Good Job (song)

"Good Job" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was written by Keys, The-Dream, Swizz Beatz and Avery Chambliss and produced by Keys. The song was released through RCA Records on April 23, 2020, as the fourth single from Keys' seventh studio album "Alicia" (2020).
A piano ballad, the song is dedicated to frontline workers fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The song received a positive critical reception, with many complimenting the song's message and Keys' vocals. Keys premiered the song during a performance on CNN, which was used as the song's visual. Lyric video for the song was released on May 28, 2020.
Background.
"Good Job" was written by Keys in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspiration behind the song were people in Keys' own life who "work so hard and never hear the words 'good job'", such as her mother and grandmother. In an Instagram post, one of the song's songwriters, The-Dream, explained that Keys "play[ed] some of the idea to Good Job and I fell in love with the idea of the song and shared my own experiences as we seem to feel similar when it comes to the engines that move life unknowingly to most". Keys stated that :" “Crazily enough, this song is like, it was written for this moment…there are so many people who are heroes among us right now”. The song was used in a campaign by Ad Council called Out There for Us, to thank the essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Composition and lyrics.
The song is written in the key of A major with a time signature and a tempo of 60 beats per minute. The song uses piano as the main instrumentation. Keys starts the song singing: “You are the engine that makes all things go / And you are always in disguise, my hero” In the song, Keys repeats ""Good job / You’re doing a good job". 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".
Critical reception.
Jon Blistein from "Rolling Stone" described the song as a "classic Keys ballad". According to "PopSugar", "Good Job" is an "empowering and uplifting anthem" that "every essential worker needs to hear and take to heart". "That Grape Juice" called it an "haunting hymn" while Revolt called it an "emotionally-charged number". "Euphoria. Magazine" described the song as "sonically simple" in which Keys' "assuring, confident voice booms". Fox 2 Detroit also praised Keys' vocals, writing that her "voice reverberat[es] louder with poise and passion as the tune progresses". In his review of the "Alicia" album, Nick Levine from "NME", wrote that the song is "warm, well-meaning and primed to provide some much-needed musical healing" like most songs on the album.
Credits and personnel.
Adapted from "Alicia" album liner notes.