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"He's a Liar" | ||||
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Single by Bee Gees | ||||
from the album Living Eyes | ||||
B-side | "He's a Liar" (Instrumental) | |||
Released | 19 September 1981 | |||
Recorded | February –June 1981 | |||
Genre | Rock [1] | |||
Length | 4:00 4:36 (extended intro) | |||
Label | RSO | |||
Songwriter(s) | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | |||
Producer(s) |
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Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||
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"He's a Liar" is a song by the Bee Gees, released on 19 September 1981 as the first single from their album Living Eyes . [2] The song was written by brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.
Unlike the last three Bee Gees albums – which included primarily their established, longstanding studio and touring band – "He's a Liar" features an array of studio musicians: Don Felder of Eagles on lead guitars, Harold Cowart on bass, Steve Gadd on drums, and Richard Tee on piano. A version with a slightly longer intro was released as a 12-inch single in Germany and later on the Japan-only compilation Rare Collection. It was recorded between the months of February and June 1981. [3] This song is rumoured to have been inspired by the feud the Bee Gees were having with their manager (and owner of their record label), Robert Stigwood, at the time. The brothers would later reconcile with Stigwood and remain good friends.
Even though this song sounded nothing like the Bee Gees' disco-era singles, the backlash had pigeonholed the Bee Gees as a disco act and radio stations were reluctant to play any new Bee Gees music. After six consecutive number-one singles in the US, "He's a Liar" peaked at number 30, which was far from the heights of their success in the late '70s. The song did better in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In Italy, the single sold 60,000 copies in two weeks. [4] The song's only appearance on a compilation was 1990's Tales from the Brothers Gibb .
Record World said that it has "a loping rhythm, recurring synthesizer bass figure" and "the Bee Gees' trademark harmonies." [5]
A video was made for the song which featured the three Gibb brothers and Sixteen Candles actress Haviland Morris. Robin portrays a man who is a lover of a woman, played by Haviland. However, Maurice spots the pair kissing, and he shoots them. After fleeing from the house, Maurice evades the police on foot, nearly getting caught. Eventually, he is cornered and thrown into a police car but manages to escape. In the last shot, a car drives down a darkened street and Maurice follows on foot, still being pursued by police. An ambulance with Robin and Haviland inside follows as the video and song fades out. The brothers also mime to the song in several shots.
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] | 38 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [7] | 15 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [8] | 33 |
Germany (GfK) [9] | 68 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [10] | 12 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] | 17 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 82 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 30 |
US Cash Box | 40 |
US Record World | 43 |
The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s. The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history. They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music.
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Gibb is well known for his wide vocal range including a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.
Andrew Roy Gibb was an English singer and songwriter. He was the younger brother of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, musicians who had formed the Bee Gees during the late-1950s. Gibb came to prominence in the late-1970s through the early-1980s with eight singles reaching the Top 20 of the US Hot 100, three of which went to No. 1: "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (1977), "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" (1977), and "Shadow Dancing" (1978). In the early 1980s, he co-hosted the American music television series Solid Gold. He also performed in a production of The Pirates of Penzance and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Gibb would later have substance use problems and depression. He died on 10 March 1988 aged 30.
Cucumber Castle is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, released in April 1970. It was produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. It consists of songs from their television special of the same name, which was named after a song on their 1967 album Bee Gees' 1st. Cucumber Castle is the only Bee Gees album not to feature any recorded contributions from Robin Gibb, as he had left the group before the album was recorded.
Size Isn't Everything is the twentieth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in the UK on 13 September 1993, and the US on 2 November of the same year. The brothers abandoned the contemporary dance feel of the previous album High Civilization and went for what they would describe as "A return to our sound before Saturday Night Fever".
"Night Fever" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever on RSO Records. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was wary of marketing a movie with that name. The song bounded up the Billboard charts while the Bee Gees’ two previous hits from Saturday Night Fever soundtrack were still in the top ten. The record debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at #76, then leaped up 44 positions to #32. It then moved: 32–17–8–5–2–1. It remained at #1 for eight weeks, and ultimately spent 13 weeks in the top 10. For the first five weeks that "Night Fever" was at #1, "Stayin' Alive" was at #2. Also, for one week in March, Bee Gees related songs held five of the top positions on the Hot 100 chart, and four of the top five positions, with "Night Fever" at the top of the list. The B-side of "Night Fever" was a live version of "Down the Road" taken from the Bee Gees 1977 album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live.
"Jive Talkin'" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album Main Course. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and top-five on the UK Singles Chart in the middle of 1975. Largely recognised as the group's comeback song, it was their first US top-10 hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971).
"I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album Idea, which was released as a single in December of that year. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to content themselves with a Polydor version by Heath Hampstead. This is the last Bee Gees single to feature Vince Melouney's guitar work, as he left the band in early December after this song was released as a single.
"Words" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The song reached No. 1 in Germany, Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
2 Years On is the eighth studio album by the Bee Gees, which reached No. 32 on the US charts. Released in 1970, the album saw the return of Robin Gibb to the group after an earlier disagreement and subsequent split following Odessa. 2 Years On was the first album with drummer Geoff Bridgford, who remained a full-time member of the group until 1972 although he was not pictured on the sleeve. The best-known track is "Lonely Days". Released as the first single by the reunited brothers, it charted high in the US, but only reached No. 33 in the United Kingdom.
"How Deep Is Your Love" is a ballad written and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 and released as a single in September of that year by RSO Records. It was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number-three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1977 and stayed in the Top 10 for 17 weeks. It spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart. It is listed at No. 27 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. Alongside "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever", it is one of the group's three tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That for their 1996 Greatest Hits album, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in Cashbox magazine for two weeks.
"New York Mining Disaster 1941" is the debut American single by the Bee Gees, released on 14 April 1967. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Aside from a moderately successful reissue of their Australian single "Spicks and Specks," it was the first single release of the group's international career and their first song to hit the charts in both the UK and the US. It was produced by Ossie Byrne with their manager Robert Stigwood as executive producer. The song was the first track of side two on the group's international debut album, Bee Gees' 1st. This was the first single with Australian drummer Colin Petersen as an official member of the band.
"Living Eyes" is a power ballad recorded by the Bee Gees and was released in November 1981 as the second single and title track off the LP of the same name. It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. The sound of this single was closer musically to the rest of the album than its predecessor, "He's a Liar".
"To Love Somebody" is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Produced by Robert Stigwood, it was the second single released by the Bee Gees from their international debut album, Bee Gees 1st, in 1967. The single reached No. 17 in the United States and No. 41 in the United Kingdom. The song's B-side was "Close Another Door". The single was reissued in 1980 on RSO Records with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" as its flipside. The song ranked at number 94 on NME magazine's "100 Best Tracks of the Sixties". The entry was a minor hit in France but reached the top 10 in Canada.
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"First of May" is a song by the Bee Gees with lead vocals by Barry Gibb, released as a single from their 1969 double album Odessa. Its B-side was "Lamplight". It also featured as the B-side of "Melody Fair" when that song was released as a single in the Far East in 1971 as well as in 1976 and 1980 on RSO Records. It was the first Bee Gees single to be released after lead guitarist Vince Melouney had left the group.
"Tomorrow Tomorrow" is a song by the Bee Gees written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was originally intended to be recorded by Joe Cocker. It was the first Bee Gees single released after Robin Gibb had quit the group which was now down to a trio featuring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and drummer Colin Petersen.
"Guilty" is a vocal duet between Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb. The song was written by all three Bee Gees: Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. Released as a single from Streisand's 1980 album of the same name, "Guilty" peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 5 on the adult contemporary chart. In the UK, the song reached No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was certified gold by the RIAA. In addition, "Guilty" won a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. The song also appeared on the 2001 Bee Gees compilation, Their Greatest Hits: The Record.
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