Liar (Queen song)

"Liar" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by the lead singer Freddie Mercury in 1970, and originally titled "Lover". The song featured on the band's 1973 debut album Queen. A heavily truncated version of "Liar" was released as a single – backed with "Doing All Right" – in the United States by Elektra Records in February 1974.

In the band's early years, "Liar" was a concert staple, performed as a conclusion to their main set and often lasting for up to ten minutes. However, over time the song eventually fell off the setlist, with the exception of The Works Tour (though the song was cut down to three minutes or less). "Liar" was referenced in the setlist of the Magic Tour, as Brian May played a partial guitar riff from the song immediately before "Tear it Up".

During live performances, it was a notable case where John Deacon mimed singing backing vocals - namely, he stood behind Mercury and sang into his microphone, for the "all day long" section of the song. This is replicated in the song's promotional video, shot in 1973. Seemingly, Deacon only mouthed the words in live performances, as his voice cannot be heard here on any recording, official or bootlegged. The choice to only mime singing along was presumably a result of Deacon's admitted weaker singing ability. The song also contains a bass solo performed by Deacon, the most substantial solo he ever performed live. As confirmed by the transcription on EMI Music Publishing's Off The Record sheet music for the song, this is one of three Queen tracks, the others being "Now I'm Here" and "Under Pressure" (their collaboration originally with David Bowie), to feature a Hammond organ.

This song briefly brought up the issue of songwriting credits within the band. Brian May queried which band members would be credited for developing the music for each song, to which Freddie Mercury concluded the discussion, stating that the lyricist, or otherwise the individual who originates the song, should be credited as its writer, a practice that continued until "The Miracle".

Personnel

Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, Hammond organ
Brian May – acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals
Roger Taylor – drums, tambourine, cowbell, backing vocals
John Deacon – bass guitar

Track listing

7" single (Royal Sound TKR 157)

"Liar" (single edit) (Freddie Mercury) – 3:01
"Doing All Right" (Brian May, Tim Staffell) – 4:09

7" single (Elektra E-45884)^[2]

"Liar" (Freddie Mercury)
"Liar"

Legacy/Cover Versions

Comedy/spoof heavy metal band Bad News use the opening riff and other song structures in their song "Hey, Hey, Bad News". This is unsurprising, as Brian May produced their album, also titled Bad News, and played on their cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the same album.

Notes

↑ Georg Purvis (24 August 2012). Queen: Complete Works. Titan Books. p. 657. ISBN 978-1-78116-287-3.
↑ "QUEEN - LIAR (SONG)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2010-03-13.

External links

Queen singles discography

Queen	"Keep Yourself Alive" "Liar"

Queen II	"Seven Seas of Rhye"

Sheer Heart Attack	"Killer Queen"/"Flick of the Wrist" "Now I'm Here" "Lily of the Valley" "Stone Cold Crazy"

A Night at the Opera	"Bohemian Rhapsody" "You're My Best Friend" "Love of My Life"

A Day at the Races	"Somebody to Love" "Tie Your Mother Down" "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" "Long Away" "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"

News of the World	"We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" "Spread Your Wings" "It's Late"

Jazz	"Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls" "Don't Stop Me Now" "Jealousy" "Mustapha"

Live Killers	"Love of My Life" (Live) "We Will Rock You" (Live)

The Game	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Save Me" "Play the Game" "Another One Bites the Dust" "Need Your Loving Tonight"

Flash Gordon	"Flash"

Hot Space	"Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) "Body Language" "Las Palabras de Amor" "Calling All Girls" "Staying Power" "Back Chat"

The Works	"Radio Ga Ga" "I Want to Break Free" "It's a Hard Life" "Hammer to Fall"

A Kind of Magic	"One Vision" "A Kind of Magic" "Princes of the Universe" "Friends Will Be Friends" "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" "Who Wants to Live Forever" "One Year of Love"

The Miracle	"I Want It All" "Breakthru" "The Invisible Man" "Scandal" "The Miracle"

Innuendo	"Innuendo" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" "Headlong" "I Can't Live with You" "The Show Must Go On" "These Are the Days of Our Lives"

Made in Heaven	"Heaven for Everyone" "A Winter's Tale" "I Was Born to Love You" "Too Much Love Will Kill You" "Let Me Live" "You Don't Fool Me"

Queen Rocks	"No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)"/"Tie Your Mother Down"

Greatest Hits III	"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)"

Non-album singles	"Thank God It's Christmas" "Another One Bites the Dust (Small Soldiers Remix)" "We Will Rock You" (with Five) "We Are the Champions" (with Robbie Williams) "Flash (Vanguard Mix)" "Another One Bites the Dust (The Miami Project Remixes)" "Bohemian Rhapsody" (with The Muppets)

Other songs	"See What a Fool I've Been" "Death on Two Legs" "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" "I'm in Love with My Car" "'39" "Sweet Lady" "Seaside Rendezvous" "The Prophet's Song" "Good Company" "Sheer Heart Attack" "Is This the World We Created...?" "Ride the Wild Wind" "Delilah" "Made In Heaven" "Mother Love" "Let Me in Your Heart Again" "Love Kills" "There Must Be More To Life Than This"

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