Sara (Fleetwood Mac song)
Encyclopedia
"Sara" is a song written by Stevie Nicks
and released in an edited 4:37 version by Fleetwood Mac
as a single from the 1979 Tusk
double LP. The song reached #7 on the U.S. charts, #37 in the UK, #11 in Australia and #2 in Canada. The extended version of the song runs for 6:27 on the Tusk album.
, and the effect she had on relationships within the band during 1978.
Nicks herself had an affair with Mick Fleetwood in early 1978 while he was married to Jenny Boyd. Then her best friend, model Sara Recor (at the time married to music manager Jim Recor), fell for Fleetwood and began an affair with him whilst Nicks and Fleetwood were still together. The pair ultimately moved in together, and were subsequently married. Nicks felt very betrayed, but Recor and Fleetwood were undeniably in love. Sara Fleetwood has stated that Nicks and Fleetwood were no longer together when they began their affair, at least that is what Mick told Sara. "Sara" was actually written with Sara Recor sitting by Nicks at the piano. Sara claims that Nicks was never upset with her, only with Fleetwood.
"Sara" originally had many more verses and ran for 16 minutes in demo form, according to Nicks, and referenced all Fleetwood Mac band members. The song was a commentary on all the tangled relationships and love affairs that were occurring in 1977-1978, but the final recorded version omitted most of this and focused on the triangle between Nicks, Fleetwood and Recor.
Nicks wrote the track on a piano
, and it was very hard for Mick Fleetwood to put a drum
track together for it. He used brushes to make it work.
Nicks has stated in interviews that the line "When you build your house/I'll come by" was about Don Henley, who was actually building a house at the time, and also that the lyric "and he was just like a great dark wing" was a reference to Mick Fleetwood.
in 1987 it featured the edited 4:37 version (the single version) of "Sara" which leaves out the middle verse and musical bridge. It was not until the 1988 Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits
compilation was released that the 6:27 version of the song became available on compact disc. Nicks is famous for hating shortened versions of her songs.
There is also a version known as 'the cleaning lady' edit, so-called as Nicks is clearly heard to say at the beginning of the demo recording 'I don't want to be a cleaning lady!'. This version lasts almost nine minutes and was actually released on the 2-disc remastered version Tusk in March 2004. It contains an extended vamp, which includes excised lines previously only heard in live performances such as "and the wind became crazy", "no sorrow for Sara, you can have no more" and "swallow all your pride, don't you ever change- never change".
Many different versions are available on bootlegs.
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
and released in an edited 4:37 version by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
as a single from the 1979 Tusk
Tusk (album)
Tusk is the 12th album by the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Released in 1979, it is considered experimental, primarily due to Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of punk rock and New Wave on his production techniques...
double LP. The song reached #7 on the U.S. charts, #37 in the UK, #11 in Australia and #2 in Canada. The extended version of the song runs for 6:27 on the Tusk album.
Origin
Commenting on the track in interview, Stevie Nicks says that the track is about her best friend Sara Recor Fleetwood, the wife of Mick FleetwoodMick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
, and the effect she had on relationships within the band during 1978.
Nicks herself had an affair with Mick Fleetwood in early 1978 while he was married to Jenny Boyd. Then her best friend, model Sara Recor (at the time married to music manager Jim Recor), fell for Fleetwood and began an affair with him whilst Nicks and Fleetwood were still together. The pair ultimately moved in together, and were subsequently married. Nicks felt very betrayed, but Recor and Fleetwood were undeniably in love. Sara Fleetwood has stated that Nicks and Fleetwood were no longer together when they began their affair, at least that is what Mick told Sara. "Sara" was actually written with Sara Recor sitting by Nicks at the piano. Sara claims that Nicks was never upset with her, only with Fleetwood.
"Sara" originally had many more verses and ran for 16 minutes in demo form, according to Nicks, and referenced all Fleetwood Mac band members. The song was a commentary on all the tangled relationships and love affairs that were occurring in 1977-1978, but the final recorded version omitted most of this and focused on the triangle between Nicks, Fleetwood and Recor.
Nicks wrote the track on a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and it was very hard for Mick Fleetwood to put a drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
track together for it. He used brushes to make it work.
Nicks has stated in interviews that the line "When you build your house/I'll come by" was about Don Henley, who was actually building a house at the time, and also that the lyric "and he was just like a great dark wing" was a reference to Mick Fleetwood.
Plagiarism suit
In 1980, the year after the song was released, Stevie Nicks was sued for plagiarism by Carol Hinton of Rockford, Michigan. In latter months of 1978, Hinton had written a song called "Sara", which she had sent to Warner Brothers, Fleetwood Mac's recording label. The lyrics in Hinton's song and Stevie Nicks' song were similar. Both shared the lines, "Drowning in the sea of love" and "When you build your house, call me." Stevie Nicks defended the lawsuit by proving that she had written and recorded a demo version of the song in July 1978, months before Hinton sent her lyrics to Warner. Eventually, Hinton gave up, accepting that Nicks had not stolen her song.Versions
The version of the song featured on the original vinyl release of Tusk was the unedited 6:27 version, but when Tusk was originally released as a single compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1987 it featured the edited 4:37 version (the single version) of "Sara" which leaves out the middle verse and musical bridge. It was not until the 1988 Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (1988 Fleetwood Mac album)
Greatest Hits is a 1988 compilation album by British-American band Fleetwood Mac. It covers the period of the band's greatest commercial success, from the mid 1970s to the late 1980s....
compilation was released that the 6:27 version of the song became available on compact disc. Nicks is famous for hating shortened versions of her songs.
There is also a version known as 'the cleaning lady' edit, so-called as Nicks is clearly heard to say at the beginning of the demo recording 'I don't want to be a cleaning lady!'. This version lasts almost nine minutes and was actually released on the 2-disc remastered version Tusk in March 2004. It contains an extended vamp, which includes excised lines previously only heard in live performances such as "and the wind became crazy", "no sorrow for Sara, you can have no more" and "swallow all your pride, don't you ever change- never change".
Many different versions are available on bootlegs.
Personnel
- Stevie NicksStevie NicksStephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
- lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Lindsey BuckinghamLindsey BuckinghamLindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Christine McVieChristine McVieChristine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals - John McVieJohn McVieJohn Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mick FleetwoodMick FleetwoodMichael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Chart positions
| Charts (1979/1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
11 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
2 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
44 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
31 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
10 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... Singles Chart |
17 |
| South African Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
7 |