"Liar" is a song by Rollins Band and the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their fourth album, ''

Weight In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force acting on the object due to gravity. Some standard textbooks define weight as a vector quantity, the gravitational force acting on the object. Others define weight as a scalar qua ...

'', released in 1994. It was the album's only charting single and is one of the group's best known songs.

Background

In 2011, Rollins reported that "Liar" began during one of the first practice jam sessions with bassist

Melvin Gibbs Melvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Among others, Gibbs is known for working in jazz with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and in rock music ...

who joined in 1993, replacing Andrew Weiss. "Liar" was a loose, humorous improvisation performed at live concerts until executives at

Imago Records Imago Records (The Imago Recording Company) was an American independent record label, which was active during the early 1990s. It was started by Terry Ellis after he left his previous record label, Chrysalis Records. In 1990 Ann Munday was hired as ...

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 ''

''. However, when the record label heard it they immediately proposed it be the lead single. 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 process of weighting involves emphasizing the contribution of particular aspects of a phenomenon (or of a set of data) over others to an outcome or result; thereby highlighting those aspects in comparison to others in the analysis. That i ...

''. 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. The 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 his deceptions. Directed by Anton Corbijn, the video itself features alternating depictions of vocalist

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...

. 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.

Reception and legacy

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 Beavis is a fictional character who serves as one of two protagonists from the MTV/Paramount+ animated series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. In the movie ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe'', 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." "Liar" was named the 64th best hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

. Rollins Band performed the song at the 37th Grammy Awards Ceremony. In 2019, former '' Headbangers Ball'' host

Riki Rachtman David Alan "Riki" Rachtman (born June 15, 1962) is an American television and radio personality. He is best known for his association with the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s hard rock and heavy metal scene, hosting MTV's ''Headbangers Ball'' f ...

ranked it fifth on his list of the "10 Best Metal Videos Of The '90s."

Accolades

Charts

References

Rollins Band songs 1994 songs 1994 singles Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn Imago Records singles {{1990s-rock-song-stub