Bryan Adams was already popular in Canada when the release of his third album 'Cuts Like A Knife' in 1983 brought him a large following in the USA. His fourth album, 'Reckless', often referred to as one of the most significant of the 1980s, sold over 4 million copies at the time and continues to sell now. His fifth album 'Into the Fire' went platinum.
'Waking Up The Neighbours', his sixth album in 1991, powered him to international stardom. The single '(Everything I Do) I Do For You' spent 16 weeks at number 1; it broke a UK record that had stood since 1955 and still stands today. Across in the USA it became the second largest selling single to 'We Are The World'. The song was featured in the film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (1991) and for this Mr Adams received his first Academy Award nomination. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
42 film Directors' have used Adams' music as soundtrack - from A Night In Heaven (1983) to Bobby (2007).
Adams was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on April 20th 1998 and the C.O. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on May 6th 1988 for his contribution to popular music and his philanthropic work. He was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and more recently inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) in April 2006. Notably, Adams refuses to attend the awards; as his manager, Bruce Allen explains: "they turned their back on the biggest thing to come out of Canada"--in reference to the hit '(Everything I Do) I Do For You'.
Adams has been nominated for three Academy Awards for songwriting, and was recently nominated for his fifth Golden Globe (2007) for his songwriting in the film 'Bobby'.
Some trivia:
Bryan Adams shares the same birthday as Ryan Adams, the late Herman Brood and René Froger.
He attended the same high school as Michael J. Fox in Vancouver.
Of his #1 hits only one ('Please Forgive Me') was not written for a motion picture.
Bryan Adams is part Maltese. He Declared this on Tour in 2007 when he visited Malta.
Bryan Adams is also an acclaimed photographer. His works include his book "Made in Canada" http://www.photography.ca/photographer/adams_bryan.html
Bryan Adams also did a major part of the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack
I'm a Liar
Bryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can have me, but you can't have my heart,
It's easy enough to say but I couldn't care less,
Yeah I might've told you you were on my mind,
But, guess I talk a pretty good line,
Hey I could talk all day,
But I just can't confess,
That I'm a liar,
I'm a victim of desire,
I'm moth into the fire,
Yeah I'm over my head - forget what I said,
Tell ya I'm a liar,
I'm just walking on the wire,
That I couldn't get much higher,
Yeah I'm over my head - forget what I said,
Baby I'm a liar.
Yeah when I told you I was hard to pin down,
Ya know I was just messin' around,
Guess you know by now that that's just my way,
And if you want stories - well I got a few,
But hey, this is the truth I swear to you,
Yeah how many more times do you want me to say,
Chorus.
Yeah - if I told you to go away,
Baby you can't believe a thing I say,
Listen...
I'm a liar,
I'm a victim of desire,
I'm moth into the fire,
Yeah I'm over my head - forget what I said,
Baby I'm a liar,
I'm just walking on the wire,
No I couldn't get much higher,
Well I'm over my head - forget what I said,
Baby I'm a liar,
I'm a liar,
Well I'm over my head, forget what I said,
I'm a liar - liar,
I can't help myself,
I'm a liar,
(Well I'm over my head - forget what I said)
No you can't believe a single thing I say,
Oh yeah - I'm a liar.
The lyrics of Bryan Adams's song "I'm a Liar" depict the struggles of the singer who admits to being a liar and a victim of his desire. The first verse expresses his inability to confess his love to his partner fully. He may have told her that she was on his mind, but he couldn't reveal his true feelings of love for her. He acknowledges himself as a liar in the chorus, stating that he is a victim of his desires and is over his head. He insists that his partner should disregard all his previous declarations because he is a liar.
The second verse retraces his inability to commit to his partner fully. He tells us that he was messing around when he said that he was hard to pin down. But he insists that he is telling the truth when he says he has stories. He is aware of his lying habits, and he acknowledges his incapacity to stop it. He tells his lover not to believe a single thing he says if he tells her to go away. In the end, he admits to being a liar and how he can't help himself.
The song's verses and chorus reflect the singer's self-awareness of his emotional impediments, his fear of confessing his true emotions, and his tendency to betray his partner's trust. The song's message remains universal as it depicts the struggle of many people that deal with emotional blockages caused by previous relationships or personal baggage.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I told you right from the start,
Perhaps I mentioned to you early on,
You can have me, but you can't have my heart,
I'm willing to be intimate, but I won't get emotionally involved,
It's easy enough to say but I couldn't care less,
It's not difficult to state but I'm indifferent,
Yeah I might've told you you were on my mind,
I could have expressed you were in my thoughts,
But, guess I talk a pretty good line,
Nevertheless, I have a smooth way of communicating,
Hey I could talk all day,
I have the ability to speak for an extended period,
But I just can't confess,
But revealing the truth is not something I'm capable of doing,
That I'm a liar,
The fact is that I am dishonest,
I'm a victim of desire,
My yearning for something is beyond my control,
I'm moth into the fire,
I'm blindly and dangerously attracted to something,
Yeah I'm over my head - forget what I said,
I'm in a situation that is beyond my abilities - disregard anything I've uttered before,
Tell ya I'm a liar,
Allow me to inform you that I'm not truthful,
I'm just walking on the wire,
I'm taking chances with my actions,
That I couldn't get much higher,
There's no more room for me to escalate,
Yeah I'm over my head - forget what I said,
I'm in too deep - please forget any statements I've made earlier,
Baby I'm a liar.
My dear, I impart to you that I deceive,
Yeah when I told you I was hard to pin down,
When I warned you that it was tough to locate me,
Ya know I was just messin' around,
You must understand that I wasn't being serious,
Guess you know by now that that's just my way,
I suppose you're aware that's just how I operate,
And if you want stories - well I got a few,
If you're interested in tales, I have a couple,
But hey, this is the truth I swear to you,
However, this one is the truth, and I promise it's accurate,
Yeah how many more times do you want me to say,
How often must I repeat myself when I'm already truthful,
Yeah - if I told you to go away,
Yes, If I instructed you to leave,
Baby you can't believe a thing I say,
Darling, you should not trust any of my declarations,
I'm a liar -
I falsify -
No you can't believe a single thing I say,
You simply can't have faith in any remark from me,
Oh yeah - I'm a liar.
Undoubtedly - I deceive.
Contributed by Bentley F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.