No Lie (Sean Paul song)

"No Lie" was written by Paul alongside Andrew Jackson, Emily Warren, its producer Sermstyle, and co-producer Pip Kembo.[1] Sermstyle originally played the rhythm for Paul, after which he expressed his admiration of it. He wrote onto the rhythm and recorded a demo for it. Following this, Paul went searching for an artist to record the hook, which Warren wrote. Someone in his management group suggested Lipa, which led to her also recoding a demo of the song. After hearing the demo, Paul immediately fell in love with Lipa's voice and went on to finish the song with her vocals.[2][3][4] Engineering was handled by Paul Bailey, while James Royo was responsible for mixing, and the song was mastered by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering.[1]

Musically, "No Lie" is an R&B-tinged, dancehall, reggae, and tropical pop track.[5][6][7] It runs for 3:41, and is composed in the key of G major, with a tempo of 102 beats per minute.[8] The production makes use of a keyboard and beats,[9] while the opening chords give off sensuality.[5] The song starts somewhat moody, before Lipa handles the chorus.[5][10] Paul uses dancehall-like rapping and singing with a vocal rhythm, while Lipa's vocals were described as "deep" and "sultry" with a reggae-tinged accent.[6][7][11] Lyrically, the song is about having fun in a club scene. Paul comments on the physique of a woman and his attraction to her, eventually expressing to the woman what he can do for her. The title "No Lie" comes from a saying in Jamaica that is said when you want someone to believe you.[12]

Paul announced the release of "No Lie" two days prior to its release, alongside sharing a 15-second preview of the song with both his and Lipa's vocals.[13] The song was released for digital download and streaming through Island Records as a single on 18 November 2016.[14] On 13 January 2017, it was released on a CD single in Germany, with Paul's single "Tek Weh Yuh Heart" that features Tory Lanez as the B-side.[15] "No Lie" was serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom on 23 December 2016,[16] before being sent to rhythmic contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on 17 January 2017,[17][18] as well as contemporary hit radio in Italy three days later.[19] Remixes by Sam Feldt and Delirious & Alex K were released on 27 January 2017.[20] The song serves as the lead single and closing track from Paul's debut EP Mad Love the Prequel, released 29 June 2018.[21] It was later included as the seventh track on the second disc of the super deluxe edition of Lipa's eponymous debut studio album Dua Lipa: Complete Edition, released on 19 October 2018.[22]

"No Lie" was included on the soundtrack to the film Baywatch (2017),[23] as well as in the opening credits of Code Black Season 3, Episode 11: "One of Our Own", in 2018.[24] The music video for "No Lie" was directed by Tim Nackashi and released on 10 January 2017.[25][26] It was filmed at West London's Sunbeam studios in the third studio, as well as the garden.[25][27] The visual showcases Paul and Lipa dancing in an assortment of mirrored rooms and halls, with Paul wearing several different parkas.[5][11][28] Critics viewed the video as stylish, hypnotic, and dizzying.[5][11][29] "No Lie" was promoted with several live performances. Paul and Lipa performed the song for the first time on 3 December 2016 at the Jingle Bell Ball for Capital FM.[30] On 27 May, the two performed it at BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend for 2017,[31] and Lipa also performed a solo version of the song as a medley with her track "Dreams" (2017) at the same event.[32] Paul and Lipa performed the song for the final time together at the Summertime Ball for Capital FM 2017,[33] while the song was included on Paul's 2017 Pinkpop Festival,[34] 2017 RNB Fridays Live,[35] and Glastonbury Festival 2019 setlists,[36] as well as Lipa's setlist at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2017.[37] The song was also included on the setlists of Lipa's The Self-Titled Tour (2017–18), for which she occasionally performed it as a medley with "Dreams".[38]

For Billboard, Kat Bein named the song a "totally replay-able [...] party jam," as well as calling it "real sexy" and the hook "rump-shaking."[5] In her review for V, Mariana Fernandez viewed the song as an "impressive morph of dancehall, reggae, and pop," while also praising the "infectious combination" of Paul and Lipa's vocals.[6] Robbie Daw of Idolator thought the song is "quite a jam," and "a step in the right direction" for Paul. He went on to compliment Paul's choice of Lipa as a featured artist, and noted how she mirrors the melody of "Puttin' On the Ritz" (1929) by Irving Berlin.[10] The staff of Much named the song "an instant addition to your weekend playlist."[11] HotNewHipHop's Danny Schwartz thought it would be commercially successful on the radio.[39] The Singles Jukebox staff gave the song a rating of 4.25/10, with many complimenting Lipa's performance, but many criticizing how Paul was stuck in the past.[9] In April 2020, Christopher Rosa of Glamour ranked "No Lie" as Lipa's fourth worst song, stating it is "just off."[7]

"No Lie" became a successful single in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart dated 23 November 2016. The song lasted for 30 weeks on the chart, and reached a peak of number 10 in its 11th week, becoming Paul's 12th and Lipa's first UK top 10 single.[40][41] In December 2017, the song was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 600,000 units in the UK.[42] The song entered the top 10 of the charts in Bulgaria,[43] Germany,[44] Hungary,[45] the Netherlands,[46] Romania,[47] Scotland,[48] and Serbia.[49] It was certified platinum in France, Germany, and the Netherlands by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld - en geluidsdragers (NVPI), respectively.[50][51][52] In Italy, the song reached number 11 on the FIMI Singles Chart,[53] and was certified quadruple platinum by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) for 200,000 track-equivalent sales in the country.[54] Outside of Europe, it reached number 43 and 45 in Venezuela and Columbia, respectively,[55][56] as well as charting at number 20 on the Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart,[57] and number 27 on the Mexico Airplay chart.[58]

• List of UK top-ten singles in 2017

• Audio on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics