Cruising

"Cruising" is a song by British recording artist Alesha. The song was written and produced by Alesha for her ninth studio album afterhours (2015). "Cruising" was released as the fifth and final single from the album by Fusion Records on April 25, 2016, due to a positive fan response. It was also released to coincide with Alesha's Cruising World Tour, which kicked off on December 31, 2015 and continued through June 2016.

The song is built around a sample from the Pet Shop Boys song "Being Boring" (1990). Lyrically, the song actually is about the act of cruising for sex – walking or driving about a locality in search of casual sex. Alesha said, "I wanted to paint it in a more beautiful light." Unlike songs like "M4M", "Cruising" is less brazen in its sexuality. Contemporary critics appreciated the song, calling it fluid in nature and a wonderful synthpop track.

An accompanying music video for the song, directed by provocateur Larry Clark, proved controversial with its portrayal of casual sex and a notably violent depiction of rape. It was criticized by both conservative and liberal media outlets, though Alesha defended her art for distinguishing the perils and pleasures of "cruising". The song became Alesha's 19th number one single and the best selling single of 2016, spending ten weeks in the top ten of the official singles chart.

Background and composition
"Cruising" is one of a handful of tracks written in the earliest sessions for Alesha's ninth studio album afterhours (2015). "In Love Today" was written as early as April 2014 (even ahead of the release of Alesha's previous studio album). "M4M", "Keeping Me Alive", "Repressed" and "Cruising" were written in June. As with "In Love Today", Alesha was inspired by British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys while writing and producing "Cruising". The song contains a sample of their 1990 single "Being Boring", which has become one of their signature songs to perform.

Lyrically, "Crusing" discusses the act of cruising for sex. Cruising is walking or driving about a locality in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety. The term is also used when technology is used to find casual sex, such as using an Internet site or smartphone app. "A lot of people see promiscuity and things like cruising as lewd or immoral and I wanted to paint it in a more beautiful light," Alesha said. According to Alesha, she wanted to capture the complicated feelings that drive a person to seek such casual encounters. In the chorus, Alesha sings, "We color in lines in seclusion / We've had our whole lives to grow disillusioned / Underneath street lamps we're cruising."

Critical reception
David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said that it was fluid in nature and called Alesha a "restless soul aching to connect" in the song. Jason Shawhan from About.com also complimented the song by describing it as a "weird and wonderful number." Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork Media wrote: "On 'Cruising', as synths ebb and flow moodily, Alesha asserts, 'We offend and transcend', over a tripping vocal melody." Joan Morgan of The Village Voice wrote: "Alesha offers up an irresistible manipulation of rather soft vocals laced over tinny percussion, twinkling synthesizers, and a few subtle soul-claps thrown in for good measure." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian admitted that the chorus of the song is triumphant.

Commercial response
"Cruising" entered the official singles chart at number one on May 1, 2016. It shifted 114,473 copies in its first week, largely attributed to the premiere of afterhours, en vivo on HBO and Sky, the song's music video and the previously unreleased B-side "Ballad of San Francisco". "Cruising" spent two further weeks in the runner-up position behind Audiodrama's "Too Cool for Vegas", selling an additional 200,000 copies in this time. In its fourth week on the chart, the single shifted another 100,000 units in its final week in the top five. "Cruising" was certified platinum after six weeks of release. By the end of its ten-week run in the top ten, sales had reached 768,237 copies. The single ultimately sold 829,996 copies in its 17 weeks on the top 40 singles chart, becoming the best selling single of 2016 and Alesha's third single to sell over 800,000 copies.

On the Urapopstar Airplay 40, "Cruising" entered the chart at number 37 on the week ending March 27. The following week it rocketed to number 14 as the fourth greatest airplay gainer. In its fourth week on the airplay chart, "Cruising" entered the top ten. With the single's release, "Cruising" peaked at number one on the airplay chart. It also topped the official digital chart.

Development
On March 29, Alesha tweeted, "A music video for #Cruising will be coming i promise" and addressed the absence of music videos for her previous singles "Rogue Smoke" and "New York Cab".A music video for "Cruising" was filmed in Miami, Florida on April 4 and 5, and in New York City on April 10 and 11. Alesha's scenes were completed in Miami, where she had performed three nights at the American Airline Arena. Supermodel Naomi Campbell co-stars with Alesha. A young male actor was cast to play a central role in the music video; his scenes were recorded in New York City. Larry Clark, the provocateur behind the controversial film Kids (1995) and photography book Tulsa (1971), directed the clip. The video premiered on Friday, April 22, days before the single's official release.

Synopsis
The clip opens with Alesha on the beach; the quality of the image is very blurry, as if it were archival footage. Throughout the video, Alesha is seen frolicking on the beach with Naomi Campbell. Ultimately, the pair engage in sapphic foreplay in an outdoor shower. Meanwhile, the young male exits a New York subway. He goes to a stranger's apartment building, where he shares cocaine and a bottle of wine with an older gentleman. The pair eventually have sex, where the older man is the recipient. Things become rough when the older male flips the scripts and attempts to penetrate the younger male. The young man tries to resist, but things become increasingly violent as things move from the bedroom to the bathroom. All the while, Alesha and Campbell are seen climaxing. As Alesha smokes a post-coital cigarette, the young man, bleeding, limps out of the bathroom and sees the older man bent over the coffee table, preparing to snort a line. The young male picks up the bottle of wine from the coffee table and smashes it over the aggressor's head. The video closes with Alesha and Campbell laughing, while the young man, visibly shaken, is riding home on the subway drenched in blood.

Criticism
A number of critics were unappreciative of the music video, which was banned from rotation on television in a number of countries. Paraphrasing the video, The Daily Sun wrote, "Alesha and Nineties supermodel Naomi Campbell canoodle on the beach and engage in lesbian sex in the shower. [...] A young male guest star falls victim to graphic violence during a casual hook-up, all as Alesha and Campbell carry on with their own scenes." The video was predictably condemned by the American Family Association, who took issue with its drug usage, nudity, same-sex activity and violence. Even progressive left-leaning media outlets were critical of the video. "Alesha's juxtaposition of sex and rape in the clip exhibits a disturbing dissonance," wrote a Jezebel columnist. "The depiction of rape seems to be purely for entertainment purposes and shock value. It's unclear what Alesha is trying to prove here."

While Fusion Records declined to comment on the controversy, Alesha herself posted an official message on her website defending her video. "Throughout the afterhours era, I have so often spoken about the beauty of sexuality," she wrote. "It dawned on me that I have not once mentioned the dangers or repercussions of sex – that's irresponsible." She cited statistics regarding rape and sexual assault. She added, "The juxtaposition of casual sex and rape was intentional [...] There are things to be aware of with strangers – unpredictability, a lack of control, sexually transmitted disease and so on." Alesha instructed her fans to have "safe" fun.

Track listing and formats

 * CD / Digital EP
 * 1) "Cruising"
 * 2) "Ballad of San Francisco"
 * 3) "M4M" (live from Barcelona)
 * 4) "Cruising" (Viceroy remix)
 * 5) "New York cab" (Jacques Greene remix) (pre-order bonus track)