"Tell Me a Lie" is a song composed by

Mickey Buckins Mickey Buckins is a musician, songwriter and record producer. As a songwriter he has written or co-written hits for Big Ben Atkins, Clarence Carter, Billy Crash Craddock, Terri Gibbs, The Osmonds, and Spencer Wiggins. Background During the 1960s ...

and

Barbara Wyrick Barbara Wyrick is an American singer and songwriter. She has written songs that became hits for James Brown, Candi Staton, Mac Davis, Janie Fricke, and others. Background The youngest of five children, Barbara Wyrick was born in Dyersburg, Tenne ...

. Originally recorded by

Lynn Anderson Lynn René Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, " Rose Garden", was a number one hit internationally. She also charted five number one ...

for her 1974 '' What a Man My Man Is'' album, it was released later that same year as a single by

Sami Jo Sami Jo (born Jane Annette Jobe on May 9, 1947 in Batesville, Arkansas) is an American former singer. She is best known for her 1974 single " Tell Me a Lie", which peaked at No. 21 on the Pop Top 40 that same year. The song also peaked at numbe ...

Cole, who took it to number 21 on both of the major U.S. pop charts. It also charted in Canada (#17). Cole's version was also an Adult Contemporary hit, reaching number 14 in the U.S. and number 27 in Canada.

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen Single (music), singles in the top ten of the US ''Billboa ...

covered the song in 1983 and topped the U.S. country singles charts with it.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Later versions

In 1981,

Bettye LaVette Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album '' I've Got My Own Hell to Raise'' was released to widespre ...

recorded an R&B version of the song on

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. It was released as the title track of her album the following year.

Janie Fricke cover

In 1983, Janie Fricke picked up the song "Tell Me a Lie" as to be released as her next single in 1983. Originally included on Fricke's 1982 album '' It Ain't Easy'', it was released in September 1983 as the first single from her album ''Love Lies''. During this time, Fricke racked up a good number of hits, like "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy" and "I Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry". Shortly thereafter, Fricke's record producer at the time

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger associated with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Glenn Sutton are regar ...

, 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. 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. Since the song's release, it has been included in numerous multi-artist compilation albums. Despite the song's pop production, as well as its success on the country charts, it did not reach the pop singles chart. In 2004, Fricke released a bluegrass album, entitled ''The Bluegrass Sessions'', which featured remakes of Fricke's biggest hits. The album featured "Tell Me a Lie".

Chart performance

External links

Sami Jo Cole Website

References

{{Janie Fricke singles 1983 singles 1974 songs Lynn Anderson songs Janie Fricke songs Songs written by Barbara Wyrick Songs written by Mickey Buckins Song recordings produced by Bob Montgomery (songwriter) Song recordings produced by Sonny Limbo Columbia Records singles