Top 22 Songs With the Name Sarah in the Title
There are so many songs with someone’s name in the title. Not surprising since many songs are written to partners, wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends, and even children.
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Sarah is a common name in many parts of the world, and so we can expect it to have its fair share of songs. And the songs dedicated to Sarah cross a range of genres and styles depending on who writes them. It will be interesting to take a closer look at songs with the name Sarah in the title. So, let’s get straight into it with…
Top 22 Songs With the Name Sarah in the Title
1Song for Sarah by The Samuel Jackson Five
So, I mentioned that these songs for Sarah are often written to a specific person, probably talking about feelings. So, what do we have first up? An instrumental from The Samuel Jackson Five.
This is a band you are probably not familiar with. They are from Norway and play with a distinct jazz influence that crosses over into Rock. “Song for Sarah” is taken from their album, Easily Misunderstood, which was released in 2005.
This is a song that is impressive and worth listening to. It starts in a gentle mood with just an electric piano. But, it springs to life and, with powerful drums and guitar, takes on a different feel. It interchanges the two moods with style and always keeps you guessing about what follows next.
2Sara by Fleetwood Mac
This is a song taken from their album, Tusk, released in 1979. It was written by Stevie Nicks. Even before the infamous recording of Rumours began, all sorts were going on in the band. It was never an intelligent argument to use the excuse that we are all just human beings.
In a way, she wrote this song as an apology for an affair she had with Mick Fleetwood while he was married. He finished the affair and then went off and married Nicks’s best friend, whose name was, you guessed it, Sara.
But it also has another side…
She had an affair with Eagles drummer Don Henley and was pregnant with his child. The pregnancy was terminated, but she said if the baby had been born a girl, she would have called her Sarah.
All a bit of a mess and a real surprise that such a lovely song came out of all this. It was the second single released from the album and reached #37 in the UK and #7 in America.
3Sara’s Mask by CKY
This is a particularly sad song about someone named Sara. And, in some ways, a difficult set of lyrics to deal with. Our first impressions of a person are very often what we see in their face. It is quite natural, we make eye contact, see a smile, and it is all facial activity. We see a beautiful or handsome face, and we can get swept away by it. Ignoring all other faults the person may have.
But, what if the face you see is not as appealing? What do you do then? Turn away? This is a song that was written by a member of the band after he met a girl who had a facial deformity. She understood she wasn’t attractive, and it affected her deeply. To hide her embarrassment, she hid her face under her hair so no one could see her.
“Sara’s Mask” was released in 1999 on the band’s album, cKy Vol. 1. The song takes you through the emotions she must be feeling. She wanted to be a dancer, but that will never happen, and thoughts of suicide are implied. A tragic but very well-written song about a tragically sad situation.
4Sara by Starship
This is a song taken from their 1985 album, Knee Deep In The Hoopla. This song only reached #66 in the UK but went to #1 in America. That was the second big song from this album, the first was the well-known “We Built This City.”
Starship was an interesting band. They started life as the excellent Jefferson Airplane, with Grace Slick leading the way. They transformed into Jefferson Starship, and then amidst a few lawsuits and a radical change of image and musical style, became just Starship.
One More Time Gracie
Grace Slick provided backing vocals on this track. She was the driving force behind the two previous incarnations and wrote many of the songs that made them popular. She was known as the “Acid Queen of Rock” for reasons we don’t need to go into here.
Grace was also one of the leaders of the San Francisco counter-culture revolution of the 60s. Today, she paints and still sings occasionally. One of the great voices and characters of a time of change.
The song is a Soft Rock ballad and lightyears away from tracks like “Somebody To Love” by the original band released in 1967. It is a pleasant song that encapsulates their change of style from a 60s Rock band to a smooth, well-produced Pop machine. It is a song about a girl named Sara, with whom the narrator is deeply in love but has to let go.
5Sarah by America
This was a track on their Harbor album released in 1977. It was a song remixed in the UK by Sir George Martin. The original band was brought up and educated in West London. Their parents were at the American military base in South Ruislip, Middlesex. The band was formed there and played their early gigs in the area.
Early songs like “A Horse with No Name” were recorded at Morgan Studios in West London. They were well-known to Sir George just down the road from Morgan Studios at Abbey Road. He liked their style and later did some work on remixes with them.
This song is about a boy talking to his father…
They’re having a conversation about a relationship that has gone bad, and he can’t understand why. “Golly, Dad – She was the best thing that I ever had – Torn and battered now, due for repair – But she’s not there.”
But despite all the name-calling, he knows he will survive. “Miles apart – And left here standing with a broken heart – Call me names but I’ll refuse to cry – Don’t ask me why – Ah, but it’s all right – I’ll get by.”
Not your typical America track that would usually have plenty of acoustic guitars. This is piano-based and a serious ballad about a love lost. Drums and the orchestrations come in halfway through, which makes it a well-thought-out arrangement.
6Me and Sarah Jane by Genesis
This is a song written by the band’s keyboard player Tony Banks, and released in 1981 on the album, Abacab. After the departure of Peter Gabriel, the band became less Progressive Rock and more of a Pop rock band. But, it has to be said that they were at their most popular during the latter period.
This track is almost a combination of both periods…
Some interesting rhythms and timings continue throughout the song. The song itself is an interesting observation. It talks about a man who invents a fictitious friend called Sarah Jane. “And now I’m standing on the corner, waiting in the rain – But then in sunlight without warning, I invent a name.”
She becomes something more to him, though, as she acts as a source of security and comfort to him. “Me and Sarah Jane, we had a special thing going – Me and Sarah Jane.”
Are some people so desperate for someone to be with or to have a relationship that they will invent a fictitious one? Evidently, according to this track, they are. One of the more, shall we say, unusual songs with the name Sarah in the title.
7Sara Smile by Daryl Hall & John Oates
This song was the third single from their album Daryl Hall & John Oates, released in 1975. It became their breakthrough single, reaching #4 in America. The success of the single helped push the album, which wasn’t doing that well, up the album charts, where it peaked at #17.
It is a bittersweet song in many ways that was co-written by both Hall and Oates. Daryll Hall had been with his girlfriend for about six years when he wrote this song for her. They stayed together for 30 years before finally splitting up in 2001 without marrying. Now, the song is something that just brings back memories, probably for both of them.
8Sarah Maria by James Taylor
Off we go now to one of the great songwriters and storytellers and this track from 1975. It is taken from the album, Gorilla. The song is called “Sarah Maria,” but it is about the daughter he had with his then-wife Carly Simon. She was born in 1974, and her real name is actually Sally Maria. A sweeter ode to a child you are unlikely to find.
Unless that is with a song called “Love Of My Life.” Carly Simon must have sat down and thought if her dad can do it, so can I. This is Carly Simon’s song to the same daughter.
Back to the James Taylor song…
Lyrically, the song isn’t what you might expect from him. But the trademark guitar playing away is exactly what you would expect. A nice orchestration completes the arrangement.
Sarah Maria, or Sally Taylor as she is known, took after her illustrious parents and went with them on tour several times. She is a singer-songwriter and philanthropist. And she’s especially interested in drawing attention to South East Asia and the landmines problem. Mum and Dad are no doubt very proud of her.
9Sara by Bob Dylan
This is a unique song in many ways from Bob Dylan. He had previously written about other romantic relationships, including Joan Baez, but always hid the names in his inimitable way.
This song, though, comes straight out and tells us that it is about his wife of 12 years, Sarah Noznisky. A tragic story from Bob taken from the album Desire, it’s one of the most powerful, emotionally-charged songs he ever wrote.
It is about their relationship and how it fell apart after all those years…
The lyrics reveal some very personal and private experiences they shared as Dylan opens up. The depth of his feelings for her is exposed in the lines, “Sara, oh Sara – It’s all so clear, I could never forget – Sara, oh Sara – Loving you is the one thing I’ll never regret.” Nevertheless, it is a song full of regret for the ways things eventually turned out and shows Dylan at his best.
Okay, for our last entry on this list of songs with the name Sarah in the title, prepare to be confused. Thin Lizzy recorded two different tracks that had no connection with each other except by their name. One track was later changed to “My Sarah” to avoid confusion. Let’s deal with them both separately in date order.
10Sarah by Thin Lizzy
This is a song that was included in their second studio album, Shades of a Blue Orphanage, from 1972. It was recorded at a time when the band was suffering internally.
They had everything a band needs to be one of the world’s great rock bands. But, they seemed to lack a clear sense of direction as to what and who they were.
They had Phil Lynott, who was, despite what some thought, their focal point. And they had Gary Moore, a great guitarist, who thought he deserved more attention. He was used as an “extra” guitar occasionally, as the actual guitar player was Eric Bell. Moore wanted the band to move in a different direction. Problems were on the horizon.
A Song For His Grandmother
There was a time when Philomena, Phil Lynott’s mother, was unable to look after the young Phil. That is because, after his birth, she was sent to a home for unmarried mothers where she lived in Manchester. There she was threatened by nuns with family humiliation. Young Philip was sent back to Dublin. How very “Christian.”
During this difficult time, it was Phil’s grandmother, Sarah, that took care of him. He developed a bond with her that lasted until her death and wrote this song as a tribute to her. As a result, it’s one of the most popular songs about Sarah on this list.
11My Sarah by Thin Lizzy
This “Sarah,” or “My Sarah” as it came to be known, was included on the album Black Rose: A Rock Legend, released in 1979. “My Sarah” was released as a single and went to #24 in the UK. A different story behind this Sarah song as it was written to celebrate the birth of his daughter. He named her Sarah, after his grandmother.
The story goes that it was recorded without the knowledge of drummer Brian Downey and guitarist Scott Gorham. Gary Moore did all the guitar work, and they brought in a drummer. It is thought that this song was scheduled to be included in a solo Phil Lynott album. Moore left the band shortly after. A very “un-Lizzy-like” song that shows another side of Phil Lynott which wasn’t always evident.
12Zach and Sara by Ben Folds
13Creeping out Sara by NoFx
14What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie
15Sarah Smiles by Panic! At The Disco
16Halls Of Sarah by Neko Case
17Sarah Yellin’ by 3 Doors Down
18Sara Swan Sleep Head by Jewel
19Sara’s Not Sober by Sidewinders
20Calling Sara by Jellyfish
21The Eyes of Sarah Jane by The Jayhawks
22From Sarah with Love by Sarah Connor
Want More Songs About People?
If so, have a look at our detailed articles on Songs With the Name Olivia in the Title, Songs With the Name Mary in the Title, Songs with the Name Ruby in the Title, Songs With the Name Amy in the Title, and Songs With the Name Lily in the Title for more name-specific song selections.
Songs With the Name Sarah in the Title – Final Thoughts
Despite it being a very popular name, there aren’t as many songs with Sarah in the title as you might think. However, there are some great songs, and I think we have looked at some of those.
It is a name that has been shown to mean different things to different people. A wife, a girlfriend, a daughter, or even an imaginary companion. A name that seems to have brought out the best in some very special songwriters.
Until next time, happy listening.