Eurythmics 1985

When we started putting it down the song had a lot of energy and inspired Annie to come up with the great lyric, ‘Would I Lie To You” and a melody with very odd answering harmonies, ‘Now, would I say something that wasn’t true.’ These harmonies are very unusual and Annie is a genius at working them out very quickly in her head. The song started to be a fusion between Stax type R&B and Eurythmics. — Dave Stewart, from The Dave Stewart Songbook: The Stories Behind The Songs – Volume One

Would I Lie to You is the lead single from Eurythmics’ 4^th studio album, “Be Yourself Tonight,” which was released in April of 1985. Wiki says that this album took the duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart away from synthpop to rock and rhythm and blues. Besides Lennox on vocals and Stewart on guitars and sequencers, the band included: Olle Romo on drums; Nathan East on bass guitar; Benmont Tench on organ; Dave Plews on trumpet; and Martin Dobson on saxophones.

I’m sure I first heard and saw the video for “Would I Lie to You” on MTV. I was already enamored of their sound with “Sweet Dreams (are Made of This)” from 1983 and “Here Comes the Rain Again” from 1984. There is so much to love about the song. The alchemical mixture of Dave’s guitar, Annie’s voice, her female backup singers, and the horns is almost unbearable in its aural ecstasy. To see it manifested in the unbelievably sexy Annie Lennox (one of the most beautiful women who has ever lived. Seriously!) was almost more than this person could bear. The energy emanating from the song feels like a crane in a box that lifts stuffed animals and other tiny toys up, where we are the prizes being lifted.

I wanted to know more about the video since there are so many more musicians in it than are listed as playing on the album.  I also want to make note that the racial integration of the music video was way ahead of its time.  From imdb:

The song features Lennox confronting a cheating lover as she leaves him for good. This was conveyed in the music video for the single, in which actor Steven Bauer played the part of the boyfriend. The video was directed by Mary Lambert and was shown heavily on MTV. The front and back cover photos, and the inner cover art of the Be Yourself Tonight album are screenshots from the music video.—Peter-Patrick76 (peter-patrick@mail.com)

I wasn’t able to find out who the other musicians were or who the backup singers were (very frustrating!) but did learn that some of their fan club were members of the audience.

More tidbits on the song found at songfacts:

Lennox sings this from the perspective of an angry girlfriend who walks out on her cheating lover. It was not directed at Stewart, although they were a romantic couple before forming Eurythmics, but inspired by the breakup of her first marriage, to a Hare Krishna named Radha Raman.

“I was always looking for a good relationship, and you can see it in the songs, all this unrequited love,” Lennox told Q magazine regarding her songwriting during this period. “I was never in one spot, so my emotions were in turmoil.”

Here’s the highest positions on the US charts that the song reached:

US Billboard Hot 100	5
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	5
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)	14
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)	2
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles	6

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn’t true?
I’m asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?

My friends, know what’s in store.
I won’t be here anymore.
I’ve packed my bags
I’ve cleaned the floor.
Watch me walkin’.
Walkin’ out the door.

Believe me, I’ll make it make it
Believe me, I’ll make it make it

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn’t true?
I’m asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?

Tell you straight, no intervention.
To your face, no deception.
You’re the biggest fake.
That much is true.
Had all I can take.
Now I’m leaving you

Believe me, I’ll make it make it
Believe me, I’ll make it make it

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn’t true?
I’m asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn’t true?
I’m asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?

My friends, know what’s in store.
I won’t be here anymore.
I’ve packed my bags
I’ve cleaned the floor.
Watch me walkin’.
Walkin’ out the door.

Believe me, I’ll make it make it
Believe me, I’ll make it make it

Would I lie to you?

Songwriters:  Annie Lennox and David A Stewart

Jim Adams is the host of Song Lyric Sunday.  Jim has instructed us to pick a song fitting this:
Chart Toppers — any song that reached the Top 40 [amended to 2023 songs.  oops.  delete my link if you want to, Jim]