Alan Jackson: Mourning Has Broken

Alan Jackson performs at the Nightly Concert on the Vault Concert Stage LP Field Saturday, June 7 in Downtown Nashville during the 2008 CMA Music Festival. Photographer: John Russell / CMA

Feb. 10, 2009 — One of the songs on Alan Jackson’s Good Time album that received the most attention upon its release was a track that went emotionally opposite the exuberance the CD’s title implies.

"Sissy’s Song" is a quiet, questioning piece that Alan wrote to honor a friend that passed away, and Arista Records released it to radio stations as a single on Monday.

"There was a lady that worked here at our house, at our household, and they’d been with us for a few years," Alan says. "She was like family and just a sweet, young woman and just part of your life more than some of my relatives back in Georgia. She died suddenly in an accident [in 2007], and I had a hard time dealin’ with it. I just didn’t feel right. It was just tough on all of us. But then I sat down one day and wrote this song, and after that I felt all right. It might help anybody that’s lost someone — especially if they’re young and untimely — it might help ‘em a little bit."

"Sissy’s Song" is the fourth single from Good Time, following "Small Town Southern Man," the title track and "Country Boy."

It’s not the only song Nashville labels chose to put out the day after the Grammy Awards. Other singles sent to radio the same day include Sugarland’s "It Happens" and Pat Green’s "Country Star," plus debut releases from two new acts: Caitlin & Will’s "Even Now" and Love And Theft’s "Runaway." If Love And Theft sounds familiar, it might be because of the band’s connection to Taylor Swift: "Hey Stephen," from her Fearless album, is named after group member Stephen Barker Liles.