Lie to Me | 5ive Songs

1. Kem, “Lie to Me”

Love Always Wins • Motown • 2020

“Girl you ain’t gotta lie to me / I’m ready to love you babe (I’m ready to love you babe).” “Lie to Me” just might be the crowning achievement of Love Always Wins, the long-awaited comeback album by R&B artist, Kem. Kem keeps it old-school yet he makes these older sounds and past styles of R&B sound almost brand-new in current times. That definitely speaks to his musicianship. It’s not the often that the listener gets to totally ‘geek out’ over a groove and bass line. Another pro regarding this song is that Kem gives us ‘big,’ expressive vocals.  He tends to be more modest at times, but he definitely brings some punch here – he’s ‘so serious’ about this love thing!

Also appears on :

Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: September 2020

2. Queen Naija, “Lie to Me”

Ft. Lil Durk

missunderstood • Queen Naija / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 2020

Contemporary R&B artist Queen Naija sings quite beautifully and expressively on “Lie to Me,” a standout from her 2020 debut album, misunderstood, which debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.  This pretty sweet joint is produced by a prestigious team comprised of Oak, Alex Nice, and Keith “Ten4” Sorrells.  Adding to the sweetness of the backdrop supporting ‘the Queen’ is a sample of the 2Pac classic, “I Ain’t Mad At Cha,” which itself samples the 1980s DeBarge classic, “In a Dream.” Naija taps melodic rapper Lil Durk for the assist and unsurprisingly, he’s sexed up: “Slide to Malibu and have some beach sex / Cummin’ back-to-back, she hittin’ goals that she ain’t reach yet.” Of course Naija herself sings, “Love me good and LIE TO ME / Don’t want broken promises, don’t want apologies.” 

3. Black Atlass, “Lie to Me”

Dream Awake • XO / Republic • 2020

On “Lie to Me” ( Dream Awake), Black Atlass (Alex Fleming) perfectly captures the plight of love. DANNYBOYSTYLES and Oligee provide Fleming with a mighty backdrop to paint his colorful, expressive, and sexy vocals upon including lush keyboards, synths, and anchoring beat.  Throw in a minor-key, and the vibe is absolutely electrifying on “Lie to Me.” The listener is most blessed by Fleming on the chorus, where the lyric, “lie to me,” features epic, falsetto treatment. Besides the chorus, there are plenty alluring moments regarding the songwriting. Fleming experiences heartbreak, and as he sees his ex, he doesn’t want to know about her current relationship.  Therefore, she should – wait for it – LIE.  Clearly still in love, Fleming admits he is to blame for their break-up, admitting, “I fucked this up / You know I can be brave / I can be kind / I can be yours / Just give me time…” Ultimately, “Lie to Me” is a treat, with relatable songwriting and theme perfectly tailored to his strengths artistically. 

Also appears on :

Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: February 2020

15 L Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason

13 Songs That Perfectly Capture the Plight of Love

51 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Year in Review

100 BEST SONGS OF 2020: 100 – 76

4. Tate McRae & Ali Gatie, “Lie to Me”

“Lie to Me” • RCA• 2020 

“Said you’d never, why’d you ever / Lie to me, baby, lie, lie to me.” Well, seems like Canadian pop singer Tate McRae has beef with this guy on her single, “Lie to Me.” The trust issues are real, illustrated by McRae’s first verse before the aforementioned chorus is unveiled.  Of course, it wouldn’t make sense if this song were merely one-sided, right? Right, that’s why McRae taps Ali Gatie to provide the guy’s perspective on the second verse (“I gave you my trust, my heart, and everythin’ inside of me / Tell me how’d you pay me back? You made a fool out of me”).  Totally sounds like love on the rocks.  McRae and Gatie have great chemistry when they duet together on this sleekly produced ( Mark Nilan, Kkami, BAD ONE, Nicolay Øverland, and Nova Blue), totally enjoyable joint capturing the plight that is love.

5. 5 Seconds of Summer, “Lie to Me”

Youngblood • Capitol • 2018

“Lie to Me” serves as a highlight from Youngblood, the third studio album by Australian pop collective 5 Seconds of Summer.  On “Lie to Me,” Luke Hemmings and Calum Hood are saddened seeing an ex with a new guy, bringing back memories.  The verses set up the memorable chorus perfectly, ultimately ending with the request, “And I know that you don’t, but if I ask you if you love me / I hope you lie, lie, lie, lie to me.” Ah, those matters of the heart always fuel a compelling song, even if this one only happens to be two-and-a-half-minutes long.  Furthermore, one of pop’s most highly demanded producers, watt, puts in work behind the boards.  Also, worth noting, there was a remix of this record with Julia Michaels.