‘Big Love’: The Fleetwood Mac song that took 15 years to perform live
The history of Fleetwood Mac is rife with fallouts, breakups, affairs and fights. You’d be hard-pressed to find a band with so much inner conflict and drama. Moving through numerous iterations as members left the band or briefly quit off the back of an argument, Fleetwood Mac could have a whole soap opera dedicated to their drama.
But despite it all, they became one of the most defining bands in history, especially during the 1970s and 1980s when the line-up of Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks proved a winning one. Writing some of the band’s biggest tracks like ‘Dreams’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Little Lies’, the five-piece were a hit-making machine.
That’s not to say the period was drama-free. In fact, the 1970s and 1980s were arguably the most turbulent in the band’s history as Nicks and Buckingham broke up, and the McVies confirmed their divorce.
The drama almost cost the band a lot of great music, with one song almost falling through the cracks. Taking the band 15 years to play it live, ‘Big Love’ was nearly lost in the midst of arguments.
Originally written by Lindsey Buckingham for a solo project during the band’s early ’80s hiatus following the release of Mirage, the track is undeniably a Buckingham show-off moment. Described by Buckingham as a “lustful mid-to-up tempo number featuring love grunts”, ‘Big Love’ is one of his most impressive, shining guitar moments on Fleetwood Mac records.
With Christine McVie pulling the band back together in 1985, the McVie’s convinced Buckingham to record the solo track for a new Fleetwood Mac album. Considering the record to be a last hurrah, Buckingham thought the 1987 album Tango In The Night would be their final one.
The album took over a year to make, thanks to ongoing drama in the band with members storming out, coming back, and arguments raging on. ‘Big Love’ was picked out as the album’s lead single, with the record going on to be a huge success as the single hit number five in the charts. But still, the world didn’t get to hear ‘Big Love’ live because when the band announced a tour, Buckingham abruptly quit the band before hitting the road.
Instead, when Fleetwood Mac went on tour in September 1987, two guitarists replaced Buckingham. Billy Burnette and Rick Vito shared Buckingham’s intricate guitar parts, but still, ‘Big Love’ didn’t make the setlist.
It would take 15 years for the song to make its live debut. ‘Big Love’ wasn’t played live until way into the ’90s when Fleetwood Mac reunited with Lindsey Buckingham for the 1997 The Dance tour.
It was worth the wait. Buckingham’s live rendition of the track is a rousing, crowd-pleasing solo acoustic take, managing to maintain the high energy of the song. Despite the struggle to get the song on tape and then all the fights to get the song on stage, ‘Big Love’ was worth it.
