Born to Lie
{{Short description|2021 promotional single by Dreamcar}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Born to Lie
| cover = Dreamcar "Born to Lie".jpg
| alt = An illustration showing a yellow humanoid-type figure with a large crater on their face is shown, along with the words "Dreamcar" and "Born to Lie" in an all-caps, white font.
| border = yes
| caption =
| type = promotional single
| artist = Dreamcar
| album = Dreamcar
| released = {{Start date|2017|04|07}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=50}}
| label = Columbia
| writer =
| producer = Tim Pagnotta
| misc =
{{External music video|{{Youtube|UkiMAu0TbB8|"Born to Lie"}}|header=Lyric video|type=song}}
}}
"Born to Lie" is a song by American supergroup Dreamcar for their self-titled debut studio album (2017). It was produced by Tim Pagnotta and written by the group's four members Tom Dumont, Davey Havok, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young. The song was released as a promotional single for the album on April 7, 2017, through Columbia Records, and their second song overall. It is an alternative and new wave song with a dance beat. Stylistically, the song was compared and contrasted with Dreamcar's previous single, "Kill for Candy" (2017). Lyrically, "Born to Lie" discusses someone who has been unable to find or maintain a romantic relationship.
Some music critics discussed the roles of individual Dreamcar members in "Born to Lie", particularly Havok. They also compared it to the works of other bands, including Depeche Mode, A Flock of Seagulls, and the Killers. The song was promoted through the release of an animated lyric video via the group's YouTube channel.
Background and release
Dreamcar is an American supergroup, consisting of Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young, all members of No Doubt, and AFI's lead vocalist Davey Havok. No Doubt's vocalist Gwen Stefani resumed work on her solo career, allowing the other three to pursue a new musical project.{{cite magazine |last1=Epstein |first1=Dan |title=No Doubt's Tony Kanal on 'Rebirth' with New Supergroup Dreamcar |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/no-doubts-tony-kanal-on-rebirth-with-new-supergroup-dreamcar-192693/ |access-date=February 16, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 2, 2017 |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815203906/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/no-doubts-tony-kanal-on-rebirth-with-new-supergroup-dreamcar-192693/ |url-status=live }} Dreamcar released "Kill for Candy" as their debut and lead single in March 2017, for their first studio album Dreamcar (2017).{{cite magazine |last1=Kaplan |first1=Ilana |title=Dreamcar Talks Not Being a Supergroup & The Future of No Doubt |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7800995/dreamcar-not-supergroup-future-no-doubt |access-date=February 17, 2021 |magazine=Billboard |date=May 19, 2017 |archive-date=May 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523022937/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7800995/dreamcar-not-supergroup-future-no-doubt |url-status=live }} "Born to Lie" was written by Dumont, Havok, Kanal, and Young, while produced by Sugarcult's lead vocalist Tim Pagnotta. Mark Stent served as the mixing engineer for the song, with Ted Jensen being the mastering engineer.
"Born to Lie" was released for digital download and streaming in the United States on April 7, 2017, through Columbia Records. On the same day, an animated promotional lyric video was uploaded to Dreamcar's YouTube channel.{{cite web |last1=Frankel |first1=Ricky |title=Dreamcar: 'Born To Lie' |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/63553/videos-dreamcar-born-to-lie |publisher=PunkNews.org |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323232037/https://www.punknews.org/article/63553/videos-dreamcar-born-to-lie |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Dreamcar – Born to Lie (Lyric) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkiMAu0TbB8 |publisher=YouTube (US) |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213232045/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkiMAu0TbB8 |url-status=live }} The song became Dreamcar's second one overall to be released to the public.{{cite news |title=Dreamcar is 'Born to Lie' on new track |url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2017/4/7/dreamcar-is-born-to-lie-on-new-track.html |access-date=March 23, 2021 |publisher=ABC News Radio |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615235937/http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2017/4/7/dreamcar-is-born-to-lie-on-new-track.html |url-status=live }} It served as the first of several promotional singles for Dreamcar, becoming an instant download to those who pre-ordered the album.{{cite web |title=Dreamcar Shares New Song 'Born To Lie', Self-Titled Debut Album Now Available for Pre-Order |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Dreamcar-Shares-New-Song-Born-To-Lie-Self-Titled-Debut-Album-Now-Available-for-Pre-Order-20170407 |publisher=BroadwayWorld |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323232039/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Dreamcar-Shares-New-Song-Born-To-Lie-Self-Titled-Debut-Album-Now-Available-for-Pre-Order-20170407 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Jo |title=Dreamcar share new song 'Born to Lie' |url=https://www.withguitars.com/dreamcar-share-new-song-born-lie/ |website=With Guitars |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 14, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323232030/https://www.withguitars.com/dreamcar-share-new-song-born-lie/ |url-status=live }} On May 12, 2017, "Born to Lie" was included as the third song on Dreamcar.
Composition and lyrics
File:Davey Havok 2009.jpg sings in a slightly different style on "Born to Lie" than he does on the rest of Dreamcar.|alt=A color photograph of American musician Davey Havok performing live in 2009, dressed in a black shirt and holding a microphone stand.]]
Musically, "Born to Lie" is an alternative and new wave song with a dance beat.{{cite magazine |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |title=Hear No Doubt-AFI Supergroup Dreamcar's Frenetic New Song 'Born to Lie' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-no-doubt-afi-supergroup-dreamcars-frenetic-new-song-born-to-lie-121227/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203144054/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-no-doubt-afi-supergroup-dreamcars-frenetic-new-song-born-to-lie-121227/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Khatry |first1=Sudipti |title=Listen: Dreamcar Releases New Song 'Born To Lie' |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2017/04/09/news/listen-dreamcar-releases-new-song-born-to-lie/ |publisher=mxdwn |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 9, 2017 |archive-date=April 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413171122/http://music.mxdwn.com/2017/04/09/news/listen-dreamcar-releases-new-song-born-to-lie/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Brennan |first1=Collin |title=Album Review: Dreamcar – Dreamcar |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/05/album-review-dreamcar-dreamcar/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Consequence of Sound |date=May 11, 2017 |archive-date=May 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504194654/https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/05/album-review-dreamcar-dreamcar/ |url-status=live }} Ben Kaye from Consequence of Sound classified "Born to Lie" and "Kill for Candy" as alternative and new wave songs, which he said contradicts a claim Stefani once made that Dreamcar is a punk band.{{cite news |last1=Kaye |first1=Ben |title=No Doubt/AFI supergroup Dreamcar share another new track, 'Born to Lie' – listen |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/04/no-doubtafi-supergroup-dreamcar-share-another-new-track-born-to-lie-listen/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Consequence of Sound |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111191943/https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/04/no-doubtafi-supergroup-dreamcar-share-another-new-track-born-to-lie-listen/ |url-status=live }} He compared the former to the works of the Killers due to its usage of "heavy guitars". Tom Breihan from Stereogum contrasted "Born to Lie" with "Kill for Candy", feeling that the former leans more towards "efficient modern rock" territory.{{cite web |last1=Breihan |first1=Tom |title=Dreamcar – 'Born To Lie' |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1933978/dreamcar-born-to-lie/music/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424020823/https://www.stereogum.com/1933978/dreamcar-born-to-lie/music/ |url-status=live }} Despite calling the song upbeat, Zanda Wilson of Music Feeds considered it "a tad darker" than the predecessor.{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Zanda |title=AFI & No Doubt Supergroup Dreamcar Unveil New Single 'Born To Lie' |url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/afi-no-doubt-supergroup-dreamcar-unveil-new-single-born-lie/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Music Feeds |date=April 8, 2017 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126210621/https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/afi-no-doubt-supergroup-dreamcar-unveil-new-single-born-lie/ |url-status=live }} On the song, Dumont plays the guitar and keyboards, Kanal performs on bass guitar and keyboards, and Young plays the drums. The three reunited with No Doubt member Gabrial McNair for "Born to Lie", who contributes to the instrumentation as a keyboardist. Because of the addition of "moody keyboard hues" on the song, AllMusic's Matt Collar called it reminiscent of Depeche Mode.{{cite news |last1=Collar |first1=Matt |title=Dreamcar – Dreamcar |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dreamcar-mw0003040144 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |publisher=AllMusic |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193936/https://www.allmusic.com/album/dreamcar-mw0003040144 |url-status=live }}
"Born to Lie" is set in common time, and has a moderate tempo of 140 beats per minute. The key of the song is in F-sharp minor and it advances with a setup of two verses, each followed by a pre-chorus and chorus. For the song, Havok's vocal range follows the chord progressions of Fm-B-E-D-A in both the verses and choruses.{{cite book |last1=Dumont |first1=Tom |last2=Havok |first2=Davey |last3=Kanal |first3=Tony |last4=Young |first4=Adrian |authorlink1=Tom Dumont |authorlink2=Davey Havok |authorlink3=Tony Kanal |authorlink4=Adrian Young |title=Born To Lie: Sheet Music, Lyrics by Tom Dumont, Davey Havok, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young |date=2017 |publisher=Columbia Records}} A critic from KYSR discussed the progression of the song, noting that it "builds from a breathy verse into an expansive refrain".{{cite web |title=Best Music Discovery Ever... This Week! Dreamcar – 'Kill for Candy' |url=https://alt987fm.iheart.com/content/2017-03-06-best-music-discovery-ever-this-week-dreamcar-kill-for-candy/ |publisher=KYSR |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=March 6, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323232029/https://alt987fm.iheart.com/content/2017-03-06-best-music-discovery-ever-this-week-dreamcar-kill-for-candy/ |url-status=live }} Brandi Smith from Riff Magazine wrote that although Havok sings in a new style on "Born to Lie" in contrast with the rest of Dreamcar, the lyrical component remains the same. The lyrics find him "unable to love or connect emotionally" with someone else; he sings in a whining tone: "I'd love to love you, just a little / I'd love to be moved, just a little."{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Brandi |title=Review: AFI, No Doubt supergroup Dreamcar celebrates '80s new wave on debut |url=https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/dreamcar/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Riff Magazine |date=May 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927071552/https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/dreamcar/ |url-status=live }} Rolling Stone{{'}}s Ryan Reed analyzed the lyrics "I've grown too tired to lie / And you're born so sick of truth" and believed they tell of a "would-be romance ruined by practicality".
Critical reception
Some music critics discussed Dreamcar members and their different roles in making "Born to Lie". Havok's "brooding" songwriting was acclaimed by Pitchfork{{'}}s Zoe Camp, who wrote that it "blossoms spectacularly" on the song.{{cite web |last1=Camp |first1=Zoe |title=Dreamcar: Dreamcar Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23293-dreamcar/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=May 25, 2017 |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829103458/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23293-dreamcar/ |url-status=live }} Breihan stated that if it were not for Havok's "yelpy, dramatic delivery", then "Born to Lie" would have been classified as a "fairly anonymous piece of movie-trailer rock" song. Although Consequence of Sound{{'}}s Collin Brennan found the song to be derivative of "I Ran (So Far Away)" (1982) by A Flock of Seagulls, he believed Dumont and Young's performances provide "enough oomph to steer it away from self-parody". Caitlyn Ralph from Alternative Press provided a positive review of the song, labeling it "a dream come true" in the wake of the album's announcement.{{cite news |last1=Ralph |first1=Caitlyn |title=The New Song from Dreamcar (AFI/No Doubt Supergroup) Is a Dream Come True |url=https://www.altpress.com/news/the_new_single_from_dreamcar_afi_no_doubt_supergroup_is_a_dream_come_true/ |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Alternative Press |date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316213748/https://www.altpress.com/news/the_new_single_from_dreamcar_afi_no_doubt_supergroup_is_a_dream_come_true/ |url-status=live }} In his review of the single, Reed referred to it as frenetic.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.{{cite web |title=Credits – Dreamcar – Dreamcar |url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/73644575/credits |publisher=Tidal |access-date=March 23, 2021 }}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
- Tom Dumont{{spaced ndash}}composer, lyricist, guitar, keyboards
- Davey Havok{{spaced ndash}}composer, lyricist, vocals
- Tony Kanal{{spaced ndash}}composer, lyricist, bass guitar, keyboards
- Adrian Young{{spaced ndash}}composer, lyricist, drums
- Tim Pagnotta{{spaced ndash}}producer
- Ted Jensen{{spaced ndash}}mastering engineer
- Mark Stent{{spaced ndash}}mixing engineer
- Adam Hawkins{{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
- Brian Phillips{{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
- Michael Freeman{{spaced ndash}}assistant engineer
- Peter Mack{{spaced ndash}}assistant engineer
- Gabrial McNair{{spaced ndash}}keyboards
{{div col end}}