.[6]

As noted by Sal Cinquemani from Slant, the "spare arrangements of piano and vocal" on the song are "functionally effective at highlighting the lyrical content".[7] Variety described the song as having "chamber pop vibe" and a "light chorus".[8] According to BBC, "Perfect Way to Die" is a protest song inspired by the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.[9] Joe Muggs of The Arts Desk stated that the song contains "fearsomely direct lyrics on police violence, street life and protest".[10]

Music video

The video is a tribute to people who lost their lives at the hand of police.[11] The video was directed by Chris Robinson and premiered at the 2020 BET Awards.[2] In the video, Keys sits behind a piano on an empty street and sings the song while images of victims were displayed on buildings.[12][13] At the end of the video Keys stands up and the street is covered in the names of people who lost their lives due to police brutality, including Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Renisha McBride, Korryn Gaines, Reno Owens, Dante Parker, Jack Lamar Roberson Jr., Darius Tarver and Ahmaud Arbery, among others.[13][12]

Critical reception

Vulture called the song "raw and heart-wrenching" while Entertainment Weekly called it "powerful" and "poignant".[14][3] Mike Wass from Idolator noted that "All of the songs from the enduring hitmaker’s upcoming 7th LP have been immaculate, but this is extra special".[15] In Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan wrote of the "powerfully sung" track that it "offers a Black Lives Matter protest ballad in vividly personal terms".[16] In a negative review, Shamira Ibrahim of NPR wrote that "the lyrics, in isolation, technically speak towards the current moment gripping Black America", but concluded that the "end result falls flat".[17]

Credits and personnel

Adapted from Alicia album liner notes.[18]

  • Produced by Alicia Keys and Sebastan Kole
  • Piano by Alicia Keys
  • Strings arranged and performed by Davide Rossi
  • Engineered and mixed by Ann Mincieli at Jungle City Studios (NYC) and Record Plant (LA)
  • Assistant engineer: Brendan Morawski

Track listing
  • Digital download[19]
  1. "Perfect Way to Die" – 3:31

References
  1. Kaufman, Gil (2020-06-19). "Alicia Keys' 'Perfect Way to Die' is a Heartbreaking, Moving Tale of a Mother's Grief". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  2. Richards, Will (2020-07-02). "Alicia Keys Debuts Powerful 'Perfect Way To Die' Video at BET Awards". NME. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  3. Romano, Nick (2020-06-19). "Alicia Keys Releases Powerful Ballad 'Perfect Way to Die' in Response to Police Brutality". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  4. Mixon, Imani (2020-07-01). "Alicia Keys On Her New Song, Blackness, And Fighting Racial Inequality: "Racism Is The Major Pandemic"". British Vogue. Condé Nast.
  5. "Alicia Keys "Perfect Way to Die" Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  6. Legaspi, Althea (2020-06-19). "Alicia Keys Addresses Police Brutality in Protest Song 'Perfect Way to Die'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  7. Cinquemani, Sal (2020-09-15). "Review: Alicia Keys's Alicia Strikes a Careful Balance Between Hope and Despair". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  8. Amorosi, A.D. (2020-09-18). "Alicia Keys Pushes the Limits of Her Voice and Imagination on 'Alicia': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  9. "Alicia Keys, LL Cool J And the New Wave of Protest Songs". BBC. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  10. Muggs, Joe (2020-09-18). "Album: Alicia Keys – Alicia". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  11. Drysdale, Jennifer (2020-06-28). "Alicia Keys' Moving Performance of 'Perfect Way to Die' at 2020 BET Awards Has Fans in Tears". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  12. Hines, Ree (2020-06-29). "Alicia Keys Gives Moving Performance of New Song 'Perfect Way to Die' at BET Awards". Today. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  13. Miller, Korin (2020-06-29). "Alicia Keys Honors Black Lives Lost To Police Brutality And Racism In New Song 'Perfect Way To Die'". Women's Health. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  14. Murphy, Chris (2020-06-19). "Alicia Keys Drops Emotional Ballad 'Perfect Way To Die' Inspired by Police Brutality". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  15. Wass, Mike (2020-06-19). "Alicia Keys Drops Powerful "Perfect Way To Die"". Idolator. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  16. Dolan, Jon (2020-09-21). "Alicia Keys Gives Us All a Helping Hand on 'Alicia'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  17. Ibrahim, Shamira (2020-06-19). "On 'Perfect Way To Die,' Alicia Keys Attempts To Approximate Black Anxiety". NPR. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  18. Alicia (booklet). Alicia Keys. RCA Records. 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "ALICIA by Alicia Keys on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
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