Big Love

Album: Tango In The Night (1987)
Charted: 9 5
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Songfacts®:

  • "Big Love" is a showcase song for Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who described it as a "lustful mid-to-up tempo number featuring love grunts." These grunts, which get pretty aggressive at the end of the song, sound like they're coming from two different people, but they're both Buckingham. To simulate the female voice, he processed his vocals through a variable-speed oscillator. Many listeners assumed this was the voice of Stevie Nicks, his bandmate and ex-lover.
  • Lindsey Buckingham planned to use "Big Love" on a solo album, but then Fleetwood Mac got back together. They parted ways in 1982 after their Mirage album, but Christine McVie pulled them back together in 1985 when she had Buckingham produce her cover of the Elvis Presley song "Can't Help Falling In Love" and also back her on the track along with two other Mac members, John McVie (her ex-husband... boy this band gets complicated) and Mick Fleetwood. This session went so well, Fleetwood and two McVies convinced Buckingham to turn the solo material he was working on - including "Big Love" - into Fleetwood Mac songs for a new album: Tango In The Night. He agreed, but considered it a last hurrah, figuring they'd make the album and be done.

    When the fifth member of the group, Stevie Nicks, joined the sessions, they got a lot more complicated. It took nearly a year and a half to finish the album, by which time Buckingham was approaching his boiling point. Tango In The Night was mostly the work of Buckingham and Christine McVie - they wrote most of the songs and Lindsey was a co-producer. It was released in April 1987 with "Big Love" as the first single. In May, the song went to #5, marking a triumphant return of the Mac. They announced a tour, but in August had a blow-up with Buckingham, who abruptly left the group. They went on the road in September with two guitarists taking his place: Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. (It wouldn't be the last time Buckingham was replaced by two guitarists: in 2018 Mike Campbell and Neil Finn took over for him.) "Big Love" was left out of the setlist.
  • The music video was directed by Daniel Kleinman, known for his work on the title sequences to various James Bond movies. The video is filled with compositing and special effects that weren't easy to pull off in 1987. There's a clear homage to The Twilight Zone, with a window floating in space. Stevie Nicks, who had little to do with the song, gamely sashays in her signature style during her scenes.

    It was in the interest of their label, Warner Bros., to commission a big-budget video because for the first time in Fleetwood Mac history, VH1 was on the air, offering a more adult alternative to MTV. The band was right in the network's sweet spot and the video received lots of airplay.
  • Fleetwood Mac didn't play this song live until 1997 when they reunited with Buckingham for The Dance tour. He performed a passionate, crowd-pleasing acoustic version on this tour.

Comments: 14

  • Barry From Canada from NewbrunswickI made a comment on YT about the "grunts" and how they were still dreamy today !! A reply informed me how they were all Lindsey's , which of course , I found a bit hard to believe ...
    I felt songfacts would likely have the scoop !!!
    I will just say ... It is still difficult to accept !!! LOL !!
  • Pjh from Finland"The project never materialized and he rejoined Fleetwood Mac". From my understanding, it would probably have materialized, but Buckingham was asked to do the FM album instead. (Just noting that the he did not join FM because the solo project didn't materialize, but rather the other way around.)
  • John Debusk from Ft.worth TxThis song can live in my head at unexpected times. Its soothing as well as spirited. Many thanks To Lindsey and his co performers!!
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenScantly lyrics, but an amazing musical arrangement. I would like this almost as much if it was just an instrumental.
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxI always figured the "grunts" were of both Buckingham and Nicks.
  • Steve from Chino Hills, CaI know the music video kinda looks like something a high school student can make with Final Cut Pro, but keep in mind at the time this was filmed they didn't have the computer resources we have today. I really thought that this was an innovative video for the time, and it probably was a lot of work.
  • Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesI thought Lindsey and Stevie were grunting back and forth to each other!
  • Adrian from Burbank, CaI love the song "Big Love" one of the best songs they they ever did
  • Tom from El Paso, Txi know those love grunt sounds were not made by stevie as stevie makes a different type of sound.Tom, EL Paso, TX
  • Lisa from Eveleth, Mnive always liked this song
  • Mike from Hastings, NeBuckingham did a fantastic acoustic version of this on the "Bob and Tom" show in the US. You really have to think a little to make the acoustic version of this "blow your mind". Buckingham is a genius on the guitar and this song shows it.

    BTW..something about Buckingham grunting or screaming gets my wife laughing something fierce. She just gets the laughs anytime we see the video of "Tusk" from the live "Dance" special.
  • Drew from Bloomfield, NyI remember when this song was popular that there was this whole big debate about who was doing the "love grunts" in the chorus of the song. Some say it was Buckingham and his girlfriend, or it was Buckingham and Nicks,Fleetwood and Nicks, both McVies, and so on and so on.....
  • Philip from Calcutta, IndiaAn unplugged version of this song features in the film Elizabeth Town
  • Don from B G, KyThe window frame in space makes me think about the intro to the TV series "The Twilight Zone". The original Rod Serling shows had a window frame floating in space at the start of each show.
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