Oh Diane

"Oh Diane" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was written by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut for the 1982 album ''Mirage'', the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham wrote the song while the band was recording in Hérouville.

Background

"Oh Diane" is one of the three songs on ''Mirage'' that Buckingham co-wrote with Richard Dashut, who developed the chord progression on a grand piano. Billy Burnette, who later joined Fleetwood Mac to replace Buckingham, said in a 2022 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' that he assisted with some of the lyrics for "Oh Diane". In 1982, Buckingham had asked Burnette to accompany him for a performance on Saturday Night Live; around that time, the two began writing material together. Buckingham was not pleased with the lyrics that Burnette generated for "Oh Diane", but he maintained that some of his lyrics were still used. The liner notes for ''Mirage'' do not list Burnette as a co-writer.

Despite the previous two singles from the album (" Hold Me" and " Gypsy") being unsuccessful in the United Kingdom, the song became a hit there when released in December 1982. It charted at number 69 on 18 December 1982 and took 10 weeks to gradually climb the chart, peaking at number 9 in February 1983, helping to push its parent album ''Mirage'' into the Top 10. The song took on special meaning in the UK as it was just the previous year that Prince Charles and Princess Diana had married.

The sleeve for "Oh Diane" saw the band return to using the penguin trademark in a nod to the band's earlier years; their 1973 album was called ''Penguin''. "Oh Diane" was released in Britain on 7" and 12", with " The Chain" being featured on the 12" editions.

In the US, another track from ''Mirage'', " Love in Store", was released as the third single instead and reached number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Oh Diane" was therefore the fourth single issued in the US; it was released in February 1983, but failed to chart. However, it did become a minor hit on the American Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 35. Despite being a Top 10 hit in the UK, "Oh Diane" does not appear on the 2002 UK version of the album, '' The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac'' (or the 2009 re-issue), although it was included on 2018's '' 50 Years – Don't Stop''. Despite charting in Europe, "Oh Diane" was never performed live in concert.

Track listings

In the UK, "Oh Diane" was released as the band's first 12” single featuring the additional b-side track " The Chain" from the 1977 album '' Rumours''.

UK 7" single (Warner Brothers Records FLEET 1)

# "Oh Diane" – 2:33
# " Only Over You" – 4:08

UK 12" single (Warner Brothers Records FLEET 1)

# "Oh Diane" – 2:33
# "Only Over You" – 4:08
# " The Chain" – 4:28

US 7" single (Warner Brothers Records 7–29698)

# "Oh Diane" – 2:33
# "That’s Alright" – 3:09

Personnel

*Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
* Mick Fleetwood – drums, tambourine
*John McVie – bass guitar
*Christine McVie – backing vocals

Chart positions

References

External links

Official Site

{{Authority control

1982 singles
Fleetwood Mac songs
Song recordings produced by Richard Dashut
Songs written by Lindsey Buckingham
1982 songs
Warner Records singles
Songs written by Richard Dashut