"Beautiful Lies" is a song written by Jack Rhodes and recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1955 by Capitol Records as a single. It became Shepard's fifth top ten single on the US country chart in her career and was given positive reception by critics.
| "Beautiful Lies" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jean Shepard | ||||
| A-side | "I Thought of You" | |||
| Released | September 1955 | |||
| Recorded | April 1955 | |||
| Studio | Capitol Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jack Rhodes | |||
| Producer(s) | Ken Nelson | |||
| Jean Shepard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background, recording and content
editJean Shepard recorded a pair of duets with Ferlin Husky in 1953 ("A Dear John Letter" and "Forgive Me, John") that both became commercial successes. As a solo artist, she had her first commercial success with 1955's "A Satisfied Mind". This would be followed the same year by "Beautiful Lies".[2] The song was composed by Jack Rhodes.[3] The song's main character insists he tells her words she wants to hear even if he does not believe them himself.[4] Shepard recorded the track at Hollywood's Capitol Studios in April 1955. The session was produced by Ken Nelson.[3]
Release, critical reception and chart performance
edit"Beautiful Lies" was released by Capitol Records as a seven-inch vinyl record single in September 1955. On the A side was the track "I Thought of You".[3] The song received a positive reception following its release. Cash Box magazine described the track as "feelingful".[5] When reviewing Shepard's box set The Melody Ranch Girl (which featured "Beautiful Lies"), AllMusic's Thom Owens wrote that Shepard's performance on the track was full of "fiery, passionate honky tonk".[6] Shepard herself said of the track, "I like the song but I had a lot that I liked better."[7] "Beautiful Lies" made a higher position on the US Billboard country chart than its A-side "I Thought of You".[5][7] Entering the chart in October 1955,[4] "Beautiful Lies" reached the number four position later that year. It became her fifth top ten Billboard country single and third as a solo artist.[8][9]
Track listing
edit7" vinyl single[3]
- "I Thought of You" – 2:35
- "Beautiful Lies" – 2:46
Charts
edit| Chart (1955) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 4 |
References
edit- ^ a b ""Beautiful Lies": Jean Shepard". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Dan. "Jean Shepard Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d Shepard, Jean (September 1955). ""I Thought of You"/"Beautiful Lies" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. F-3222.
- ^ a b "Jean Shepard". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ a b "The Cash Box Country Reviews: Bullseye of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. September 3, 1955. p. 28. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Owens, Thom. "The Melody Ranch Girl: Jean Shepard: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b Shepard, Jean (2014). Down Through the Years. Don Wise Productions. p. 89. ISBN 978-0944391068.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 88.
- ^ "Jean Shepard Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2024.