"Liar" is a song by Rollins Band and the lead single from their fourth album, Weight, released in 1994. It was the album's only charting single and is one of the group's best known songs.
| "Liar" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rollins Band | ||||
| from the album Weight | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
| Genre | Alternative metal[1][2] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Imago | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rollins Band | |||
| Producer(s) | Theo Van Rock | |||
| Rollins Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editIn 2011,[3] Rollins reported that "Liar" began during one of the first practice jam sessions with bassist Melvin Gibbs who joined in 1993, replacing Andrew Weiss. "Liar" was a loose, humorous improvisation performed at live concerts until executives at Imago Records suggested the song had the potential to be a hit single. Rollins thought the song was a b-side that would not even be featured on Weight. However, when the record label heard it they immediately proposed it be the lead single. The lyrics are narrated from the perspective of a manipulative liar who repeatedly takes pleasure from deceiving others after luring them closer with false sympathy and friendship: "And all the time that you're needing me / Is just the time that I'm bleeding you".
Both a short edit (4:19) and a longer "video edit" (4:49) were distributed as CD singles in various territories, often with one or more unreleased tracks from the Weight sessions added; these and other outtakes were included in the 2004 release Weighting.
The video edit of "Liar" was featured in the song's music video and features a different vocal track and slightly different lyrics in the opening section. Directed by Anton Corbijn, the video itself features alternating depictions of vocalist Henry Rollins. During the song's verses, he wears glasses and a plain black T-shirt and speaks in a calm, soothing tone about trust and friendship; from one verse to the next, his arms and face become increasingly stained with black paint. For the chorus segments, he is shirtless and painted red, wildly jumping and flailing about as he screams derisively at his audience for believing his lies. He is also seen dressed in a Superman parody costume, a police officer uniform, and a nun's habit.
Meaning and musical style
editThe song's lyrics are from the perspective of a serial liar who alternates between declarations of sympathy and friendship on the one hand, then repeatedly gloating celebrations of their deceptions. Shortly after the release of Weight, Rollins said that "Liar" was not specifically written from the perspective of an abusive male character, but rather from a more general perspective.[4]
In 2005, music critic and author Essi Berelian described the song's style as "jazz metal".[5] Bass guitarist Melvin Gibbs worked extensively in jazz before joining Rollins Band, and Rollins himself is a jazz enthusiast. In his 1998 book Turned On: A Biography of Henry Rollins, author James Parker wrote that, "'Liar' is a classic Rollins Band arrangement, following the contours of what is basically a hard-edged, stand-up routine: first the easy listening hull of the verse, in which Rollins, his musicians hitting a bullshit cocktail hour groove behind him, seduces his lover with the promise of an end to loneliness — and then the explosive heavy metal punchline of the chorus in which he reveals himself as a parasite, destroyer, liar, a iago like instrument of evil."[6]
Reception and legacy
editIt was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1995, with Rollins Band performing the song at the ceremony. Upon release, the "Liar" video gained heavy airplay on MTV. This led to it appearing as part of the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Liar! Liar!", which aired on July 15, 1994. In the episode, Beavis becomes excited about the chorus, repeating the word "Liar!" in the same way he typically says "Fire! Fire! Fire!". Butt-head comes to the conclusion that "lying rules."[7]
"Liar" was named the 64th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[8] It was included in the 1997 book The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era, which called it a "bravura piece of heavy metal as performance art."[9] In 2019, former Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman ranked it fifth on his list of the "10 Best Metal Videos Of The '90s."[10]
Accolades
edit| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Studio Brussels | Belgium | "Best Songs of the Year (1994)" | 21[11] |
| 2004 | Kerrang! | United Kingdom | "666 Songs You Must Own (Alternative Rock)" | *[12] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | ||||
Charts
edit| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 65 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 28 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[15] | 27 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[16] | 9 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[17] | 26 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[18] | 40 |
References
edit- ^ Death and Taxes (December 10, 2015). "Here's crazy Trump lady mashed up with Rollins Band's 'Liar' video". Deathandtaxesmag.com. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ^ Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam (October 3, 2012). "10 Essential Alternative Metal Singles". Treblezine.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- ^ Will Harris Another Chat With Henry Rollins Bullz-Eye.com, 02/11/2011, accessed 22 September 2019
- ^ "Rollins Band, Henry Rollins, Biohazard- MTV Headbangers Ball 5/15/94 xfer from VHS Master Tape". December 10, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Berelian, Essi (2005). The Rough to Heavy Metal. Dorling Kindersley.
- ^ Parker, James (1998). Turned on: A Biography of Henry Rollins. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 978-0-8154-1050-8. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Beavis & Butthead - Liar by Rollins Band". September 15, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ Pollock, Bruce (1997). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-46303-8. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "Liar by Rollins Band". Songfacts.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Studio Brussels – Best Songs of the Year (1994)". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Kerrang! – 666 Songs You Must Own (Alternative Rock)". Kerrang!. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 238.
- ^ "Rollins Band – Liar" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Rollins Band: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Rollins Band Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Rollins Band Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Rollins Band Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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