"True Lies" is a song written by Al Anderson,

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboar ...

and Sharon Rice, and recorded by Evans as her debut single. Released in 1997, "True Lies" became a minor hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country chart and was later included on Evans' debut studio album, '' Three Chords and the Truth''. The song received positive reviews from critics.

Background

"True Lies" was co-written by Sara Evans, along with songwriters Al Anderson and Sharon Rice. The song was recorded at Mad Dog Studios, which was located in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

. The session was produced by

Pete Anderson Pete Anderson (born July 23, 1948) is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter. Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2 ...

, who also produced Evans's first studio album. Evan's next two hits would also be produced by Anderson. The album's other songs were recorded during the same sessions, including its

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

and the single "Shame About That". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described "True Lies" as a ballad filled with "heartache" that has an "outlook for love isn't nearly so bleak".

Critical reception

"True Lies" received positive reviews from music writers and critics. Mike Joyce of ''The Washington Post'' found similarities between the track and older country ballads by

Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...

in his review of her 1997 studio album. "Evans opens the album by displaying her vocal resemblance to Cline on the ballad "True Lies." The similarity is striking, but what makes the song moving isn't the way Evans cannily evokes Cline's tone and phrasing," he wrote.

Release and chart performance

"True Lies" was released as Evans's debut single on March 10, 1997 via

RCA Nashville RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music. Artists Current artists *Kane Brown * Corey Kent * Nate Smith * Morgan Wade Former art ...

. It was issued as a 7" vinyl single and included "The Week the River Raged" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. The song spent six weeks on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart and became a minor hit that year. It peaked at number 59 in the spring of 1997. "True Lies" was later issued on Evans' debut studio album entitled '' Three Chords and the Truth.'' The song was the album's opening track. "True Lies" would be one of three singles spawned from ''Three Chords and the Truth'' between 1997 and 1998. All three would only become minor country hits. Evans recalled the reasoning behind why "True Lies" may have reached a lower end of the ''Billboard'' country music chart: "There were a lot of things that played into it that were out of my control. Radio saw me as just a little bit too retro."

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "True Lies" – 2:34 * "The Week the River Raged" – 4:02

Charts

References

{{Sara Evans songs 1997 songs 1997 debut singles Sara Evans songs RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Pete Anderson Songs written by Al Anderson (NRBQ) Songs written by Sara Evans Songs written by Sharon Vaughn