"Little Lies" is a song by British-Americanrock bandFleetwood Mac from their 14th studioalbum,Tango in the Night (1987). It was written by band memberChristine McVie and her then-husband, Eddy Quintela, with lead vocals performed primarily by McVie; the chorus features backing vocals byLindsey Buckingham andStevie Nicks. The song was released byWarner Bros. Records as the thirdsingle fromTango in the Night and reached the top five in both the US and UK.
McVie recalled that she created thecounter-vocals over an existing Buckingham composition and wrote the rest of the song at her pool with a pad and paper. Eddy Quintela, who at the time was married to McVie, was listed as one of the songwriters on "Little Lies". McVie stated in an interview withMOJO that Quintela's role in the creation of "Little Lies" was minimal and that the lyrical content did not relate to him.[1] She discussed the meaning of the lyrics in an interview withTimothy White.
The idea of the lyric is: If I had the chance, I'd do it differently next time. But since I can't, just carry on lying to me and I'll believe, even though I know you're lying.[2]
Similar to the rest of the songs onTango in the Night, "Little Lies" was recorded aSony two-track digital machine for the purpose of preserving the sound of the original tracks. During themastering process, some glitches in the audio emerged when the song's digital audio tapes were manuallyspliced. Greg Droman, who served as anaudio engineer for theTango in the Night sessions, believed that some glitches on "Little Lies" were left unresolved on the released version. "There's something on one song — I think it's 'Little Lies'. You could easily say 'Oh that's ahi-hat.' But it's not. I know it's not."[3]
"Little Lies" received 82 adds to playlists from radio stations reporting toBillboard for the week dated 29 August 1987, making it the second most added song that week.[4] The single stayed at number one for four weeks on the USBillboardAdult Contemporary chart and number four on theBillboard Hot 100 in November 1987. It was the third of four US Top 20 hits (and highest charting) fromTango in the Night. It was the band's last top-ten hit in the US.
In the UK, "Little Lies" was released in early September.[5] The single reached number five on theUK Singles Chart, where it has since achieved 2× Platinum status.[6][7] "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 fromTango in the Night. "Little Lies" was also accompanied by amusic video, filmed on a farm, in and around its rustic buildings and fields.
The single was also available on the12" single format, featuring an extended dance version created byJohn Benitez, also known as Jellybean.[8] In the UK, the 12" single peaked at No. 13 on the Twelve-Inch Single chart[9] and No. 32 on the Top Dance Singles chart published byMusic Week.[10] The other B-sides included a dub version of "Little Lies" and the song "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 thecassette single format.
Cash Box said that "McVie's songwriting ability combined withLindsey Buckingham'sproduction assistance provide a extremely likeable hit-to-be."[11] Andrew Male ofMOJO identified "Little Lies" as one of the two biggest highlights onTango in the Night along with "Everywhere".[1]The Guardian andPaste ranked the song number 21 and number 29 respectively on their lists of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[12][13]
"TV Land called me," Duff toldPeople, "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.'"[45] 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 popularFox musical comedy-drama,Glee.[45]
Duff's genre-altering recording of "Little Lies" has received mixed reviews from critics. "This cover doesn’t work for me," writes Mike Wass ofIdolator, "The plodding electronic production ... completely overwhelms Fleetwood Mac’s delicateTango In The Night smash and makes the "Sparks" diva sound likeSiri's older sister."[49] However, Lucas Villa ofAXS 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."[48]
^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 byARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
