“Mourning Doves” by Jhené Aiko

The story of this song operates in both the past and present simultaneously.  It is themed on “mourning doves”, which are a type of bird, communicating with the singer and her significant other. And they do so is via their song.  Moreover, there seems to be two messages which they are relaying. First would be akin to the notion that the love between the singer and the addressee (i.e. her lover) is indeed real. And second is that in the aftermath of them breaking up, they should get back together and give their relationship another go. 

So at the end of the day, whereas Jhené seems to be literally referring to mourning doves, of course this narrative, in its entirety, is fantastical. Or stated otherwise, in summation what these doves actually represent is the genuineness of the love between she and her sweetheart.

Facts about “Mourning Doves”

In response to a Twitter post on 6 March 2020, Jhené Aiko stated that this song features a sample of “actual mourning doves cooing”.

This track is featured on her third solo album, “Chilombo”.

Its release date was on 6 March 2020, and it was issued via Def Jam Records.

“Mourning Doves” was written by Jhené Aiko and one of her regular collaborators, Lejkeys. And Lejkeys also produced the track. FYI, Lejkeys co-wrote and co-produced the majority of the tracks on “Chilombo”. Some of them include: “10K Hours” and “One Way St.“.