Songoftheday 5/26/13 - Did I say I wouldn't be hurt if our love just didn't work, did I say that I'd be okay if you said good-bye...
Deborah Allen - "Baby I Lied"
from the EP Cheat The Night (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 7
Today's Song of the Day is by country singer Deborah Allen, a Memphis native that got her first break as a singer on Jim Stafford's variety show in the 70s. After that, a chance "audition" as a party singer got her a deal to record "duets" with unfinished track by the late Jim Reeves. Three of those "collaborations" made the top-10, with "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" peaking at #6 in 1979.
Finally able to record solo, she released "You (Make Me Wonder Why)" the following year, and it became her first solo hit, reaching #20. But it wasn't until 1983 when her big moment came with the song "Baby I Lied", written by Allen, her producer Rafe VonHoy, and songster Rory Michael Bourke (George Strait's "You Look So Good In Love")....
"Baby I Lied" was Deborah's first top-10 solo hit, going as high as #4, as well as a top-10 single on the adult-contemporary (easy-listening) chart. And it was one of the rare country crossover successes of the time pop radio was dominated with new wave and rock. Her six-song EP ended up sending three of its tracks to the country top-10, with "I've Been Wrong Before" almost making the top at #2.
After a couple of followup LPs, including a pop-leaning album that had her collaborating with the likes of Prince, Allen left her label, and reemerged in the 1990s back in the country fold with a few more hits. The last of them so far was 1994's "Break These Chains" (#66).
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In 1984, British comedian Tracy Ullman recorded a cover of the song for her debut album You Broke My Heart In 17 Places...
Country newbie Shannon Brown got her own top-40 country hit with a cover of "Baby I Lied" in 2001..
..and finally, here's Deborah recently in concert...
Up tomorrow: A Led Zep's in heat.
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