"Lies" by Thompson Twins

Song#:  1315
Date:  01/22/1983
Debut:  80
Peak:  30
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Synthpop



Pop Bits:  They were not twins and none of them were named Thompson. But the trio known as the Thompson Twins broke through on the pop chart with this single from their second US album "Side Kicks." Formed in 1977, the British band started as a quartet and expanded to six for their 1981 UK debut album. It failed to get attention, but a single from their second UK album did help get them on the map. "In the Name of Love" crossed over to the US and became a #1 dance hit. This led to their US debut album of the same name. For their next LP, they trimmed the band down to the trio of Tom Baily, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway. "Side Kicks" (titled "Quick Step and Side Kick" in the UK) started off well with this first single that got the trio their first US Top 40 hit. It also reached #1 on the US dance chart. The UK wasn't as enamored with the band yet and the song petered out at #67.

ReduxReview:  Although I like this song now, I was not a fan back in the day. That whiny chorus of "lies, lies, lies, yea-ah" totally annoyed me. It sounded like self-righteous grade school kids taunting some poor soul. You know the ones. The tattlers who try to suck up to the teachers. Ugh. I hated those kids. In addition to the chorus, I thought the synth lines that imitated Japanese and Egyptian music were cheezy and dorky. Bleh. Yeah, I pretty much ignored this song. But the trio won me over later and this song sounded less annoying as time went on. It's not one of my favorites of theirs, but at least it was the song that lead to better things.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The band's name was derived from the two detectives, Thomson and Thompson, that appeared in the comic series "The Adventures of Tintin." The Belgian comic, which began in 1929, was wildly popular in Europe. The detectives made their first appearance in a 1932 storyline. The Tintin comics did not catch on as well in the US despite attempts to publish Americanized versions of the serials. Many folks remained unfamiliar with Tintin until the release of Steven Spielberg's 2011 animated film "The Adventures of Tintin."

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