I Love You So I Told You A Lie

Album: Free For All (1976)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This may be a Ted Nugent song, but it was written by his guitarist, Cliff Davies, and sung by Meat Loaf. Nugent's contribution is guitar.

    Nugent did most of the songwriting on his albums, but not all - his guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes wrote "Hey Baby," a single from 1975 on the Ted Nugent album. St. Holmes did most of the singing on that album, but on the next one, Free For All, Meat Loaf sang on five of the tracks. At the time, he was known for his work in musical theater, notably The Rocky Horror Picture Show, later made into a movie where he reprised his role.

    Cliff Davies joined with Nugent in 1975 and was with him for the next several years, a wild ride when they were one of the top tour acts in America. Meat Loaf didn't go on the road with them, so "I Love You So I Told You A Lie" was never performed in concert.
  • In this song, Meat Loaf sings from the perspective of a man who values his freedom so much, he's willing to let a good woman go in order to keep it. "A family life and a lovin' wife just ain't my kinda scene."

    But on those cold, lonely nights, he's forced to reconsider. He tells himself he broke it off to protect her, but maybe he was just being selfish.

    It's the kind of story song Nugent wouldn't write but Meat Loaf would become famous for singing. His later hits, written by Jim Steinman, often told tales of rather intense love affairs.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dr. John

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.