Tango in the Night

Tango in the Night
Studio album by Fleetwood Mac
Released	13 April 1987
Recorded	November 1985 – March 1987
Genre	Pop rock, soft rock
Length	44:28
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
Fleetwood Mac chronology
Mirage (1982) Tango in the Night (1987) Behind the Mask (1990)
Singles from Tango in the Night
"Big Love" Released: March 1987[1] "Seven Wonders" Released: June 1987[1] "Little Lies" Released: August 1987[1] "Everywhere" Released: November 1987 (USA) / February 1988 (UK)[1] "Family Man" Released: December 1987 (UK) / March 1988 (USA)[1] "Isn't It Midnight" Released: June 1988[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	B+[3]
MusicHound	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

Tango in the Night is the 14th studio album by the British-American band Fleetwood Mac. Released in April 1987, it is the fifth (and, to date, final) studio album from the band's most successful line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.^[1]

Produced by Buckingham with Richard Dashut, Tango in the Night began life as one of Buckingham's solo projects, but by 1985 the production had morphed into Fleetwood Mac's next album. It contains several hit singles, including "Big Love", "Seven Wonders", "Everywhere", and "Little Lies". The album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Album history

Tango in the Night is the band's second biggest selling studio album^[6] after the phenomenally successful Rumours which was released 10 years earlier. The intervening albums, Tusk (1979) and Mirage (1982), although big sellers in key territories, had not matched their predecessor's huge success. Tango in the Night was a worldwide hit with several singles from the album becoming popular all over the world. "Little Lies" and "Everywhere" in particular are now considered classic hits of the late 1980s and they continue to appear on retrospective albums of that decade.^[7]

The album was a success in the United States. The album debuted at #43 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts, eventually peaking at #7. Although it only peaked at #7 for three weeks, it spent more than seven months within the top 20 and more than ten months within the top 40, and was certified triple platinum for selling 3,000,000 copies.^[8] Four singles from the album reached the Billboard Top 20: "Big Love" (#5), "Little Lies" (#4), "Everywhere" (#14) and "Seven Wonders" (#19).^[1] The album was particularly successful in the United Kingdom where it reached #1 three times during 1987-88 for a total of five weeks, and spent more than eight months within the Top 10 of the UK albums chart. It is the seventh biggest selling album of the 1980s, being certified 8x Platinum (2.4 million copies),^[9] and it is still currently one of the UK's Top 100 best selling albums of all time.^[6] Three singles were Top 10 hits in the UK: "Big Love" (#9), "Little Lies" (#5) and "Everywhere" (#4). A total of six singles were eventually taken from the album over a period of 15 months.^[1] The album has spent 115 weeks in the Top 75 of the UK Album Chart.^[10]

Tango in the Night is, to date, the final studio album released by the 'classic' line-up of Fleetwood Mac consisting of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood, before Buckingham's departure from the band in the summer of 1987. This line-up has reconvened for live performances, however; in 1993 for a one-off performance of "Don't Stop" for the newly elected US President Bill Clinton, for the 1997 live album and tour The Dance, and for their 2014-2015 world tour.

With pressure being placed on Buckingham to keep the project focused and moving forward, things came to a head shortly after the release of Tango in the Night when he announced his departure from the band shortly before their scheduled tour in 1987. Following Buckingham's sudden departure, two musicians were drafted in to replace him: Rick Vito and Billy Burnette, who proceeded to complete the tour in 1987-1988 with the rest of the band. Aspects of this troubled era of Fleetwood Mac's history are frankly documented in interviews with all members of the band, old and new, in two BBC documentaries: Fleetwood Mac at 21, first aired in the UK in 1988, and in Rock Family Trees, which was produced in 1995.

The distinctive cover art for the album was a painting by Australian artist Brett-Livingstone Strong which was hanging in Buckingham's home. It is a homage to the 19th Century French painter Henri Rousseau, emulating his colorful jungle theme works such as The Snake Charmer and The Repast of the Lion. It was also used as the cover of "Big Love", the album's first single.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Big Love"	Lindsey Buckingham	3:37
2.	"Seven Wonders"	Sandy Stewart, Stevie Nicks	3:38
3.	"Everywhere"	Christine McVie	3:48
4.	"Caroline"	Buckingham	3:50
5.	"Tango in the Night"	Buckingham	3:56
6.	"Mystified"	C. McVie, Buckingham	3:08

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Little Lies"	C. McVie, Eddy Quintela	3:40
2.	"Family Man"	Buckingham, Richard Dashut	4:08
3.	"Welcome to the Room... Sara"	Nicks	3:37
4.	"Isn't It Midnight"	C. McVie, Quintela, Buckingham	4:06
5.	"When I See You Again"	Nicks	3:49
6.	"You and I, Part II"	Buckingham, C. McVie	2:40

Additional information

• "You and I (Part 2)" is the closing track on the album. "You and I (Part 1)" was the B-side to the single release of "Big Love".^[1]
• "Big Love", "Seven Wonders", "Little Lies", "Family Man" and "Everywhere" were all released as extended 12" remixes in most territories.^[1] An unreleased 'alternate mix' of "Isn't It Midnight" was issued on the 1992 4-disc boxset, 25 Years – The Chain and is substantially different from the version included on the album. It has different backing vocals and a noticeable lack of guitar effects which were eventually added by Buckingham in the final mix of the song.
• Two songs from the Tango in the Night sessions that did not make the final album cut subsequently became the B-side to two singles: Christine McVie's "Ricky" was the B-side to "Little Lies" and Lindsey Buckingham's "Down Endless Street" was issued as the B-side to "Family Man".^[1]
• "Seven Wonders" was released with the Stevie Nicks-penned instrumental track "Book of Miracles" as the B-side. This eventually became the song "Juliet" on Nicks' 1989 solo album, The Other Side of the Mirror.
• Although the album took almost 18 months to complete, Stevie Nicks only spent a total of two weeks in the studio with the band as she was busy promoting her third solo album Rock A Little throughout most of this period. She sent demos of her songs to the band, recorded while she was on her world tour, for them to work on in her absence. The track "Welcome To The Room...Sara" was inspired by her 30-day stay at the Betty Ford Center to overcome her cocaine addiction in October 1986 (Nicks used the pseudonym "Sara Anderson" when she checked into the facility).^[11][12][13]

Credits

Fleetwood Mac

• Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, vocals, Fairlight CMI, lap harp, percussion and drum programming
• Stevie Nicks – vocals
• Christine McVie – keyboards, synthesizers, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Production

• Producers: Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
• Arranger: Lindsey Buckingham
• Engineer: Greg Droman
• Additional engineering: Lindsey Buckingham
• Cover concept: Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
• Cover painting: Brett-Livingstone Strong
• Cover photo: Greg Gorman
• Art direction: Jeri Heiden

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[14]	4× Platinum	280,000
Canada (Music Canada)[15]	5× Platinum	500,000
Germany (BVMI)[16]	2× Platinum	1,000,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[17]	Platinum	100,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[18]	Platinum	50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[19]	8× Platinum	2,400,000
United States (RIAA)[8]	3× Platinum	3,000,000
^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Charts

Peak positions Chart (1987–88) Position Australian Kent Music Report[20] 5 Austrian Albums Chart[21] 23 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[22] 6 Dutch Albums Chart[23] 2 French SNEP Albums Chart[24] 25 Italian Albums Chart[25] 11 Japanese Oricon LPs Chart[26] 14 New Zealand Albums Chart[27] 9 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[28] 10 Spanish Albums Chart[29] 34 Swedish Albums Chart[30] 1 Swiss Albums Chart[31] 7 UK Albums Chart[32] 1 US Billboard 200[33] 7 West German Media Control Albums Chart[34] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Position Australian Albums Chart[20] 6 Canadian Albums Chart[35] 10 Dutch Albums Chart[36] 11 French Albums Chart[37] 67 UK Albums Chart[38] 5 US Billboard Pop Albums[39] 40 Chart (1988) Position Dutch Albums Chart[40] 1 Italian Albums Chart[25] 53 UK Albums Chart[38] 7 US Billboard Pop Albums[41] 50 Decade-end charts Chart (1980s) Position UK Albums Chart[38] 7

References

1. The Great Rock Discography. 6th Edition. Martin C. Strong. Page 378. ISBN 1-84195-312-1
2. AllMusic review
3. Robert Christgau review
4. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 434. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
5. "Fleetwood Mac: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
6. TOP SELLING ALBUMS 1959-2009 (Music Week 19 September 2009-50th Anniversary issue-cut off point is Saturday, 22 August 2009)
7. Rock The Rough Guide. 2nd Edition. Various. Page 365. ISBN 1-85828-457-0
8. "American album certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
9. British Phonographic Industry online database
10. Complete UK Hit Albums 1956-2005 by Graham Betts. Page 150. Collins. ISBN 0-00-720532-5
11. RottenTomatoes - Stevie Nicks biography
12. "The Chris Isaak Hour: Stevie Nicks, 2009".
13. Cynthia McFadden (September 7, 2001). "Stevie Nicks in Her Own Words". ABCNEWS.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
14. NO certyear WAS PROVIDED for AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATION.
15. "Canadian album certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night". Music Canada.
16. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Fleetwood Mac; 'Tango in the Night')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
17. "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados > 1995–1999". Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 8480486392.
18. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Fleetwood Mac; 'Tango in the Night')". Hung Medien.
19. "British album certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Tango in the Night in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
20. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
21. "austriancharts.at Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 20 February 2013.
22. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 February 2013
23. "dutchcharts.nl Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
24. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
25. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
26. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
27. "charts.org.nz Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
28. "norwegiancharts.com Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
29. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
30. "swedishcharts.com Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 May 2011.
31. "Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
32. "Fleetwood Mac > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
33. "allmusic ((( Tango in the Night > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
34. "Album Search: Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
35. "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. 26 December 1987. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
36. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
37. "Les Albums (CD) de 1985 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
38. "Everyhit.com UK Year-End Album Charts". Retrieved 5 May 2011.
39. articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d "Top Pop Albums of 1987" Check |archiveurl= value (help). billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
40. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1988" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
41. articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d "Billboard.BIZ" Check |archiveurl= value (help). billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.