"Liar" | ||||
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Single by Camila Cabello | ||||
from the album Romance | ||||
Released | September 6, 2019 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Camila Cabello singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Liar" on YouTube |
"Liar" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released alongside "Shameless" on September 5, 2019, as a double single from the album. The song was written by Cabello, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Jon Bellion, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Lionel Richie, Jenny Berggren, Jonas Berggren, Malin Berggren, and Ulf Ekberg. Production was handled by Watt, The Monsters & Strangerz and Bellion.
"Liar" consists of trumpets, bass drums and horns, and contains samples of Richie's 1983 song "All Night Long (All Night)" and Ace of Base's 1992 song "All That She Wants". The lyrics depict Cabello's rekindled emotions for a former partner. It peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart, number 31 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was certified platinum in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Norway, Poland, and the United States.
An accompanying music video was directed by Dave Meyers and depicts Cabello trapped inside a time loop sequence. The time loop was compared to Groundhog Day (1993) and Russian Doll (2019), while the music video itself was compared to Inception (2010). Cabello performed the song at several televised events.
From August 31 to September 1, 2019, Cabello posted several teasers regarding her second project titled Romance (2019) to her social media accounts, which were scheduled to be released on September 6, 2019. The teasers included an image of Cabello seated around pillars signed 'R', a spoken-word video about love, and a clip of a key unlocking her mechanical heart. [1] The first installment for the project was announced on September 3, 2019, as she uploaded a 15-second video of tarots displaying the names of the double singles "Shameless" and "Liar". [2] [3] [4] Cabello explained her decision to release both songs simultaneously in a 2019 interview with Zach Sang, stating that she wanted people to become familiar with the sound of Romance. [5] The senior vice president of Epic Records, Sandra Afloarei acknowledged that the dual promotion of both songs had a positive impact on radio stations and considered it to be "a sign of the times". [6]
Musically, "Liar" is a pop song, [7] which contains an "island", [8] reggae, [9] and pan-Caribbean and Spanish mélange influences. [10] It samples Lionel Richie's 1983 song "All Night Long (All Night)" and Ace of Base's 1992 song "All That She Wants", which provides a jazz element to the song. [7] "Liar" opens with a combination of trumpets, dance-based bass drums, [11] and mariachi-inspired horns. Elements of Latin trap and flamenco are accompanied by electronic handclaps, which leads to the ska-pop chorus. [10] It rapidly cycles through styles of "salsa, reggaetón, flamenco, ska, [and] ballad[s]". [12]
"Liar" was written by Cabello, Alexandra Tamposi, Andrew Wotman, Jonathan Bellion, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Jenny Berggren, Jonas Berggren, Malin Berggren, Ulf Ekberg and Lionel Richie, and produced by Wotman, The Monsters and the Strangerz and Bellion. [13] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song was composed using 4
4 common time in the key of B minor. Cabello's vocal range spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of F♯5, giving the song a two octave vocal range. [14] Throughout "Liar", Cabello "moans, whispers, and whimpers". [11] The lyrics describe her experience of expressing feelings for a former partner, [7] as she "seductively" claims to be a liar since "their hearts are so intertwined". [11] Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated that Cabello "sings about how a certain kiss makes her lose control", [10] while Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos noted that she "fall[s] deeper in love" during the chorus' lyrics, "Oh no, there you go / Making me a liar / Got me begging you for more / Oh no, there I go / Startin' up a fire". [15]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
Pareles wrote that "Liar" is a song which "border-hop[s] at the speed of pop". [10] He listed the song at number 20 on his list of "The 54 Best Songs of 2019" and opined that is "a lighthearted plaint about the power of lust" which "work[s] nimbly and globally to hold elusive the pop attention span". [12]
"Liar" debuted at number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated September 21, 2019. [7] It peaked at number 52 on the chart dated November 2, 2019, [16] and received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 14, 2020, for sales of 1,000,000 equivalent-units. [17] On the UK Singles Chart dated October 18, 2019, the song peaked at number 21 and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. [18]
Cabello shared a preview of the music video through social media on September 9, 2019, with a clip of her answering three questions on a polygraph. [19] Cabello additionally stated that it was the "most fun video [she] ever made." [20] [21] The six-minute video was directed by Dave Meyers and released on September 12, 2019. [22] [23] Writing for MTV News, Patrick Hosken considered the music video to be a "mini movie". [20] Cabello portrays several fictional characters, [24] while Euphoria actor Zak Steiner portrays her engaged fiancé and billionaire oil tycoon called Reese Kensington. Keiynan Lonsdale, Nataliz Jimenez, and Chelsea Brea also appear in supporting roles. [20]
Cabello appears miserable while eating at an outdoor restaurant with her fiancé, Reese Kensington, who only sees her as his trophy wife. [23] She is in a love triangle with Kensington, and a restaurant busboy who gives her a note. [22] [25] Cabello exclaims, "I hate this restaurant... and I want a cheeseburger!" before exiting the restaurant, [20] which triggers the revival of previously wilted roses, waiters admitting that the food is 10 percent natural, two men "making out" while dating other women, a bald man removing a toupée, a man showing a sleeve tattoo to his mother, and a breakdancing waiter within 10 seconds. While Cabello reprimands Kensington, she is struck by a falling elephant from the sky. [22] She immediately wakes up and is placed in a time loop, repeating the same scene with Kensington after dying in various accidents which progressively become more surreal; these include choking to death, being run over by a horde of cyclists, and being swarmed by drones. [26] [27] Cabello inadvertently sets alight Kensington's mansion after burning the note given to her by the busboy, and escapes with "frizzed" hair. [22]
Cabello is taken away by the Truth Police to be placed on a polygraph machine while wearing a straitjacket. [20] Kensington questions her by pulling out a necklace and dildo from her purse. [22] Cabello awakes from the nightmare sequence following the polygraph interrogation, which seemingly breaks the time loop as she abandons Kensington for the busboy. [25] A digitally animated bird then flies into the room as three Latina talk show hosts including the main host and Cabello's alter ego La Flaca, and co-anchors Gordita and Tammy, comically criticize Cabello's actions and appearance. [22]
Liz Calvario of Entertainment Tonight commented that the music video is "telenovela-inspired" and described it as "fascinating", [23] while Karen Gwee of NME considered it to be "comedic" and "hilariously absurd". [27] Billboard writer Taylor Weatherby praised Cabello's acting skills and described the music video as a "cinematic masterpiece". [22] Writing for Rolling Stone, Althea Legaspi summarized the plot as "Cabello reliving a number of scenes that get progressively more ridiculous and humorous as she tries to escape her conflicting emotions", and noted that the music video contained similarities to the song's lyrics depicting a relationship while constantly denying their own emotions. She also compared the time loop sequence to the 1993 film Groundhog Day . [26] Hosken stated that the "extravagant" music video is similar to the 2019 streaming television series Russian Doll than Groundhog Day, contrasting Natasha Lyonne's "sense of purpose" in the former to Bill Murray's "aimless hedonism" in the latter. He added that the plot is "secondary to the overall experience" which he compared to the "mindfuckery" of the 2010 film Inception , and praised the cinematic scope, which he singled out "the pink shot of Cabello amid a sea of flamingos" as "downright dazzling" and acknowledged that she enjoyed portraying an increasingly unhinged person. [20] Wade Sheridan of United Press International (UPI) additionally compared the time loop sequence to Groundhog Day and Russian Doll. [25]
Cabello debuted the live performance of "Liar" at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 20, 2019, as the second-last song on her setlist. [28] Katie Atkinson of Billboard opined that the song's horn arrangement suited a live environment, [29] while Hayden Brooks of iHeartRadio considered her performance with the backup dancers to have high energy. [30] Cabello performed the song at the Fillmore Miami Beach in a private concert hosted by Verizon Up on September 25, 2019. [31] Cabello wore a white catsuit covered in bandages with white heels and "long curly locks", as she performed with a hip-swaying dance while clouds appeared on the screen's background. [9] On October 2, 2019, she appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge segment to perform "Liar" and a cover of Lewis Capaldi's 2018 song "Someone You Loved". [32] [33] Cabello performed the song on The Graham Norton Show dated October 25, 2019, [34] [35] where she embraced Emilia Clarke following the performance. [36] Cabello performed "Liar" at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in New York City on December 13, 2019, while wearing a pearl corset with latex pants. [37] During her virtual concert series titled 'Priceless Experiences at Home' which was released on July 15, 2020, Cabello performed "Liar" in a piano medley with "Señorita" and "My Oh My" by incorporating several vocal layers. [38]
Throughout the Born Pink World Tour by South Korean girl group Blackpink, member Jisoo performed a solo cover of "Liar" while sporting a red outfit, which was positively received by Cabello. [39] During their tour at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on November 19, 2022, Jisoo performed the song with Cabello, with the latter appearing in customized Blackpink-branded attire. [40] [41]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Liar" | 3:28 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Liar" (Live) | 3:06 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Romance . [13]
Recording
Personnel
Sample credits
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [104] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [105] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [106] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [107] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [108] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [109] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [110] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [111] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [112] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [113] | Gold | 5,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [114] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [115] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [17] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Sweden (GLF) [116] | Gold | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | September 5, 2019 | Original | |||
United Kingdom | September 6, 2019 | Contemporary hit radio | |||
Australia | Sony | ||||
Italy | September 13, 2019 | ||||
Various | December 12, 2019 | 12-inch picture disc |
| ||
December 20, 2019 |
| Live | |||
February 25, 2020 | 7-inch vinyl | Original |
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a song by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and American singer and Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello. The song serves as Cabello's debut single as a solo artist and was released as the lead single from the reissue of Mendes' debut studio album, Handwritten (Revisited) (2015), via Island Records on November 18, 2015. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Hot 100. Mendes and Cabello promoted the song with several televised performances, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and at the 2016 People's Choice Awards. Mendes and Cabello later collaborated on "Señorita" in June 2019.
"Bad Things" is a song by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly and American singer Camila Cabello of Fifth Harmony. The song was released on October 14, 2016, and was produced by The Futuristics. Its music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and premiered on December 1, 2016. The song is a remake of Fastball's 1999 single "Out of My Head". "Bad Things" peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming both Machine Gun Kelly and Cabello's first top ten single as solo artists, as well as the former's only top-ten hit to date.
American singer Camila Cabello has released four studio albums, two live albums, one soundtrack album, 29 singles, 5 promotional singles and 34 music videos. According to RIAA, Cabello has sold 38.5 million albums and singles in the United States. Her 2017 smash hit "Havana" is certified diamond in the US, making her the first hispanic female artist to do so. Billboard listed Cabello as the 87th Top Artists of the 2010s, as well as the 33rd Top Social 50 of the Decade. Her debut album Camila placed at No. 142 on Billboard 200 Decade-End Chart, while "Havana" was placed at No. 59 on Billboard Hot 100 Decade-End chart respectively.
"Hey Ma" is a song by American rapper and singer Pitbull and Colombian singer J Balvin, featuring vocals from American singer Camila Cabello, taken from The Fate of the Furious soundtrack (2017). It was co-written by the artists, while co-produced by Sermstyle, T-Collar, and Pip Kembo. There are two versions of the song; one in Spanish and one in English. Music videos were directed for both versions of the song by American director Gil Green, with the Spanish video premiering on March 10, 2017, and the English video on April 7.
"Crying in the Club" is the debut solo single by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello. It was released on May 19, 2017, by Epic Records and Syco. It was written by Cabello, Sia, Benny Blanco and Happy Perez, with production handled by Blanco, Perez and Cashmere Cat. The song contains an interpolation of Christina Aguilera's 1999 single "Genie in a Bottle". A mid-tempo tropical pop and dance track, it was originally intended to be the lead single from Cabello's debut studio album, which was originally titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving. It was later removed from the track listing and featured on Side A of the 7-inch eponymous extended play released on July 14, 2017.
"Havana" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabellofeaturing fellow American singer and rapper Young Thug, from her debut studio album Camila (2018). It was released on August 3, 2017, alongside "OMG" initially as a promotional single; it was later serviced to radio on September 8, 2017, as a single. Due to its rising success, "Havana" later became the official lead single of Camila, replacing "Crying in the Club".
"Know No Better" is a song by American musical trio Major Lazer featuring American recording artists Travis Scott, Camila Cabello and Quavo. It was released on June 1, 2017, as the lead single of the former's EP of the same name. The song was written by the featured artists alongside Starrah, Major Lazer member Diplo, and King Henry, the latter two producing it with Jr Blender.
"Sangria Wine" is a song by American singer-songwriters Pharrell Williams and Camila Cabello, released as a single on May 18, 2018. It was written and produced by the two performers with additional songwriting from Bia.
"Never Be the Same" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her debut studio album Camila (2018). It was released as a promotional single on December 7, 2017, and sent to US contemporary hit radio on January 9, 2018, as the second single from the album. Cabello gave her first televised performance of the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2018. In the US, "Never Be the Same" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified four-times platinum. It peaked at number 1 Croatia as well as in the top 10 in thirteen additional countries. It was written by Cabello, Noonie Bao, Sasha Sloan, and its producer Frank Dukes, and co-producers Jarami.
"Beautiful" is a song by American singer Bazzi, initially self-released digitally on July 2, 2017. The song was later featured as the 13th track on the album Cosmic, which was released on April 12, 2018. A reimagined version of the song, featuring Cuban-American singer-songwriter Camila Cabello was released on August 2, 2018.
"Find U Again" is a song by English record producer Mark Ronson featuring Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello. It was released on 30 May 2019, as the fourth single from Ronson's fifth studio album Late Night Feelings (2019). The song contains elements of synth-pop and disco-pop, and is accompanied by synthesizers and vocodered vocals. It was compared to bedroom pop songs by Lesley Gore and the Shangri-Las from the 1960s. The lyrics describe the process of searching for a new relationship after a previous heartbreak. The song was written by Cabello, Ilsey Juber, and the producers Ronson and Kevin Parker.
"South of the Border" is a song by English singer Ed Sheeran featuring Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello and Dominican-American rapper Cardi B. It was released on 12 July 2019 through Asylum and Atlantic Records, along with "Antisocial", as the sixth and seventh singles respectively from Sheeran's compilation album, No.6 Collaborations Project (2019).
"Cry for Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released by Epic Records and Syco on October 4, 2019, as the third single from the album.
"Señorita" is a song by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello. It was released on June 21, 2019, through Island and Epic Records as the second single from the deluxe edition of Mendes' self-titled third studio album, and the lead single from Cabello's second studio album Romance (2019). The song was written by Mendes, Cabello, Charli XCX, Ali Tamposi, Jack Patterson, and its producers Andrew Watt, Benny Blanco, and Cashmere Cat.
Romance is the second studio album by American singer Camila Cabello. It was released on December 6, 2019, through Epic Records and Syco Music. The singer recorded the album from November 2018 to September 2019. It was produced by Frank Dukes, Louis Bell, the Monsters and the Strangerz, John Hill, Andrew Watt, and Finneas, among others. Cabello finished recording Romance on October 31, 2019, and the next day submitted the masters for the album. On November 13, Cabello announced that the album would be released on December 6, 2019. Musically, it is a pop record that contains R&B, Latin pop, and rock influences.
"Shameless" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released alongside "Liar" on September 5, 2019, as a double single from the album. Written by Cabello, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Jon Bellion, Martin Bresso, Jordan Johnson and Stefan Johnson, and produced by Watt and the Monsters and the Strangerz, the song is about Cabello finally facing her feelings about someone she loved.
"Easy" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released by Epic Records and Syco on October 11, 2019, as the fourth single from the album. Cabello co-wrote the song with Justin Tranter and its producers John Hill, Louis Bell, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, and Westen Weiss. "Easy" debuted in the top 100 of several countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK, Slovakia, and Ireland. Although it did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, it debuted at number ten on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
"Living Proof" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released by Epic Records and Syco on November 15, 2019, as the fifth single from the album.
"My Oh My" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her second studio album Romance (2019). It was released by Epic Records and Syco on January 6, 2020, as the sixth single from the album. Featuring American rapper DaBaby, it was written by the artists, Savan Kotecha, Ant Clemons, and producers Frank Dukes & Louis Bell. Due to similarities between the song and Peruvian reggae band Tierra Sur's 1992 song "Llaman a la puerta", group leader Alejandro "Pochi" Marambio received a writing credit.
"Bam Bam" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello from her third studio album Familia (2022). It was released by Epic Records on March 4, 2022, as the second single from the album. Featuring English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran, "Bam Bam" is a Latin pop song with a tropical and salsa-infused pre-chorus and chorus. The song marks the second collaboration between Cabello and Sheeran, following "South of the Border" from Sheeran's fourth studio album, No.6 Collaborations Project (2019).
'Liar,' a lighthearted plaint about the power of lust, riffles quickly through style after style — salsa, reggaeton, flamenco, ska, ballad — working nimbly and globally to hold elusive the pop attention span.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Deluxe Box Set Includes: 7" vinyl of Liar/Shameless