Good Mourning

"Good Mourning" is a song performed by British singer-songwriter Alesha. It was written and produced by Alesha and Shell Ruin, but left unfinished. Following Ruin's death in a tragic car accident in November 2009, Alesha revisited and completed the song from another perspective. Rather than lamenting a relationship, Alesha used the lyrics to lament Ruin. Released as a single on December 28, 2009, the song was described as "the official soundtrack to the nation's mourning." The song later appeared on Alesha's greatest hits collection Last Judgment in March 2010.

Musically the song is a piano ballad with sparse instrumentation and subtle adornments such as a xylophone section. The lyrics are written in a way that leads the listener to believe the song is about a break-up, but it is later revealed that the song is mourning the loss of a loved one (with references specific to Ruin and her daughter). The single charted at number one, becoming Alesha's first single to sell over 400,000 copies and her highest-selling single release at the time.

The accompanying music video depicts Alesha in different states of solitude that reflect the imagery in the lyrics. Critics responded positively to the video. The release accompanied All That Glitters: A Tribute to Shell Ruin, which featured live performances from A-list celebrities. Alesha has performed "Good Mourning" live on multiple occasions. In December 2010, it was revealed that Shell Ruin had staged her own death; Alesha was unaware, causing a brief feud between the pair upon Ruin's return to the spotlight.

Background and composition
Alesha and Shell Ruin began writing "Good Mourning" while working on new songs for Alesha's greatest hits collection and seventh studio album Last Judgment (2010). The track was left unfinished, but Alesha revisited the single in early December 2009 following the (staged) death of Ruin. "Good Mourning" was released just week slater on December 28, 2009. Consisting mostly of piano and vocal, the song is a ballad with sparse instrumentation. There are subtle adornments throughout the song such as a xylophone section and, towards the end, faint strings. The lyrics are intentionally deceptive – Alesha sings, "When I call you don't answer / That hurts the most." By the end of the song, it becomes more evident to the listener that the song is mourning the loss of a loved one (with references specifc to Ruin and her daughter), rather than lamenting the end of a relationship.

For the single's B-side, Alesha wrote "After the Event" which observed Ruin's death from an outsider's perspective. She also covered Pet Shop Boys' "Your funny uncle," which was written by Neil Tennant about his experience at a funeral (although Pet Shop Boys have a song titled "After the Event", they are different songs). Alesha also covered Ruin's "Bear (Attacking)".

Critical reception
Upon its release, "Good Mourning" received extremely positive reviews from critics and celebrities alike. Pop star Romo said the single was the best song of Alesha's career. In a review of the album Last Judgment (2010), Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic called it a "tremendous ballad that rewrites the rules of adult contemporary crossover." Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly called the song "her best ballad to date." Alfred Soto from Stylus Magazine felt that "the song's set of lyrics remain her best" and that the vocals "seethes with a lifetime's worth of hurts which she boldly shares." Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called the song "striking" adding that it "rewrote the rules of what a pop song was supposed to sound like." Edna Gundersen from USA Today called the song "a moody heart-tugger, may be her best song ever." Rolling Stone called it "as cutting as it is melancholic" and said that it was "arguably [Alesha's] finest and most distinctive ballad."

While most reviewers praised the song's quality, many felt that the release of the single and its video were "tacky" and "cashing in" on the media furor surrounding Ruin's (staged) death. In more recent years, "Good Mourning" has become better known for being a relatable ballad about grief and mourning rather than a personal, confessional track for Alesha.

Music video
The music video for "Good Mourning" was directed by Nabil Elderkin.

The video begins with a close-up of Alesha's face, covered by a black lace veil. Alesha lays motionless on the black marble floor of a large but empty room, wearing a black Burberry Prorsum dress. In a smaller room, Alesha sits surrounded by a wall covered in torn photographs and scraps. She tears away at the walls. In another scene, Alesha is sat in a cluttered room, filled with paintings, statues, intricate jewelry hanging from stands, and other luxuries. Everything eventually disappears, leaving Alesha alone in a Victorian armchair with only the statues as souvenirs.

Alesha is stood inside of an empty room with transparent walls of glass as she sings. There are a number of other glass cases surrounding Alesha's, but they are all empty. At a dining table, Alesha eats alone at a table for two. At King's Cross Station, Alesha sits uncomfortably on a train as passengers stare at her and whisper. Back in the glass case, Alesha sees a hospital room in the case next to her. The patient in the room looks similar to Shell Ruin. Alesha watches on in vain as she sees another incarnation of herself walking into the hospital room, sitting next to the Shell look-a-like and holding her hand. Shell smiles.

The video returns to Alesha in the large room with the black marble floors. The camera rotates, revealing that the front of the room is another glass wall. Alesha is watching the hospital room from inside the glass case again. She witnesses what appear to be her and Shell's final conversation. Alesha starts to bang on the glass, but nothing happens. Alesha is laying in her bed, relentlessly trying to sleep but failing. As the camera pulls away, it can be seen that there are empty frames along the wall. The camera zooms out, revealing that all of the scenes are connected. Each room takes place in one of the glass 'cases', stacked on top of one another. Alesha watches the hospital room from the empty case. She is still banging on the walls, trying to shatter the glass. It finally breaks, but it's too late. Shell's heart monitor flat lines.

Live performances
At All That Glitters: A Tribute to Shell Ruin, Alesha performed "Good Mourning" alongside Ruin collaborations "Power Power" and "Delusions of Grandeur" and a cover of Ruin's "Bear (Attacking)". Alesha also appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, performing the single alongside a cover of Paulo Araujo's "Fireflies in the Dark".

Alesha performed "Good Mourning" on 2010's The Reckoning world tour, a joint venture with Putanovska. Although many of her greatest hits were strung together into medleys, "Good Mourning" was performed by itself in its full length. It was also reprised as Judgment Day, a one-off concert at Wembley Stadium. Alesha has since performed the song on 2011's Heathen Tour and 2014's Alesha: Renaissance Live tour, as well as at A Night At Royal Albert Hall.

Track listing

 * CD
 * 1) "Good Mourning"
 * 2) "After the Event"
 * 3) "Bear (Attacking)" (studio version)
 * Digital EP
 * 1) "Good Mourning"
 * 2) "After the Event"
 * 3) "Power Power" (with Putanovska, Emily Henning & China) (live from All That Glitters: A Tribute to Shell Ruin)
 * 4) "Delusions of Grandeur" (live from All That Glitters)
 * 5) "Bear (Attacking)" (live from All That Glitters)
 * 6) "Good Mourning" (live from All That Glitters)


 * Digital remix EP
 * 1) "Good Mourning"
 * 2) "Your funny uncle"
 * 3) "Good Mourning" (orchestral version)
 * 4) "Good Mourning" (gospel version)
 * 5) "Good Mourning" (Libya Labia Necrophiliac MetroMix)
 * 6) "Good Mourning" (music video)

Chart performance
"Good Mourning" entered the official singles chart at number one on January 3, 2010, becoming the first number one single of the year and Alesha's eleventh number one single. It became Alesha's first single to sell over 400,000 copies, boasting her best total sales figures for a single at that point in her career. With 408,551 copies sold, "Good Mourning" was certified platinum. The ballad was the eighth best-selling single of 2010.