Would I Lie To You? by Charles and Eddie

Every New Zealand #1 single…

Four acts monopolised the NZ #1 number-one spot between 6 September 1992 and 4 April 1993. Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Achy Breaky Heart’, Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, and Boyz II Men’s ‘End of the Road‘ all topped the charts for weeks. Boyz II Men also returned to the top with ‘In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)’.

Charles and Eddie’s ‘Would I Lie To You’ also topped the charts in this period, albeit only for two weeks. But it’s the strongest of the bunch, charming and soulful.

Charles & Eddie

Charles Pettigrew and Eddie Chacon met on the C Train in the New York City Subway in 1990. According to Chacon, one carried a vinyl copy of Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man.

Pettigrew was from Philadelphia. ‘Would I Lie To You’ sounds like a 1990s update on the Philly soul sound. It also recalls the smooth Northern soul of the early 1970s.

Meanwhile, Chacon is from California. He formed his first band at 12 – improbably, the band also included Metallica bassist Cliff Burton and Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin.

The duo started recording their debut album, Duophonic, in 1991. ‘Would I Lie To You?’ was one of the few songs from outside writers.

My verdict

When ‘Would I Lie To You?’ was released, I was 12. It felt like an irresistible guilty pleasure. In hindsight, it stands as a great record.

The chorus is a massive adrenaline rush with the melody, strings, and Pettigrew’s sweet voice. The low-key verses are an effective contrast – the song would be exhausting if it kept going at full-tilt.

Amp Fiddler, who worked with George Clinton in the 1980s and 1990s and with Enchantment, plays keyboards.

Charles and Eddie only made two albums together. They split amicably after 1995’s Chocolate Milk. Pettigrew worked with Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz in the Tom Tom Club. He was diagnosed with cancer in the late 1990s and passed away in 2001, at 37.

Eddie Chacon resurfaced as a recording artist in the 2020s. His recent albums are surprisingly strong, a rare comeback from a one-hit wonder.

• 2020s album reviews
• NZ #1 hits