Alicia Keys Honors Lives Lost To Injustice On New Song 'Perfect Way To Die'

By Paris Close

June 19, 2020

Alicia Keys’ latest song is an anthem for our times.

The R&B singer-songwriter’s newest record, “Perfect Way to Die,” pays remembrance to the myriad of beautiful, departed souls to perish from this world due to social injustice. The emotive ballad illustrates harrowing yet familiar images of innocent lives being taken away, leaving loved ones mourning in their loss.

“Simple walk to the corner store/ Mama never thought she would be gettin' a call from the coroner/ Said her son's been gunned down, been gunned down/ ‘Can you come now?’ Tears in her eyes, ‘Can you calm down? Please, ma'am, can you calm down?’” Keys opens the record over slow, stirring piano melodies.

Speaking of the record on social media, the 39-year-old wrote, “I have felt called by music like I never have before.⁣⁣ I have been following its lead.⁣⁣ It has led me to the song ‘A Perfect Way to Die’. The song title is so powerful and heartbreaking because WE are heartbroken by so many who have died unjustly.⁣⁣”

“Of course, there is NO perfect way to die,” Keys added. “That phrase doesn’t even make sense.⁣⁣ Just like it doesn’t make sense that there are so many innocent lives that should not have been taken from us due to the destructive culture of police violence.”

If you sense an ache of urgency in “A Perfect Way to Die,” it’s because it painfully resonates with our current era as the nation continues to reckon with its history of deep-seated racism after the fatal arrest of George Floyd, the unarmed Black man whose death sparked a global insurgence in the name of justice and equality.

Keys’ new track is the latest to drop from her forthcoming album, ALICIA, after releasing powerful tunes like “Underdog” and “Good Job” earlier this year.

Photo: Getty Images

Alicia Keys
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