"Little Lies" is a song by British-American
rock band
Fleetwood Mac from their 14th studio
album, Tango in the Night (1987). It was written by band member
Christine McVie and her then-husband, Eddy Quintela, with lead vocals performed primarily by McVie; the chorus features backing vocals by
Lindsey Buckingham and
Stevie Nicks. The song was released in August 1987 by
Warner Bros. Records, as the third
single from Tango in the Night. McVie recalled that she wrote the song at her pool with a pad and paper; while Quintela was listed as one of the songwriters, McVie stated in an interview with
MOJO that his role in the creation of "Little Lies" was minimal.[1]
On its release, the single stayed at number one for four weeks on the US BillboardAdult Contemporary chart and number four on the
Billboard Hot 100 in November 1987. It was the third of four US Top 20 hits (and highest charting) from Tango in the Night. It was the band's last top-ten hit in the US. The single also reached number five on the
UK Singles Chart, where it has since achieved 2× Platinum status. "Little Lies" continues to be played on radio stations as a classic hit of the late 1980s, along with "
Everywhere" and "
Seven Wonders", both of which are from Tango in the Night. "Little Lies" was also accompanied by a
music video, filmed on a farm, in and around its rustic buildings and fields.
The single was also available on the
12" single format, featuring an extended dance version, a dub version and its B-side, "Ricky", a non-album track penned by McVie and Buckingham. A limited 12" picture disc was also released in the United Kingdom, and it was the first Fleetwood Mac single to be issued on the
cassette single format.
Critical reception
Cash Box said that "McVie's songwriting ability combined with
Lindsey Buckingham's
production assistance provide a extremely likeable hit-to-be."[2]The Guardian and Paste ranked the song number 21 and number 29 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[3][4]
Track listing and formats
US 12" vinyl single (Warner Bros. Records 0-20761)
"TV Land called me," Duff told People, "They were like, 'We want you to cover a song for the promos for the second season.' And I’m like, 'Oh my God. Yes, of course, I would love to.'"[32] A preview of her rendition of the song was made available through the magazine in December 2015. The recording was produced by Peer Åström and Adam Anders, with vocal engineering and production from Alex Anders, the same team responsible for the music behind the popular
Fox musical comedy-drama, Glee.[32]
Duff's genre-altering recording of "Little Lies" has received mixed reviews from critics. "This cover doesn’t work for me," writes Mike Wass of Idolator, "The plodding electronic production ... completely overwhelms Fleetwood Mac’s delicate Tango In The Night smash and makes the "
Sparks" diva sound like
Siri's older sister."[36] However, Lucas Villa of
AXS TV was more complimentary, writing that Duff "rises above the synths to emerge as the dance floor queen she's been since the release of her 2007 album,
Dignity."[35]
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 113.
ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by
ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.