There Was SO MUCH DRAMA in This Band-This EPIC 16 Min Hit Couldn't CONTAIN IT All!-Professor of Rock

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Published 2024-07-23
Oh man… today’s song Sara by Fleetwood Mac is epic. Clocking in at over 15 minutes long, the original version of this breathtaking song once had a total of sixteen verses. And even that might not have been enough to contain the true story its author Stevie Nicks intended. After all was said and done Sara was edited down to a radio-friendly four-plus minutes. It still alludes to more misadventure and drama than the human mind can grasp. Best friend betrayals, covert love affairs, cocaine abuse, mystical muses, and band breakdowns… Sara is rock’s great soap opera… so lyrically complex, a famous band took their name from the song… but they misheard the lyric! The story is next on Professor of Rock.

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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal

Honorary Producers
Moon Comix, Scratchers J Scratcherton esq, fakeaorta, Mark Thompson, skymech9

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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you are at all enthralled by the true stories of the greatest songs make sure to subscribe below right now. You’ll dig this channel. Click the bells do you always know when our videos drop. Also become a VIP on our Patreon below.

So, it’s time for another edition of #1 in Our Hearts. This show honors songs that were so unbelievably great, they absolutely should've been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. But for whatever reason, be it radio play, lack of marketing, label support, or just sheer stupidity, the song came up short. Just to give you an idea of what this is all about, on previous episodes we have covered More Than a Feeling by Boston, Night Moves by Bob Seger, and Rosanna by Toto. Today, however, we are taking a deep dive into the background and meaning of Sara by Fleetwood Mac.

By 1976, there was so much discord within the ranks of Fleetwood Mac it’s a wonder the band didn’t completely implode. John and Christine McVie were dissolving their marriage, Mick Fleetwood’s marriage to Jenny Boyd was failing, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, turbulent as ever, had broken up as well. And yet somehow, through all this relationship chaos, or maybe because of it, Fleetwood Mac produced one of the greatest albums of all time... their own masterwork, Rumours.

The collective angst of that torturous undertaking made for some absolutely brilliant material... songs that faithfully documented the heartbreak, the anger and the frustration they all were feeling. And fans couldn’t get enough of it. Since its release on February 4, 1977, Rumours has gone on to sell 20 million records in the US and more than 40 million copies worldwide.

To support this phenomenal album, Fleetwood Mac embarked on an ambitious world tour across the US, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. It kept them on the road the better part of a year. However, in the waning months of 1977, before setting off on the final leg... Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood embarked on another sort of adventure... a covert love affair.

The relationship began one night in LA, during a ten-day touring reprieve. The last ones left at a party, high on cocaine, one thing led to another until... well... I’m sure you can guess what happened next. It was, according to Stevie, ‘the biggest surprise.’ But for Mick who had adored Stevie from the moment they met, “It was exciting, it was romantic... It was the perfect fantasy.”

That night would be the first of many behind-closed-doors encounters.

All Comments (21)
  • Early January 1991, my baby girl - Sarah - died in my arms at 9 days old. As my mom drove me home from the hospital that night "Sara" came on the radio. I frantically turned up the volume and let Stevie's ethereal voice soothe my broken heart like it was a sign or message from my daughter. To This day, whenever I hear that song I get a few tears of joy to have had my Sarah and of agony for her loss.
  • @barkermjb
    Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands that whenever I hear one of their songs, I get transported back in time…. Very special band and music…
  • @zulubeatz1
    ‘The Romantic adrenaline began to wane’ What a great way to describe that situation. The talent crammed into the band then add the relationship factors it’s incredible what came out. Rumours is one of those rare albums that will be discovered by each new generation and enjoyed again and again.
  • @TerrickTerran
    Sometimes the behind the scenes story is even better than the music. Thanks for helping the music stay alive, Prof.
  • @michellek8076
    Mr. Professor of Rock, you have done all of us a great service with the entertaining backstories of artists from our youthful years. If anyone rocks, its YOU!!! Thank you Prof! 😃💗
  • @jillbravo5252
    I used to love this song- still do, but now it’s different. My best friend, Sarah, took her life at the end of January. ‘Sara” was her favorite song that contained her name. I cry whenever I hear it 💔
  • @edstuff1198
    My daughter, my only child, was born in 1991. I named her Sara after the beautiful song. Her mother died of breast cancer 10 years later. I get choked up every time I hear the song. Stevie's vocals are so beautiful and ethereal. My daughter is now 33 years old and the mother of a boy and girl twins. Sara is will always be the poet in my heart.
  • OMG.... This was THE most heartbreaking lecture the Professor has ever done. Clearly you were having trouble doing this, or at least the quick cut away when talking about a life that could have been. I'll be honest, I love this one as well, but it will always feel different and it will introduce a level of pain as someone who was to be a father before we finally had our daughter, but somehow a positive test changed to a negative after about three weeks. I wonder what may have been building for us, taken before he or she could have formed. I think about it every time I see the daughter we were able to bring into the world and how she should have a big brother or sister. Now this song will always be much harder to hear than I ever thought. Thank you Professor, it was a bitter pill, but I appreciate your heart and spirit helping us through the pain. AND MY DEEPEST SYMPATHIES ON YOUR LOSS.
  • One thing about Fleetwood Mac's song, they all have so much meaning. The songs written by Christine, Lindsey and Stevie are works of masterful art.
  • Sara was part of the soundtrack of my life. It was the favorite song of my fiancee at the time. She ended up talking her life on Christmas Eve 1980. One of the most tragic events of my lifetime. 😢
  • @stratkitten
    I have heard that both Lindsey Buckingham and Tom Petty hated Henley with her and thought he was way too controlling. And I gotta say, when one of your best guy friends and the ex that has legitimate beef with you hate a guy for you, it's time to listen!
  • @trinaq
    I have a friend called Rhiannon, and her Sisters are called Stevie and Sara. Needless to say, her folks really dig this band! 😂
  • @editboy23
    This song is so beautiful, I still listen to it. It's a great driving down the road with the windows down song.
  • I love this song, but never knew the entire story. I’d read little bits here and there, but you’ve put it all together. This has brought me to tears. So much heartbreak. I always knew it was a sad song but didn’t totally understand. Some of us have felt the deep pain of heartbreak, and this song and the explanation brings it flooding back. Anyway, I love what you do , Professor!!!
  • @eggsngritstn
    "Tusk" is such a great record. After one of the best-selling albums of all time, Fleetwood Mac released an art record. What balls. My favorite: "What Makes You Think You're The One?"
  • @laurapizani5886
    I am 26 weeks pregnant and the name of my baby girl will be Sara because of this amazing song. The line "there's a heartbeat and it never really died" always gets me...thank you professor for this video ❤
  • @debbiespain7245
    Never knew all the drama behind this band until a few years ago. All their music has so much more meaning now. Thank you for the back stories.
  • @jenniferk507
    Thank you for another Stevie video! It's a shame that baby Sara never came to be, and we would have a little Stevie. But she has many spiritual children out there called fans. The song is a great pep talk that we all need sometimes to remember our value and talents when life kicks us in the gut. Sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader, toot your own horn, and get back up on the horse. You have to appreciate the poet in your heart that never lets you down. This whole album is great- Storms, Sisters of the Moon, Beautiful child, Tusk. Flashbacks of being 16. Or on the "edge of seventeen" 😆
  • The song Hypnotized is an underappreciated gem by Fleetwood Mac.