Behind The Song
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“LOVE IS A LIAR”
This is one of the most personal songs I’ve written. This song was written before my Mother passed away in May of 2024, but it has a deeper meaning now.
I originally wrote it as a tribute to her optimistic spirit. She was always looking to the positive side of things. Despite having fought cancer, MS and other conditions, she still saw the wonder in life. I really think that has been the biggest gift in my life. To have a positive role model that reminds you what is good in your life and doesn’t dwell on the hard things or bad things that happen.
The lyrics involve her telling me things will be ok after a heartbreak. How that the crushing feeling you have is a lie. It feels permanent when it is not. So when love or any other emotion tries to convince you that the feeling you have is the only thing…. it’s not actually true.
After my Mum passed away, I was on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins and happy to be focused on working. But, part of me was very much in a state of shock and numbness. I then started to feel the weight of the situation and soon after that grief set in. When it came time to record this song, the message had fully changed for me.
The message wasn’t just about getting over heartbreak, it was now about getting over any strong emotion including grief.
Recording the string section was a beautiful process and we circled back to re-record piano and simplify it. This was a suggestion from Howard, my Producer. He was absolutely right. It needed to be sparse, and allow for the vocals and strings to tell the story. Tim Lauer did a fantastic job with these strings. Incredibly emotional.I just love the way it turned out.