| "Can't Go Back" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byFleetwood Mac | ||||
| from the albumMirage | ||||
| B-side | "That's Alright" | |||
| Released | April 1983 (UK)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter | Lindsey Buckingham | |||
| Producers | Lindsey Buckingham Fleetwood Mac Ken Caillat Richard Dashut | |||
| Fleetwood Mac UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Can't Go Back" is a song by British-American rock groupFleetwood Mac. It was written and performed by guitaristLindsey Buckingham for the 1982 albumMirage, the second issued by the band with Buckingham as mainproducer. In the UK, it was released as the fourth single from the album.
Along with "Eyes of the World", "Can't Go Back" was one of the two songs that Buckingham brought into the recording studio inHérouville, France for theMirage sessions.[2] The song initially began as an instrumental that was built around some interweaving guitar parts and a basic rhythm track. It was later adorned with a more extensive rhythm track fromMick Fleetwood, who multitracked drum fills and auxiliary percussion.[3] An instrumental demo of "Can't Go Back" appears on the 2016 deluxe edition ofMirage under the working title "Suma's Walk".[4]
In the UK, the track was released as the follow-up to the Top 10 hit "Oh Diane" and became the fourth single to be released from theMirage album in April 1983. It was released on 7" and 12", with the 12" format including "Tusk" and "Over & Over" from the 1979 albumTusk, and "Rhiannon" from 1975 albumFleetwood Mac. The song peaked at number 83 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]
Despite being released as a single, "Can't Go Back" has yet to be included on any retrospective of Fleetwood Mac material; thus it can only be found on its parent albumMirage.[3] In an interview withClassic Rock magazine,Christine McVie expressed her approval of the song and identified the salience of the song's lyrics in relation to their attempt at recreating the success of the band'sRumours album.[6]
UK 7" Single (W 9848)
UK 12" Single (W 9848 T)
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[5] | 83 |
