Liar (Rollins Band song)

"Liar"
Single by Rollins Band
from the album Weight
Released 1994
Format
Recorded 1993–1994
Genre Alternative metal[1][2]
Length
  • 6:34 (album)
  • 4:19 (radio)
  • 4:49 (video)
Label Imago
Songwriter(s) Rollins Band
Producer(s) Theo Van Rock
Rollins Band singles chronology
"Low Self Opinion"
(1992)		 "Liar"
(1994)		 "Disconnect"
(1994)

"Low Self Opinion"
(1992)		 "Liar"
(1994)		 "Disconnect"
(1994)

"Liar" is a song by Rollins Band and the lead single from their fourth full-length album, Weight, released in 1994. It was the album's only charting single and is one of the group's best known songs.

Background

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. He is also seen dressed in a Superman parody costume, a police officer uniform and a nun's habit.

Upon release, the "Liar" video gained heavy airplay on MTV and appeared on Beavis and Butt-head. 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."[3]

"Liar" was named the 64th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[4] It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Rollins Band performed the song at the 37th Grammy Awards Ceremony.

Despite the song's popularity, Rollins himself would later reveal on BBC's HARDtalk that "Liar" was originally performed at shows as a joke with no refined chord structure and was actually recorded with the intention of being a b-side and to not even be featured on Weight. However, when the record label heard it they immediately recognized its potential to become a hit and proposed it be the lead single.

Accolades

Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1994Studio BrusselsBelgium "Best Songs of the Year (1994)"21[5]
2004Kerrang!United Kingdom "666 Songs You Must Own (Alternative Rock)"*[6]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 65
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 9
US Mainstream Rock Tracks 40
US Modern Rock Tracks 26

References

  1. ↑ Death and Taxes (2015-12-10). "Here's crazy Trump lady mashed up with Rollins Band's 'Liar' video". Deathandtaxesmag.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  2. ↑ Terich, Jeff and Adam Blyweiss (October 3, 2012). "10 Essential Alternative Metal Singles". Treblezine. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Beavis & Butthead - Liar by Rollins Band". YouTube. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Studio Brussels – Best Songs of the Year (1994)". Studio Brussels. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Kerrang! – 666 Songs You Must Own (Alternative Rock)". Kerrang!. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  7. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 19 Jun 1994". ARIA. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
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