Little Liar

Album: Up Your Alley (1988)
Charted: 19
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Joan Jett calls out a duplicitous lover in "Little Liar," the follow-up to her hit "I Hate Myself For Loving You." She wrote both songs with Desmond Child, who was also working with Aerosmith ("Dude (Looks Like A Lady)") and Bon Jovi ("Born to Be My Baby") around this time.

    They didn't have a specific person in mind as the little liar, but the song helped develop Joan Jett's persona as a tough-as-nails rocker who calls it like she sees it. "It's the idea of being betrayed by her lover," Child explained in a Songfacts interview. "That seemed to be a theme that worked with her personality. It explained the chip that she had on her shoulder, which was part of her gimmick. This whole, 'I don't care. I'm tough. I don't give a f--k.' So, 'Little liar, I believed in you.'"
  • "Little Liar" was a modest hit for Jett, reaching #19 in the US. Her biggest hits came early in the '80s and were mostly covers, including "I Love Rock And Roll," originally by The Arrows. Jett had the chops to write her own songs but there was such a big well of songs by male artists that she could transform, and those went over very well - "Crimson And Clover" (Tommy James and the Shondells) and "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" (Gary Glitter) are examples. "Little Liar" is one of the biggest hits she had a had in writing; others include "Bad Reputation" and "Fake Friends."
  • The music video seems to have some kind of concept, but we're not sure what it is. It starts with Jett at home wearing an Orioles jersey (her favorite team) and then transitions into scenes of her in white singing the song and in black out on the town with a guy, presumably the little liar. In some shots, both the white and black Joans are in the shot at the same time, and the white one comes in to throw water on his face. The video ends with Jett back at home, playing her "I Hate Myself For Loving You" single, perhaps tying the two songs together.

    No one seems to claim credit for this video - there's no director listed. Jett also released a live video to go with the song.
  • A year earlier, Fleetwood Mac had a hit with "Little Lies," which has a similar title but different theme. In that one the singer wants the guy to tell her little lies to keep her heart from breaking.

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