Prior to his success as Aqualung, Hales was known as the lead singer of mid-1990s, London-based Britpop band Ruth. Ruth had a string of moderately successful hit singles, including "I Don't Know," "Valentine's Day," and "Fear of Flying," and one album, "Harrison," before changing their name in 2001 to The 45's. As The 45s, the band released two more singles and one posthumous album to little attention before splitting so Hales could focus on his new endeavor as Aqualung. Almost immediately after the band's split, "Strange and Beautiful" began climbing the British charts and gaining massive amounts of attention--a dramatic turnabout from the previous year. In 2005, Aqualung would even achieve elusive success in the United States, where they are best known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. He's also known to some for his song, "Easier to Lie", which was featured on the hit television show, Scrubs. His music also went on to feature in another hit television show the OC. His song, "Strange and Beautiful" was also featured on the hit show CSI. Later, the song "Something To Believe In" was also featured at the ending of an episode of CSI: Miami. It was also featured in the movie "Wicker Park". "The Lake" was also featured on the wildly popular television show Grey's Anatomy. Aqualung has also had songs featured on One Tree Hill in various seasons. In 2009, his song "Easier to Lie" was again featured on a television show, this time Lie To Me.
It has been written that Hales took the name "Aqualung" from a Jethro Tull album of the same name. However, he himself says he was not aware of this album, and that it was descriptive of the underwater feeling he felt listening to his debut album.
His debut single, "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a spell on You)", was released in the UK on the B-Unique label on September 16, 2002, and reached number 7 in the UK Top 40 and was used in the film Wicker Park.
The song "Something To Believe In" from the album "Memory Man" was used during the ending of the former ABC show Eli Stone premiered on Jan 31, 2008.
The song "Good Times Gonna Come" has recently been used on the show Skins on the British channel E4.
On April 20th, 2010 Aqualung released his 6th studio album Magnetic North (2010). The first single released is a song called "Fingertip".
Easier To Lie
Aqualung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
And honestly, to look you in the eye
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
To be the one, to be the only one
Someone has to give a lot
Something has to give a lot
When I'm leaning, just learning
Learning how to live and to bear the weight..
To fill the space, the space you made for me
Try to be the one you want
Try to be the way you want
And maybe I could be the one you need
If you'd only show me
Show me how to live and to bear the weight
And push into the sky
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
And do what's right when everything is wrong
It's easier to run it's easier to
Never have to look you in the eye
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
To bear the weight and push into the sky
It's easier to lie
The song "Easier to Lie" by Aqualung explores the idea of the difficulty of living up to someone's expectations and the easier option of lying rather than confronting the truth. This is highlighted in the opening line, "To bear the weight and push into the sky, It's easier to lie, easier to lie." The metaphorical weight symbolizes the burden and pressure one feels to be perfect and succeed, which they may not necessarily be able to handle. Lying becomes the go-to option to escape the pressure, but it only provides temporary relief.
The song also touches on the fear of vulnerability and the difficulty of opening up to someone, particularly when they hold high expectations of you. "And honestly, to look you in the eye, It's easier to lie, easier to lie" suggests that the fear of disappointing someone you care about can lead to deceitful behavior rather than being truthful.
Additionally, the song highlights the process of learning and self-improvement. "When I'm leaning, just learning, learning how to live and to bear the weight," suggests that the process of becoming a better person can be challenging, but it is still better than taking the easier route of lying.
Overall, "Easier to Lie" by Aqualung is a poignant reflection on the challenges of facing expectations and the temptation to take the lazy way out through deceit.
Line by Line Meaning
To bear the weight and push into the sky
It's difficult to handle responsibilities and expectations, sometimes it feels like the only solution is to put on a façade and pretend everything is going smoothly.
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
Sometimes the easiest way out is to ignore the truth and hide behind lies instead of admitting what's really going on.
And honestly, to look you in the eye
Being truthful and sincere can be challenging when faced with tough situations, it takes a lot of courage to face someone and tell them the truth.
To be the one, to be the only one
Being the sole source of support for someone can be overwhelming and exhausting.
Someone has to give a lot
Supporting someone else requires a great deal of effort and sacrifice, it's not an easy feat.
Something has to give a lot
Offering support to another person often means compromising on personal needs and desires.
And who am I to give you what you need
It's challenging to offer the right kind of support to someone if you're still trying to figure out your own life.
When I'm leaning, just learning
It's hard to support someone else when you're in the process of figuring out your own life and searching for direction.
To fill the space, the space you made for me
When someone entrusts you with their heart and soul, it's a great responsibility to try and be there for them in the right way.
Try to be the one you want
Striving to be who someone else wants you to be is tough when you're still trying to figure out your own identity.
Try to be the way you want
Meeting someone else's expectations and keeping them happy requires a lot of work and can be difficult.
And maybe I could be the one you need
Even though it's difficult to be everything someone else wants you to be, there's still a possibility of being there for them and providing the support they need.
If you'd only show me
In order to provide the right kind of support, it's necessary for the other person to communicate their needs and expectations clearly.
And do what's right when everything is wrong
Sometimes it's necessary to make tough choices and do what's morally right even if it goes against conventional wisdom or brings negative consequences.
It's easier to run it's easier to
Avoiding the truth or difficult situations by running away is easy but doesn't solve anything in the long run.
Never have to look you in the eye
Lying or hiding from the truth allows one to avoid face to face interaction and responsibility for their actions.
It's easier to lie, easier to lie
Sometimes taking the easy way out through lying or hiding from the truth is tempting but ultimately doesn't lead to true resolution and only makes the situation worse in the long run.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIM OLIVER, MATTHEW NICHOLAS HALES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind