Lies
Writers - Tennant/Lowe
First released - 1999
Original album - Format
Producer - Pet Shop Boys
Subsequent albums - Nightlife 2017 reissue Further Listening 1996-2000 bonus disc
Other releases - bonus track with single "You
Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk"
This track holds a noteworthy place in the PSB corpus in that it's one of the very few—along with the multi-tracked "Postscript" and the later "This Used to Be the Future"—in which Chris actually sings (rather than speaks) lyrics in a voice that hasn't been greatly distorted somehow.
Once again Chris demonstrates his mastery of upbeat, techno-oriented Europop. He creates vast sonic landscapes made for dancing. The lyrics, which were indeed written by Chris (a rarity for PSB tracks), emerged from what he describes in the Format booklet as "a true story." As Neil adds, Chris was "in a very, very angry mood." In short, he's majorly pissed at somebody for being deceitful. But rather than wallow in self-pity, he strikes a defiant pose, à la "I Will Survive." In so many words, he says, "If you think you're gonna get away with this, think again and take a walk."
Though Neil certainly has no worries about being replaced as a lead vocalist, "Lies" proves a tremendous all-around triumph for the quieter half of the Pet Shop Boys.
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