Learning to Lie

Listen here: Learning to Lie

How to write a Lie

'Learning To Lie' came about as a follow up to 'A Child's Tale'. I asked Kevan to continue the story of the character from the Tale. He sent me a few drafts all of which I heartlessly sent back as not good enough. I could sense that Kevan was a little confounded and annoyed that I was so critical, but he didn't give up and he wrote 'Learning to Lie'.

The first hand written draft is below, followed by the typed version later, and then with my additions after that.

These two songs resonate powerfully for me and Kevan and that is why I wanted it to state precisely how we felt about growing up and becoming adults.

Alan Neilson. Sept 2020.

‘Learning to Lie’

The vocal melisma leading into the middle eight is inspired by Sam Cooke.

Offbeat snare in the last verse referencing The Cars ‘Just What I Needed’ as Ric Ocasek died at the time the music for this song was being written (Sept 2019).

Song title alluding to Tom Petty’s ‘Learning to Fly’.

The vocal counter melody that appears part way through the song and then ends it was inspired by the bass line I re-recorded after real drums were added to the arrangement by Chris Reed. The notes and rhythm of that bass line called out for words to be put to it. I then had the idea to have a separate voice (like a friend or conscience) speaking to the person in the song, trying to advise them that lying is not the best way, and they should be themselves.

Kevan did an arrangement of this that was an exact opposite of mine, in that from the start of the song up to the middle eight he used a half-time rhythm pattern and then went to full-time rhythm so it seemed to pick up in tempo during the middle eight, whereas my version went to half-time rhythm during the middle eight. This is available on the deluxe edition.