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25 Best Songs About Lies & Liars

Discover the soundtrack to dealing with liars in your life.

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Songs About Lies

The best songs about lies capture the annoyance and frustration we feel when being lied to in their scathing and insightful lyrics.

Whether it’s an angry rock song about dealing with a habitual liar or a pop ballad exploring the lies of a cheating partner, these songs are instantly identifiable.

Read on, and we’ll break down the greatest songs about lying you can listen to in this comprehensive playlist.

 

The 25 Best Songs About Lies & Liars

Rock and roll bands of the 1950s through to modern-day pop singers have all explored the topic of lies and their consequences in their popular songs.

We’ve hand-picked a carefully curated selection of the best songs on the subject you can find that cover lying from all perspectives.

Let’s get cracking and begin our playlist of the 21 best songs about lies and liars:

 

25. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell

Soft Cell explores the impact lies can have on a relationship with their popular song “Tainted Love.”

Featuring Marc Almond’s distinct vocal style, it’s a synth-driven pop classic that is widely played on the radio to this day.

The track was originally written and recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964 and became popular on the Northern Soul circuit in the UK.

 

24. “How Do You Sleep” – Sam Smith

Sam Smith takes on the topic of lies with “How Do You Sleep?” a question many have asked themselves about liars they’ve met.

It’s another hit song from Smith about the lies and secrets that lovers commit and the consequences of their actions.

Sam Smith has released many hit songs, including one of the best songs about regret, “Stay With Me.”

 

23. “You Lie” – The Band Perry

The Band Perry hits it out of the park with the song “You Lie,” which is addressed to an unfaithful man.

As you’d expect from the Band Perry, it’s a catchy tune about how lying inevitably becomes too much for a woman to handle.

Released in 2010, “You Lie” is one of the best country songs about lies and was released on their self-titled album.

 

22. “Liar” – Camila Cabello

Love can sometimes continue to endure even when we know our partner is lying, as Camila Cabello explores in the song “Liar.”

“Now here’s your confession, so you know it’s true,” she sings. “What I felt for you was real, tell me how could you do this to me?”

It’s a stirring and emotional reminder that honesty is the best policy and how it feels to be betrayed.

 

21. “Honesty” – Billy Joel

Speaking of honesty as the best response to lies, Billy Joel tackled this angle on the topic in his popular song.

“Honesty” is a song that reflects on how partners need to be truthful with one another if their relationship is going to succeed.

Joel released dozens of singles and albums over the years, including one of the best songs about addiction, “Captain Jack.”

 

20. “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert

Not all lies are destructive, as Miranda Lambert alludes to in “White Liar,” her catchy country music song about lies.

Written with Bleu Edmondson and Luke Laird, it’s about a woman who tires of hearing lies from her partner, even if they are petty.

It’s a great song about the consequences of telling lies, and it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

 

19. “A Beautiful Lie” – Thirty Seconds To Mars

Another great song about lies and deception is “A Beautiful Lie” by Thirty Seconds To Mars, released in 2005.

The song’s lyrics discuss how easily people can turn to lying in order to make themselves look better, even if they come undone in the end.

The song won an MTV Europe Music Video Award for Best Video and was featured on the album of the same name.

 

18. “Dear Lie” – TLC

TLC used their song “Dear Lie” to address the concept in its purest form, accusing lies of being “nothing but trouble.”

It’s one of the sadder songs about lying you can listen to, with an undercurrent of despair that often comes when dealing with a liar.

“Dear Lie” is an R&B classic, first released in 1999 and featured on their third studio album, FanMail.

 

17. “Say My Name” – Destiny’s Child

Another hit pop song about lying from an all-female group is “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child, which was released with a vibrant music video.

This great song explores the suspicious minds which develop in the presence of a liar and how a cheating lover often leads a double life.

Destiny’s Child covered many other emotional subjects in their music, including one of the best songs about fighting, “Survivor”

 

16. “Jive Talkin” – Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were among the most popular music artists of their time, with multiple Grammy Award wins and nominations to their name.

“Jive Talkin’” is a quintessential song from the Bee Gees, a funky and soulful dancefloor classic that is great for getting people dancing.

It was also their third number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and was featured on their 1975 album, Main Course.

 

15. “Don’t Ask Me No Questions” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Released as part of their second album, Second Helping, “Don’t Ask Me No Questions” represents Lynyrd Skynyrd in top form.

“Well, every time that I come home, nobody wants to let me be,” the lyrics sing, “Seems that all the friends I’ve got just got to come interrogate me.”

It’s a rock classic that implores the listeners not to ask any questions, that way, they can be sure they won’t be told any lies.

 

14. “Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood

Being lied to is one thing, but being cheated on is taking things to another level, as Carrie Underwood explores in this peppy song.

Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is all about the rage a woman feels when her lover goes with someone else and the revenge which ensues.

It’s a great country song from the genre’s leading lady, released in 2005 on the album, Some Hearts.

 

13. “Liar” – Sex Pistols

From country to punk for another of the more adrenaline-charged songs about lying, “Liar” by the Sex Pistols.

In this song, the Sex Pistols rage about their former manager and his habitual lying combined with greed and incompetence.

It’s punk music at its finest, with abrasive guitars and persistent crashing sounds that hardcore music fans will love.

 

12. “You Know I’m No Good” – Amy Winehouse

One of the most iconic singers of the 2000s was Amy Winehouse, who sang some of the best karaoke songs you can sing along to.

Her single “You Know I’m No Good” was another well-received song from Winehouse, covering her use of alcohol to justify infidelity.

While many songs about lying and cheating are from the perspective of the victim, Amy Winehouse makes an exception and casts a light on her own poor choices.

 

11. “Cry Me A River” – Justin Timberlake

After his split with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake picked up his guitar and composed the song “Cry Me A River.”

In the song, Timberlake accuses Spears of cheating on him during their relationship, although the lyrics never explicitly mention her name.

Justin Timberlake has had several chart-topping hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the United States, with millions of singles and albums sold worldwide.

 

10. “Sweetest Lie” – Goo Goo Dolls

While the Goo Goo Dolls are sometimes referred to as dad rockers, they hit the sweet spot with another of the great songs about lying you can listen to.

“Sweetest Lie” is something of a lament for the consequences of lies and how sometimes we can’t let go of someone even when they continue to deceive us.

Goo Goo Dolls released the song “Sweetest Lie” in 2010 on their album, Something For the Rest of Us.

 

9. “Would I Lie To You?” – Eurythmics

“Would I Lie To You?” sounds like a rhetorical question, coming from one of the biggest acts of the 1980s, The Eurythmics.

It’s a song in response to being cheated on and lied to by a lover that is delivered with Annie Lennox’s typically upbeat sound.

Part pop song, part soulful ballad, “Would I Lie To You?” delivers a simple yet highly effective melody and was released in 1982.

 

8. “Beautiful Liar” – Beyoncé & Shakira

“Beautiful Liar” is as much about the poor behavior of cheating men as it is a call for female empowerment around the world.

Featuring Beyonce in collaboration with Shakira, it’s a powerhouse of a pop song with a colorful and vibrant music video.

Beyonce has tackled topics related to lies in one of the best songs about jealousy, the aptly-titled song “Jealous.”

 

7. “Lie To Me” – Pretenders

If you’re looking for a more intense and powerful song that explores the concept of lying, “Lie To Me” by Pretenders is a great choice.

It’s a solid blues rock song about someone who is tired of listening to lies and just wants the lairs in her life to all disappear.

Released in 2002 on the album Loose Screw, “Lie To Me” was one of many songs that led to their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

6. “Lyin’ Eyes” – Eagles

“Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles takes a more depressing approach to songs about lying and a woman who is cheating on her husband.

In the lyrics, the woman goes to the “cheating side of town” to meet a lover, even though her husband knows exactly what’s going on.

Band member Don Henley has stated in interviews that the song was inspired by the women who used to visit one of the clubs the band often played in.

 

5. “Bad Liar” – Selena Gomez

Returning once again to pop megastars for “Bad Liar,” another hit release from the talented singer Selena Gomez.

Gomez sings about how she struggles to decide how to deal with the fact she no longer loves someone and avoids giving in to her feelings.

“Bad Liar” was released in 2017, proving to be another chart hit for Selena Gomez, as well as being featured on her third studio album, Rare.

 

4. “Suspicious Minds” – Elvis Presley

The Godfather of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, turned his unique vocal style to the topic of lies with the song “Suspicious Minds.”

It’s a passionate song all about the frustration we feel when being repeatedly lied to, with beautiful vocals and guitaring.

“Suspicious Minds” represents the later phase of Presley’s career, when he relocated to Las Vegas and softened his rebellious image.

 

3. “Liar” – Queen

The title “Liar” cuts straight to the chase, another popular rock song about lying from the icons of stadium rock, Queen.

“Liar” has an accusatory tone running through the song, making the most of Freddie Mercury’s full-bodied vocal performance.

Queen wrote and produced many excellent songs over the years, including one of the best songs of all time, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

 

2. “Little Lies” – Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac released their song “Little Lies” in 1987, featuring the music on their album, Tango in the Night.

The chorus “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies” is among the best-known of all their song lyrics and a beautiful example of their style.

It’s a song that demonstrates how people can sometimes accept the lies they are told because they love the person telling them too much to challenge them.

 

1. “Love The Way You Lie” – Eminem ft. Rihanna

Hip-hop legend and pop-R&B sensation Rihanna teamed up to deliver “Love The Way You Lie,” an instant classic and huge success in the charts.

It’s a powerful and memorable ballad about lies and how being trapped in an abusive relationship can lead to one lie after another.

In addition to being a chart success, it was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

 

Summary

That’s a wrap on this complete playlist of the best songs about lies you can listen to, whether you’re sick of hearing lies from a loved one or feeling guilty for telling a white lie.

Dealing with liars and deception is frustrating, and these great songs capture these powerful emotions in their vocals and instrumentation.

With lying being second nature to many people, it’s likely to remain a hot topic for singer-songwriters and composers for many years to come.

What songs about lies resonate with your personal experiences? Leave a comment below. 

Andy has been producing music since the early days of Cubase and spent much of the 2000s mixing house and techno with his trusty Technics 1200s. Fast forward two decades, you'll find him in his home studio experimenting with the latest music production software, tinkering with Ableton plug-ins, and occasionally trying (and failing) to complete Cuphead for the hundredth time.