Josie and the Pussycats are a fictitious rock band, created in 1969 by Dan … Read Full Bio ↴Josie and the Pussycats are a fictitious rock band, created in 1969 by Dan DeCarlo for an Archie Comics publication of the same name. The three characters who form the band include leader Josie McCoy (vocals, guitar), Valerie Brown (vocals, bass, tambourine), and Melody Valentine (vocals, drums).

"Josie and the Pussycats" evolved from DeCarlo's "She's Josie" comic, first published by Archie in 1963. The change in format came about as a result of the success of The Archies in the books, on television, and on the pop charts. When "Josie and the Pussycats" migrated to a Saturday morning cartoon in 1970 (courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions), a full Pussycats album and several singles were released on Captiol Records. These recordings feature Cathy Doguher as the singing voice of Josie, with Patrice Holloway (sister of Motown singer Brenda Holloway) as Valerie, and Cherie Moor (later Cheryl Ladd) as Melody. While the Pussycats' songs were featured heavily in the cartoon series, they were not successes on the pop charts as the Archies' recordings had been. Producer Danny Janssen gave the Pussycats a pop-soul sound with all three women sharing lead vocals.

Three decades later, Universal Pictures and MGM produced a live-action "Josie and the Pussycats" feature film, directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont and released in April 2001. R&B/pop producer Babyface, an executive producer for the film, supervised a soundtrack of new Pussycats recordings, done in a modern pop rock style. Kay Hanley, from the band Letters to Cleo, provides the singing voice of Josie and sings lead on all ten Pussycats songs. Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson, who appear in the film as Josie, Melody, and Valerie respectively, provide some of the background vocals on the soundtrack recordings. Unlike the 1970 album, the 2001 soundtrack charted on the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number 16.

Lie
Josie and the Pussycats Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If a lie as love
Tell me what you'd do
If the people that you knew
Seemed different to you

If a lie was love
All of us would change
Lives would re-arrange
It's really not so strange

What did lies ever do to you, my friend?
They're the keepers of truth
They'll be with you till the bitter end

If a lie was love
Worlds would just collide
Nothing could survive
No matter how we tried

If a lie was love
Love would be a lie
In the blinking of an eye
A rift in space and time

What did lies ever do to you, my friend?
They're the keepers of truth
The right lie can seal your fate
That's all it takes

The right lie can seal your fate
That's all it takes

If a lie was love
If a lie was love
If a lie was love
Be careful what you say

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Lie" by Josie and the Pussycats explores the concept of lies and love, and how they are intertwined in many ways. The song begins with a question, "If a lie as love, tell me what you'd do," which sets the tone for the rest of the song. It asks the listener to consider how they would react if they found out that the people they knew were not who they appeared to be. The chorus expands on this idea, suggesting that if a lie was love, then everything in our world would change, lives would be rearranged, and nothing could survive.

The second verse continues the theme of how lies are keepers of truth and how they can seal one's fate. The lyrics suggest that the right lie can be powerful enough to change everything, creating a rift in space and time. The song concludes with a warning to be careful of what we say, hinting that words and lies have the power to shape our world.

The lyrics of "Lie" reflect a common theme in pop music exploring the relationship between love and lies. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on how lies are often used to manipulate and control others, particularly in relationships. The song suggests that we should be careful of the lies we tell, as they can have a powerful impact on our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

If a lie as love
If lies and love were interchangeable

Tell me what you'd do
What actions would you take?

If the people that you knew
If those you were familiar with

Seemed different to you
Appeared altered or changed

All of us would change
We would adapt and adjust

Lives would re-arrange
Our existence would shift and transform

It's really not so strange
It's not an outlandish concept

What did lies ever do to you, my friend?
Have lies caused harm to you before?

They're the keepers of truth
Lies can sometimes hide the truth

They'll be with you till the bitter end
Lies can stick with you for a long time

Worlds would just collide
If lies and love mixed, chaos would arise