Little Lies

Sometimes sweet little lies are better than the honest truth. "Little Lies" was written and sung by Fleetwood Mac keyboard player Christine McVie, who said of the song: "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." (quote from Rock Lives: Profiles and Interviews by Timothy White)

Christine McVie wrote "Little Lies" with Eddy Quintela, whom she married in 1986 seven months before the album was released. It's not a song you would expect two newlyweds to write, but it's clearly not about their relationship. McVie didn't need personal inspiration for her storylines, but this one could have been influenced by her breakup with her first husband (and bandmate) John McVie, or her relationship with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. She and Quintela split up in 2003.

"Little Lies" was the third single from Tango In The Night, Fleetwood Mac's first album since Mirage in 1982. After touring for Mirage, the band took some time off, with their core creatives - Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie - all releasing solo albums. Buckingham was working on another in 1985 when McVie convinced him to produce her version of "Can't Help Falling In Love" for the movie A Fine Mess. She also got John McVie and Mick Fleetwood to provide backing, thus reuniting four fifths of the band. It went so well they were able to convince Buckingham to fire up Fleetwood Mac again, and they started work on the album. Stevie Nicks contributed three songs but was far less of a factor than on previous albums. Buckingham co-produced the set and delivered the first single, "Big Love," which he had earmarked for his solo album. Christine McVie also wrote "Everywhere," a song that pulls from a very different emotional spectrum than "Little Lies." Putting the album together was an ordeal, but that's nothing new for the band, who did great work on their 1977 Rumours album despite a hostile work environment. But when it came time to tour, that was more than Buckingham could bear, and he left the group after it was announced. Fleetwood Mac had to honor their commitments, so they soldiered on with Billy Burnette and Rick Vito replacing him.