Throughout the years, Fleetwood Mac has demonstrated that despite their separations and the emotional turmoil among the band members, there is always lingering unfinished business that connects them. This enduring bond raises the intriguing question of when they will come together again and what it will take for that to happen. The resolution of this question has manifested in various unusual ways over the decades, with perhaps the most surprising being the events that led to the band’s reunion for the 1987 album Tango in the Night.

Following the 1982 release of Mirage, Fleetwood Mac experienced a resurgence in commercial success which helped alleviate some of the backlash from their previous album, the contentious Tusk from 1979. Despite this, the creative satisfaction among the band members was lacking, and even though they felt an obligation to produce another album, the urgency was minimal. Each member began to pursue individual projects, with Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, and Christine McVie releasing solo albums, while Stevie Nicks produced two during the years spanning 1983 to 1985.

Interestingly, it was a solo endeavor that ignited the spark for the band’s reunion. When the soundtrack for the movie A Fine Mess, directed by Blake Edwards, was being curated, producers invited Christine McVie to record a fresh version of Elvis Presley’s classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” This task was just one component of a compilation featuring an impressive lineup of artists, including The Temptations, Billy Vera, Smokey Robinson, and Los Lobos, which ended up receiving better critical acclaim than the film itself.

The film A Fine Mess, which premiered in August 1986, was initially conceived as a remake of the classic Laurel & Hardy comedy The Music Box. However, it quickly became evident that the final product had deviated significantly from its original concept. Director Blake Edwards, once celebrated for his comedic genius, found himself in the midst of a career slump from which he never fully recovered. Instead of delivering sharp humor, the film featured a series of over-the-top set pieces that failed to mask numerous script weaknesses. Despite the presence of stars Ted Danson and Howie Mandel, both of whom were transitioning from television to film, the resulting project was critically panned and became one of the year’s major commercial failures.

Watch the ‘A Fine Mess’ Trailer

However, the silver lining in this situation was McVie’s rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which inadvertently paved the way for the next Fleetwood Mac album. Mick Fleetwood later recounted in his 1991 memoir Fleetwood: My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac that it was Christine McVie who played a pivotal role in reuniting the band. Her initial outreach to John Courage, seeking assistance on her album in Switzerland, ultimately led to a reconnection with her bandmates.

Christine was invited to record the Elvis classic for the A Fine Mess soundtrack. She enlisted producer Richard Dashut, who suggested that Lindsey Buckingham, a dedicated Elvis fan, might be interested in participating. Consequently, John Courage contacted Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, and in August 1985, four-fifths of Fleetwood Mac found themselves back in the studio, recording a track that would be the catalyst for their next album. This experience was enjoyable, and it planted the seeds for what would eventually blossom into Tango in the Night.

McVie expressed her enthusiasm for the process, stating to the Associated Press in 1987, “I just thought it was a good idea. It was a natural progression. We all got into the studio and started playing some of the old songs. We hadn’t been gathering dust as much as we thought. We decided to get serious about making another album.” This sentiment reflects the band’s desire to rekindle their collaborative spirit.

Hear Christine McVie Perform ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’

<p As is often the case with Fleetwood Mac, the journey to create a new album became complex. Each member, having achieved their own solo successes, required a delicate balance of creative autonomy to ensure the reunion felt meaningful. Mick Fleetwood admitted that he was the most eager to reunite, partly due to his bankruptcy filing in 1984, which underscored the need for collaboration.

Despite the varying levels of enthusiasm among the band members, they were generally receptive to the idea of reconvening. Stevie Nicks quickly agreed to participate, despite her commitments to her 1985 album Rock a Little. Christine and John McVie soon followed suit. Lindsey Buckingham, however, was more reluctant to join, as he was enjoying the freedom of his solo career and was in the midst of working on his next album with Dashut. Fleetwood noted that they eventually built enough momentum to persuade Lindsey to join the project, and once he agreed, the reunion moved forward.

While securing agreement on the new album was a significant milestone, challenges persisted, particularly regarding the choice of producer. Recognizing the need for an external producer to manage the dynamics of their strong personalities and align their sound with contemporary trends, the band first considered Nile Rodgers. When that collaboration did not ignite their creativity, they turned to Jason Casaro, who had gained attention for his work with the Power Station. This partnership resulted in what Fleetwood described as “a week of glorified rehearsals,” conducted without Nicks, who was touring in Australia. When these sessions failed to yield viable material, the project again stalled, leading to uncertainty about whether an album would materialize. Ultimately, they revisited the idea of collaborating with Buckingham and Dashut, who had previously produced Tusk and Mirage.

Even with all the essential components finally in place, the release of Tango faced numerous challenges. The entire process took approximately a year and a half to complete, and further conflicts within the group loomed on the horizon, despite the album achieving Top Ten success and selling over 15 million copies. The band would encounter future hiatuses, lineup changes, and solo projects, each of which would leave fans eagerly anticipating the next unexpected twist that could lead to a reunion.