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Oh Diane

"Oh Diane"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Mirage
B-side"Only Over You", "The Chain" [12"] (UK) / "That's Alright" (USA)
ReleasedDecember 1982 (UK) [1]
  • February 1983 (US)
Recorded1981–1982
GenrePop[2]
Length2:33
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut
Producer(s)Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut, and Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac UK singles chronology
"Gypsy"
(1982) 		"Oh Diane"
(1982) 		"Can't Go Back"
(1983)
Fleetwood Mac US singles chronology
"Love in Store"
(1982) 		"Oh Diane"
(1983) 		"Big Love"
(1987)

"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.[3]

Background

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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.[4][5] The song took on special meaning in the UK as it was just the previous year that Prince Charles and Princess Diana had married.[6]

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.[7] "Oh Diane" was released in Britain on 7" and 12" and also as a 7" picture disc of the penguin design.

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.[8] "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.[9]

Track listings

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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)

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

UK 12" single (Warner Brothers Records FLEET 1)

  1. "Oh Diane" – 2:33
  2. "Only Over You" – 4:08
  3. "The Chain" – 4:28

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

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

Personnel

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Chart positions

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Chart (1982–1983) Peak
position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 27
German Singles Chart[11] 46
Irish Singles Chart[12] 8
UK Singles Chart[13] 9
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[14] 35

References

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  1. ^ "Fleetwood mac singles".
  2. ^ Snapes, Laura (September 26, 2016). "Fleetwood Mac - Mirage". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Weingarten, Christopher; et al. (2 May 2022). "Fleetwood Mac's 50 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Fleetwood Mac - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  5. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2001). The Great Rock Discography. UK: Canongate. p. 378. ISBN 1841950173.
  6. ^ "From the archive: The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Scotland". 4 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Happy 45th: Fleetwood Mac, PENGUIN". Rhino.com. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 25 January 2024.
  9. ^ Cashmere, Paul (9 September 2018). "Fleetwood Mac To Release Career Spanning Collection '50 Years – Don't Stop'". Noise11.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Adult Contemporary - Volume 38, No. 9". RPM. 30 April 1983. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Oh Diane". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  12. ^ The Irish Charts (November 9, 2009). "The Irish Charts - All there is to know : Search by Artist (Fleetwood Mac)". Irish Charts / IRMA - Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21.
  13. ^ "Fleetwood Mac: Artist Discography". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Billboard - Volume 96, Number 47" (PDF). Billboard. 16 April 1983. p. 36. Retrieved 25 January 2025 – via World Radio History.
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