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Telling Lies (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Telling Lies
| cover = Bowie tellinglies.JPG
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = David Bowie
| album = Earthling
| released = 4 November 1996
| recorded = Looking Glass Studio, New York City
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
| label = Arista, BMG
| writer = David Bowie
| producer = David Bowie
| prev_title = Hallo Spaceboy
| prev_year = 1996
| next_title = Little Wonder
| next_year = 1997
}}
"'Telling Lies'" is a single by David Bowie written in 1996 and in 1997 released for the album 'Earthling'.
Three versions of "Telling Lies" were released on [http://www.davidbowie.com/ Bowie's official website] beginning 11 September 1996 one version was released for each of three weeks constituting the first ever downloadable single by a major artist. According to issued press releases, over 300,000 people downloaded the original Internet-only release. Two months later, it was released as a single by BMG.
Background
Bowie launched the single with an online chat session, where he and two other people pretending to be him answered questions from the audience (Bowie told the truth; the other two "told lies"). The chat audience was asked to vote on which chat personality was the "real" Bowie; according to a transcript of the chat session, the "real" Bowie came in first, although a contemporary source claimed he ended up coming in third.
No music video was produced.
Critical reception
Alan Jones from 'Music Week' wrote, "Bowie's vocals are somewhere between spoken and sung over a rhythm-heavy and unsettling track that lapses into jungle rhythms. It will certainly make his Seventies fans look askance, though the hipper young things about town will embrace it." James Hyman from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update rated it four out of five, adding, "Assured via the media that this would be available as 'internet only' despite the fact that limited copies were sent to selected record shops (I picked mine up from Camden's Record & Tape Exchange!), this drum & bass double-pack will excite. A Guy Called Gerald hits hard with Bowie's occasionally stretched vocoded vocals resting firmly over thrashing breakbeat. Adam F works a full vocal into his inimitable freestyle 'jungle jazz'. Finally, Bowie himself provides a more grating mix with an aggressive pace."
Track listing
# "Telling Lies" (Feelgood mix by Mark Plati) 5:07
# "Telling Lies" (Paradox mix by A Guy Called Gerald) 5:10
# "Telling Lies" (Adam F mix) 3:58
A limited edition CD with a different cover was released with the same tracks. There is also a double 12" vinyl promo release which includes the three mixes of which the A Guy Called Gerald mix appears twice.
Personnel
* David Bowie vocals, guitar, saxophone, samples, keyboards, production
* Reeves Gabrels programming, synthesizers, real and sampled guitars, vocals
* Mark Plati programming, loops, samples, keyboards
* Gail Ann Dorsey bass, vocals
* Zachary Alford[https://www.discogs.com/artist/258947-Zachary-Alford Discogs 'Zachary Alford' (profile & discography)] drum loops, acoustic drums, electronic percussion
* Mike Garson keyboards, piano
Charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (199697)
!align="center"|Peak
positions
|-
|align="left"|Scotland (OCC)
|align="center"|79
|-
|align="left"|UK Singles (OCC)
|align="center"|76
|}
Live versions
* A version recorded at Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland on 10 June 1997, was released on 'LiveAndWell.com' in 2000.
Other releases
* The "Adam F mix" was released as a bonus track on the Japanese release of 'Earthling'. It was also released on a UK limited release of the single "Little Wonder" in January 1997.
* The "Paradox mix" was released on the UK 12" release of the single "Dead Man Walking" in April 1997. This mix also appeared on the bonus disc of the 'LiveAndWell.com' album in 2000.
* The "Feelgood mix" and "Paradox mix" were released on the bonus disc of the 'Digibook Expanded Edition' of 'Earthling' in 2004.
References
Category:1996 songs
Category:David Bowie songs
Category:1996 singles
Category:Songs written by David Bowie
Category:Song recordings produced by David Bowie
Category:Arista Records singles
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