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TL;DR:

  • Lindsey Buckingham said playing a version of one of Fleetwood Mac’s songs hurt his fingers.
  • Buckingham explained how the song came together.
  • The tune in question became a top 10 hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Fleetwood Mac in black-and-white
Fleetwood Mac | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

Lindsey Buckingham said one of Fleetwood Mac‘s songs makes his fingers hurt. Subsequently, Buckingham gave fans insight into the way he plays the guitar. Notably, the song in question became a top 10 hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Lindsey Buckingham revealed which Fleetwood Mac’s songs had the hardest guitar solo to perform

During a 2021 interview with Vulture, Buckingham was asked which song’s guitar solo hurt his fingers the most. “The stage version of ‘Big Love,'” he said. 

“It was the first single from Tango in the Night, but it was an ensemble piece at the time,” he said. “That was one of the things that began to evolve after I left the band — I realized I wanted to try to address that finger style in a more complete way.” 

Lindsey Buckingham explained how the song evolved

Buckingham discussed how “Big Love” came together. “‘Big Love’ evolved from what it had been as an ensemble to a single guitar-and-voice piece onstage and became the template idea for quite a few other songs to follow, in terms of making the statement both onstage and on recordings,” he explained. 

“Like, basically having one guitar do the work of a whole track, and wanting to include that as one approach in the making of an album,” he continued. “I don’t think it ever got more rigorous than ‘Big Love’ with the actual demands of the part required. It’s a finger-hurter, for sure.” Buckingham revealed he does not perform finger exercises to prepare to play his guitar.

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How Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Big Love’ and its parent album performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Big Love” became a big hit in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. The tune appeared on the album Tango in the Night. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 58 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Big Love” reached No. 9 in the United Kingdom and lasted a total of 12 weeks. Meanwhile, Tango in the Night reached No. 1 in the U.K. for five weeks, remaining at the top longer than all the group’s other albums. It stayed on the chart for 123 weeks altogether. The tune gained renewed attention when Caroline Jones covered the track with the Zac Brown Band.

“Big Love” was a hit even if it hurt Buckingham’s fingers.

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