"Big Love"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Tango in the Night
B-side"You & I Part 1"
Released23 March 1987
Recorded1986–1987
Genre
Length3:41
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s)
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Can't Go Back"
(1982) 		"Big Love"
(1987) 		"Seven Wonders"
(1987)
Music video
"Big Love" on YouTube

"Big Love" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song first appeared on the band's 1987 album Tango in the Night. The song was the first single to be released from the album, reaching number 5 in the US[3] and number nine in the UK. The single was also a hit on the American dance charts, where the song peaked at number 7.[4]

A 12-inch version featured an extended dance mix, with added vocals by Stevie Nicks. While the 12-inch version in some territories included "You & I, Part II" from the Tango in the Night album, the 7-inch version and 12-inch version in other territories included a non-album track, "You & I, Part I". A limited edition 12-inch picture disc was released in the UK, as well as a double 7-inch pack that included the "Big Love" single, and an exclusive 7-inch featuring "The Chain" as an A-side. "Big Love" became a standard of the Balearic beat dance sound,[5][6] and the object of an extended remix by the DJ Arthur Baker.[7]

Background

In 1985, Buckingham began compiling material for a third solo album, and eventually amassed around 50 songs during those sessions. Among those songs was "Big Love", which Buckingham intended to include on his solo album. However, Fleetwood Mac was also creating a new album at the time, so Buckingham abandoned his solo project and gave the band "Big Love" to use on Tango in the Night.[8] "My choice was to keep making the solo record and walk in as a cameo and have cameo producers, or just surrender to the situation and say there will be more songs later. And I chose the latter.[9]

"Big Love" was nearly complete by the time Fleetwood Mac began work on Tango in the Night, so the band largely left Buckingham's demo untouched for the final release.[8] Buckingham performed the oh-ah vocals himself by sampling his voice. "It was odd," he said, "that so many people wondered if it was Stevie on there with me."[10] The song possesses a I-VII-VI-VII chord progression in the verses and a IV-V-I dominant sequence in the chorus.[11]

Acoustic version

After Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac in 1987 (shortly after Tango in the Night was released), the band did not perform "Big Love" live until his return in 1997. It was in 1993, on his first solo tour, that Buckingham performed a guitar-only version of the song. When Buckingham played "Big Love" live, he used a gutted Gibson Chet Atkins SST with a capo on the fourth fret and a synth pickup.[12] In 1997, he performed "Big Love" in the same style on Fleetwood Mac's live album The Dance. The song also appeared on the second volume of Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown film soundtrack. Buckingham continues to perform the song on solo tours as well as Fleetwood Mac tours.[13]

Music video

The video opens on a shot of a mansion. Then the camera slowly pans back and continues to pan back nonstop throughout the video as Buckingham sings with the band featured playing instruments in various settings while Nicks dances around wearing different outfits during the video. During the last segment of the song, the video is then played backwards in a fast forwarded sort of form.

Reception

Cash Box called it a "perfect blend of rock experimentation and pure pop sensibility."[14] The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number 18 and number 19 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[15][16]

Track listings

UK 7" single (Warner Brothers Records W 8398)

  1. "Big Love" – 3:37
  2. "You and I, Part I" – 3:09

UK 12" single (Warner Brothers Records W 8398 T)

  1. "Big Love" (Extended Remix) – 6:42
  2. "You and I, Part I" – 3:09

US 12" single (Warner Brothers Records 0-20683)

  1. "Big Love" (Extended Remix) – 6:42
  2. "Big Love" (House on the Hill Dub) – 3:03
  3. "Big Love" (Piano Dub) – 6:36
  4. "You and I, Part II" – 2:40

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Big Love"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2016). Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-7603-5176-5.
  2. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside. p. 304. ISBN 0-394-72107-1. big love.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 230.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 100.
  5. ^ Alexis Patridis, "Fleetwood Mac: Tango in the Night review – timely reissue coasts from gloss to gloom", The Guardian, 23 March 2016.
  6. ^ Iain Stewart (2003). Ibiza and Formentera. Rough Guides. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-84353-063-3.
  7. ^ Simon Frith; Andrew Goodwin (2006). On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word. Routledge. p. 401. ISBN 978-1-134-93950-3.
  8. ^ a b "The Katz Tapes". Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  9. ^ Zollo, Paul (1997). "Songwriters On Songwriting, Expanded Edition". The Blue Letter Archives. Archived from the original on 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  10. ^ Elliott, Paul (October 2013). "Eye of the hurricane". Classic Rock #189. p. 59.
  11. ^ Moore, Alan (January 1992). "Patterns of Harmony". Popular Music. Cambridge University Press. 11 (1): 83–84. doi:10.1017/S0261143000004852. S2CID 162086782.
  12. ^ Shadrick, Jason (October 10, 2012). "Rig Rundown - Lindsey Buckingham". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  13. ^ "Fleetwood Mac brings crazy-ass fingerpicking and monster drums to Vancouver". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  14. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 28 March 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  15. ^ Petridis, Alexis (19 May 2022). "Fleetwood Mac's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Matt (7 August 2023). "The 30 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Songs". Paste. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  17. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Big Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0820." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  20. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 20. 23 May 1987. p. 14.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Big Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Fleetwood Mac" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Big Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Big Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  25. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website – SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs (A-B)". www.rock.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  26. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Big Love". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Fleetwood Mac: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Fleetwood Mac Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Fleetwood Mac – Big Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Single of 1987". RPM. 26 December 1987. Retrieved 22 June 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  36. ^ "European Charts of the Year 1987 > Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. 26 December 1987. p. 34. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  39. ^ Billboard Magazine – Year-end Charts of 1987. 26 December 1987.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Big Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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