Isn't It Midnight

"Isn't It Midnight" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, from their 1987 studio album ''Tango in the Night''. The song was co-written and sung by Christine McVie, with contributions from Lindsey Buckingham and McVie's then-husband Eddie Quintela. "Isn't It Midnight" was the sixth and final single to be released from ''Tango in the Night'' in 1988. The cover art for the single features the portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière, which was created in 1805 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, who was a French neoclassical artist. The verse is in E Aeolian with a i-bVII-i-i progression, while the chorus is in B Aeolian, with a i-bVI-bVII-i progression.

Composition and release

The lyrics to "Isn't it Midnight" relate to difficulties in establishing a bond with a romantic partner, who is described in the song as "cool, calm and collected". Christine McVie explained that the song "goes back directly to a guy that I met a long time ago; it was a concrete situation that didn't work out." Musically, the song is built around a guitar riff played by Lindsey Buckingham, a bass guitar played by John McVie, and drumming from Mick Fleetwood. Synthesisers are used comparitively sparingly on the album version, which primarily provide additional chordal accompaniment along with a melodic sequence found on the chorus.

In the United Kingdom, "Isn't It Midnight" was released as the follow-up to "Everywhere"; it charted at a peak position of number 60 on 18 June 1988. The song performed better in Ireland, where it reached the top 30, peaking at number 23. The song was also released as a promotional single in the United States as an original album cut. The album version reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart.

"Isn't It Midnight" was the second official Fleetwood Mac song to be released on the 3-inch CD single format as well being issued on 7" and 12" vinyl. All of the formats included the ''Tango in the Night'' track "Mystified", and the CD and 12-inch included the bonus tracks " Say You Love Me" (from 1975; it had previously been included as a bonus track on the "Everywhere" CD single) and "Gypsy" (from the 1982 album ''Mirage'').

"Isn't it Midnight" was featured consistently throughout Fleetwood Mac's ''Tango in the Night'' and '' Behind the Mask'' concert tours, though it was not played after 1990 until 2018 during the An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' described "Isn't It Midnight" as an example of McVie's "bullet-proof" songwriting, a "confection of booming drums, precise, tinkly synth and wailing guitar solos that sounds as if it’s just waiting to appear in the background of a film starring Ally Sheedy." David Bowling of '' Blogcritics Magazine'' also grouped it as one of Christine McVie's strongest songs, noting that McVie delivers an atypical vocal in a song "about as hard as this incarnation of Fleetwood Mac gets". Upon reflection, Stevie Nicks considers the track, along with Buckingham's own songs on the album, as a representative of his best contributions to any Fleetwood Mac album.

Track listings

UK 7-inch single – Warner: W 7860
*A1. "Isn't It Midnight" – 4:06
*B1. "Mystified" – 3:06

UK 12-inch single – Warner: W 7860 (T)
*A1. "Isn't It Midnight" – 4:06
*A2. "Mystified" – 3:06
*B1. " Say You Love Me" – 4:11
*B2. "Gypsy" – 4:24

Personnel

* Christine McVie – lead and backing vocals, synthesizers
* Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, Fairlight CMI, backing vocals
* John McVie – bass guitar
* Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Chart positions

References

*''The Great Rock Discography'', 6th Edition, Martin C. Strong.

External links

* Fleetwood Mac Legac

{{authority control

Fleetwood Mac songs
1988 singles
Songs written by Christine McVie
Song recordings produced by Richard Dashut
Songs written by Lindsey Buckingham
1987 songs
Warner Records singles