"Sara": Bob Dylan's wounded song for the woman he never stopped loving

July 31, 1975. In the imposing Studio E of Columbia Records in Manhattan, Bob Dylan completes his 17th solo chapter. In the middle of the night, he records the final piece of "Desire," a vinyl album that intertwines folk, imaginary westerns, and intimate tragedy. Before him, through the window, frozen like an apparition from beyond a dream, a woman stands upright, silent. Her name is Sara Lownds. This American model, two years his senior, has shared the bard's life since 1965. She has become the mother of four of his children. He had loved her, he still loved her. But for the past few months, their union has been falling out of tune. So, in the greatest secrecy, "Zim" wrote him a song. Just as when, ten years earlier, he composed "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" to close the "Blonde on Blonde" chapter. This time, his melody will bear her first name. With a pleading look in his eyes, he places his fingers on the strings of his guitar and whispers, "This one's for you." And he plays. For this woman he had never really sung for. For "Sara."

Born Shirley Marlin Noznisky, Sara is much more than just a first name for Bob Dylan . She is the forgotten wife of the myth, the discreet figure lurking behind the great albums, the silent muse who never gives interviews but whose presence has nourished some of the works…

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