Friday Song: “Big Love”
Fifteen years in the making, we see a singer-songwriter-guitarist in his prime
Fleetwood Mac had a side-hustle in tumult — fiery relationship problems on full display on stage and in the press, breakups and reunions galore, and songs written as part of interpersonal disputes.
We, as the listeners, ultimately benefited from much of this.
During a hiatus for the band in the early 1980s, Lindsey Buckingham wrote “Big Love” for a solo project. The McVies — John (bass) and Christine (keys and vocals) — were busy pulling the band back together for what many thought would be their 14th and last album, ultimately called Tango in the Night, which was released in 1985.
Considering it the band’s last hurrah, Buckingham agreed to add “Big Love” to the album.
It was a good move. “Big Love” was picked out as the album’s lead single, reaching #5 on the charts. But when the band announced a tour, Buckingham abruptly quit before hitting the road. It wasn’t until he rejoined in the 1990s that people were able to see and hear him perform it live in 1997, nearly 15 years later.
“Big Love” is a showcase song for Buckingham, who described it as a “lustful mid-to-up tempo number featuring love grunts.”
The album version was essentially the demo Buckingham recorded, performing the “ooh-ah” vocals himself by sampling his voice through the use of a variable speed oscillator, with the resulting tones making people think his ex-lover Stevie Nicks had joined him in recording the song. Bass and drums also fleshed out the studio version.
Since then, this live performance has overshadowed the studio version, mainly because it is so amazing to watch a guitarist and performer of Buckingham’s caliber in his prime.
His picking technique is amazing.
To be able to sing while doing this? Legendary.
Enjoy!
