Tell Me a Lie
| "Tell Me a Lie" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Janie Fricke | ||||
| from the album It Ain't Easy | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Mickey Buckins, Barbara Wyrick | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Montgomery | |||
| Janie Fricke singles chronology | ||||
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"Tell Me a Lie" is a song written by Mickey Buckins and Barbara Wyrick, and recorded by American country music artist Janie Fricke. It was released in 1983 as the fourth single from the album It Ain't Easy.
In 1983, Janie Fricke picked up the song "Tell Me a Lie" as to be released as her next single in 1983. During this time, Fricke racked up a good amount of hits, like "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy" and "I Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry". The song had been originally recorded and released during the 1970s by country recording artist Lynn Anderson. The song had been released on Anderson's You're My Man album, which featured her number 1 hit single "You're My Man". However, because of the big success of "You're My Man", "Tell Me a Lie" was never released as a single by Anderson, probably because she had other songs that she'd wanted to release as singles. "Tell Me a Lie" would however become a Top 20 pop hit and a minor country hit for female singer Sami Jo in 1974.
In 1981, Bettye LaVette recorded an R&B version of the song on Motown. It was released as the title track of her album the following year.[1]
Shortly thereafter, Fricke's record producer at the time Billy Sherrill, had suggested that Fricke would record the song. Listening to Sherrill, Fricke recorded the song in 1983. By this time though, Fricke had produced a number 1 hit in 1983 called "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy". Fricke soon released "Tell Me a Lie" as a single on the country charts that year.
By 1983, "Tell Me a Lie" was Janie Fricke's fourth number one hit on the Country charts.[2] The song and its album that it was featured on titled It Ain't Easy became very successful and became one of Fricke's signature songs from her career. Since the song's release, it has been featured in numerous compilation albums featuring various artists. Since then, very few artists have recorded the song, but the song still remains as a big hit from the 1980s. The song, like many of Fricke's songs and many other songs coming out of Nashville at the time, sounded more like glitzy Pop material than simple Country twang. By some people at the time, the song was criticized for its Pop sound. However, the song didn't make the Pop charts that year, and in fact none of Fricke's songs ever made the Pop charts. In 2004, Janie released a bluegrass album, entitled The Bluegrass Sessions, which featured re-makes of Fricke's biggest hits. The album featured "Tell Me a Lie".
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
External links
References
- ↑ Tell Me A Lie (Media notes). Bettye LaVette. Hollywood, California: Motown Record Corporation. 1982.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 128.
| Preceded by "A Little Good News" by Anne Murray |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single December 10, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Black Sheep" by John Anderson |
| RPM Country Tracks number-one single December 17, 1983 |
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