You should hear the original recording which includes what is missing from all other performances of Layla, the amazing guitar work of Duane Allman. The two guitars complement each other beautifully.
@@DemonaeTV I agree! I've heard a few live versions with Derek Trucks on slide that come "close" to the original studio recording...but still don't quite get there.
Clapton does a really beautiful slow acoustic version of Layla…. treat yourself to it; and I’m sure that we would revel in your analysis of a very different voice. However, “ Tears In Heaven “ from Clapton has an astonishing back story; an incredible vocal and brings tears to a glass eye! Thanks for your brilliant work.
tears in heaven is a must. elizabeth should watch it with her man and have all the tissues to cry into on hand when they do. because he will be crying too
@@DixonsCider I'd rather she didn't. She has a young son and another baby on the way, it'd hit pretty close to home. Maybe when her kids are past the age of the son he lost.
Agreed. Duane's slide guitar solo just takes it to an entirely different level, not to mention the intensity of the entire song. When first recorded in 1970, this was an intensely personal song for Clapton, PLUS the presence of Duane Allman, PLUS the fact that the entire band was boozed up and coked up to the gills - the studio version of the song was the band at full throttle, with afterburners.
The Studio version of Layla has this amazing Slide Solo in the later half of the song and Duane Allman put so much emotion in his guitar. Derek Trucks also did an amazing version of it.
It's a song Eric Clapton wrote about George Harrison's wife, Patti Boyd, whom Eric Clapton desired, later married (and still later, divorced). Also, Eric Clapton is the only person inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for his solo work along with his time with The Yardbirds and with Cream. Such a legend!
Don't forget, he and George fought over her with a music-battle, lol. George won. Eric did eventually get the girl (like 10 years later, and divorced afterward). But Ms. Boyd is probably the most sung-about woman in history... it wasn't just Eric and George writing songs about her. "Layla" was the name of a woman in a 7th century Arabic poem which he felt described her, in case anyone is confused about the name. But I do think she should have gone with the album version By Derick and the Dominoes. That's the most iconic version of the song, the one everyone fell in love with. This is not bad at all, the original is better.
That opening part sounds to me like he’s quieting the crowd before the opening riff. It’s so iconic I think he’s allowing everyone quiet down a little before the opening of Layla. Beautiful.
Eric Clapton performed on The Beatles “White Album” sessions on September 6, 1968, when he played lead guitar on George Harrison’s song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.
In 1991, a maid left a window open after cleaning it in Eric's 53rd floor New York apartment. Eric's 4-year-old son, Conor, fell from this window and obviously passed away. Eric wrote a song to cope with this called "Tears In Heaven" that appeared on his MTV Unplugged album. It is one of the most beautiful and personal songs I've ever heard. You should give it a try. You won't regret it.
The original studio album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Song" is iconic. Clapton stole Delaney & Bonnie's backing band, they also played on George Harrison's 1st solo pop album.
A lot of Clapton's early work is just guitar - - singing was always an afterthought until he went solo. His guitar playing on John Mayall's *Bluesbreakers* album is what made him a star, then his work with Cream just solidified that status. The two songs I'll recommend are *Badge* by Cream, and *Let It Rain* from one of his solo albums.
Clapton knew what he was doing when he pulled Duane Allman (skydog) into this recording. Incredible talent throughout this whole song and original recording.
I first heard this song when I was a kid (mid 80s) and to this day, I am still so enthralled with the complete urgency of the first half of the song. It smacks of desperation, obsession and desire. The second half is like the calm let down…like you’ve accepted that you’ve either gotten what you wanted and it’s not what you wanted or you’ve accepted the denial. It’s like the stages of grief. Beautifully done.
The piano coda is my favorite part. The story was that Bobby Whitlock, the piano player, was noodling around with the piano bit, but not as part of the song, and that they liked it so much that they added it on at the end. Whitlock has a very good UA-cam page and discusses this song in several place. The coda is from the studio version, and it's also used at the end of the "goodfellas" movie. There's a clip of that on youtube too.
The drummer Jim Gordon stole the piano ending from his former girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I believe the Clapton now gives her a writing credit for the song.
Good morning!The intro was for this performance. The bass man, Nathan East, is every bit the musician that Eric is! Together, the second " coming" of Eric Clapton's legacy is launched. The guitar Solo's show his " Lady Voice", which is superb. Talk about love lost.
I've seen Clapton twice in concert. Once for rock, once for 'a night of the blues'. He has always very much acknowledge his love of blues and the roots of his music. His nickname is 'Slow Hand' in honor of how lovingly he handles his guitar. For each of his concerts, he had a platoon of guitars that he cycled through. He played with the band Cream, Derek and the Dominoes, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, and some others, as well as solo work. Yes, the extended play is part of the song, though of course the concert version is always different from the studio version. Yes, it's a very long song, but still always gets lots of radio play. It's iconic. He did a fantastic acoustic version (I think it was MTV Unplugged?) that also gets lots of airplay. Other songs to get deep into the talent of Clapton: Tears in Heaven (a tearjerker especially if you know the backstory), Change the World, Wonderful Tonight (one of my favorite love songs EVER), Pretending, Lay Down Sally, Crossroads, Bell Bottom Blues, Forever man, Cocaine, Motherless Child, After Midnight, She's Waiting, Running on Faith, White Room, Tales of Ulysses, Before You Accuse Me (take a look at y'own self!), Traveling Riverside Blues, I Shot the Sheriff, Riding with the King, Ten Long Years, Sunshine of Your Love, Let it Rain, My Father's Eyes,
We named our German Shepherd Layla because of this song! She ran into our lives one day and we returned her to her owner. She didn't seem very well taken care of so I told her previous owner that if she couldn't care for her, we would. Fast forward a month later and the owner texted me and told me she was ours! We felt the name was very fitting. Thought about her allllll the time til she was ours!
This is an unrequited love song from Eric Clapton to Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend George Harrison of The Beatles. In 1977 she divorced Harrison after he cheated on her. In 1979 she married Clapton. They eventually divorced in 1989 due to Clapton’s infidelity and addiction issues. Through it all Clapton and Harrison remained close friends. Harrison attended their wedding and even referred to himself as their “husband-in-law”. Layla is 27th on the Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time list. You may also want to listen to other hits of his, like “Lay Down Sally” and its B-side hit “Cocaine” (which he says is an anti drug song).
The maestro himself, Scorsese, used the ending of Layla in "Goodfellas". But he didn't do it in the sappy way you're imagining. He used it as a montage showing all the people Jimmy had whacked because he was paranoid about the Lufthansa Heist. Great scene/montage! Basically separates the movie from the 'fun' part about being a gangster from the latter half of the movie, the 'not so fun' part of being a gangster.
Eric Clapton's don't seem to exist anymore! As soon as I hear the opening riff of Layla I get the "chill bumps." EVERYTIME I HEAR IT! 👍🏼 The chill builds up until his Layla solo slips my mind into a euphoric trance. The best damn guitar solo of all time! My humbled opinion. Who today does that! No one. It's all pop sh_t 🕺🏼! 😒 - 😁. I saw him live! Layla was MEZMORIZING live.
One of the most famous Clapton performances, on guitar and voice (when he was in Cream), is the live version of "Crossroads" from the Wheels of Fire album from 1968. "Layla", and other songs on the 1970 album, was written by Clapton to try to woo George Harrison's wife away from him. This didn't work at first, but eventually she left George for Clapton (for a while). George and Eric still remained friends - See the Clapton organized Concert For George with his cover of George's "Something", written for the same woman when he was a Beatle, and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which he played on the original Beatles album.
You REALLY need to listen to 10,000 Maniacs, particularly their MTV Unplugged cover of “Because the Night”. It’s pretty much the definitive version of the song and Natalie Merchant’s voice is something you can’t explain. It would be right up your alley.
Clapton's drummer was Jim Gordon, and he "wrote" the piano coda of the original recording; Clapton shared the songwriting credit with Gordon for this contribution. In the decades since it came out Gordon stole the coda from Rita Coolidge, who became famous in her own right. At the time the two were dating, but she was unknown, and when she confronted Jim Gordon -- and then the label -- they openly mocked her effort to earn recognition and credit. The record exec sneered at Coolidge, What did she think she was going to do against the label and a superstar like Clapton? It was an act of pure villainy.
I really can't pick a favorite between the studio and the unplugged versions. The Derek and the Dominoes version is full of passionate energy followed by a moving piano outro that mimics the defeat felt by realizing the love he wants could never be. The acoustic Clapton version of the song is full of blues and longing and just about the perfect easy listening "cigar and bourbon" music.
Phil Collins and Eric Clapton on "I Wish It Would Rain Down" is one of my favorites. The video is fun, too, in that it tells a little story to go with it.
I think this is one of the top 3 songs ever written, maybe #1 for me. The way Clapton and Allman were playing back and forth with each other on the guitars in the original always just grabbed me. I have spent entire days listening to it on repeat picking it apart and finding new little nuances in the instrumentation.
My dad worked for United Airlines and my best friend in HS moved to Irvine CA. So I found myself flying on Christmas when to one was flying and I was in the upstairs lounge of a 747 and had my own personal flight attendants. This was pre 911 I was siting listening to music and this song was a staple on their music charts. But listening and looking out as I flew through the rocky mountains. It was just a spiritual moment for me.
If you can find it there is a documentary called The Language of Music.. a tribute to Tom Dowd. He was the producer of Layla. His insights and memories of this song are incredible
It's funny you asked about that last section being used in a movie. An iconic sequence in "Goodfellas." But it ain't sappy romance. It's mafia killings. Type in "Goodfellas Layla" and you can see the scene.
So excited to see you react to Clapton. He's very special to me because my dad died when I was still a baby and Clapton was one of his favorite artists. I still can't listen to Tears in Heaven or Wonderful Tonight without bawling.
This song is written about Geoge Harrison's wife, Patti Harrison (nee Boyd). Amazing songs witten about her include Something (Harrison), Layla and Wonderful Tonight (both Clapton).
your content review and knowledge is so fascinating and your happiness explodes thru the screen, I love watching you explore a world of music I grew up in my youth
Glad it's an electric version with Eric playing Blackie. But like Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky", you really MUST react to the studio version (Duane Allman on lead guitar) to get the full picture! #doboth! Nevermind the "can't believe you haven't heard it" haters, E!
The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963-1965), Jeff Beck (1965-1966) and Jimmy Page (1966-1968) Clapton was a guitarist first. he didn't start singing until in the band Cream. Cream were a British rock supergroup formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker contributed to songs. Formed by members of previously successful bands, they are widely considered the first supergroup. Cream was highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members. Jack Bruce helped Clapton develop his vocals.
For a fellow of my vintage I love how the music translates in absolute clarity thru your eyes, ears, and most of all,❤️. I can't help but enjoy the music of my era, but you have shown me so much more! I also watch the Classical Harpist, and overjoyed to see you appearing as the 1 st. Honoured Guest,!
Sadly the original with Duane Allman can never be duplicated , although Derek Trucks is an AWESOME player ...still a gorgeous song ...I so loved Derek & The Dominos in H.S.
Well, that was fun! Your reaction to the "two tunes in one" structure of the piece (one being instrumental only) was priceless. As noted elsewhere, the acoustic version of this song, despite identical melody and lyrics, is emotionally a totally different piece. Would you give us a comparison analysis? Some of Clapton's best work was done with the band Cream. For starters, consider "White Room" and "Crossroads," two wildly differing songs.
I understand the term "slidey", but in fact it's "bendy"..It's a technique where one frets a note below and then pushes the string sideways to make it tighter thus the pitch go higher..Bending is rather common technique in among eg. blues, country, classic rock, etc. players (but also eg. neoclassical metal player Yngwie Malmsteen has a guitar with a scalloped fretboard to let the bends be very wide and thus 'emotional'). It can give a solo extra emotional feel.. Slide playing is completely different way of playing guitar where the pitch is not changed by fretting the string with fingers against the frets but using eg. glass or metal tube on one finger sliding it along the string. Bending is the one guitar thing i always sand piano players mouths when they brag how superior their instrument is; i just say that 'ok then..bend Your c to e..'.😅
The beginning part is him just teasing the crowd with "what song am I gonna start with?" As soon as he hits the classic riff everyone knows what song it is.
Eight years ago I was excited to see EC live, however, the day of the concert, my wife got the stomach flu. I called my son, who was 30 years old at the time, to see if he wanted to go. "Eric who??" How did I fail so miserably as a parent? But, with some prodding, he did reluctantly go with me. Nearly three hours of Clapton bliss for me and that priceless smile on my son's face!
Is it time to listen to his protege, Steve Winwood? Maybe even "Can't Find My Way Home" with Clapton and Ginger Baker in Blind Faith. Real rock history
Clapton's bends are legendary. Note that he did all of that without a tremolo bar. (Yes, I know it's vibrato; somehow Leo Fender got the terms flipped and they kinda got stuck that way for guitars and guitar amps.) Many guitarists, in what we call "chasing tone," obsess over pedals and amps and speakers, but a lot of what makes a guitarist like Clapton sound like himself and not any other guitarist is in the fingers. That being said, the _difference_ in tone in the guitar solo towards the end is all in cutting the treble on the neck pickup.
I haven’t seen it mentioned yet but the second half of Layla was used in the movie Goodfellas when they were showing the bodies of everyone that got whacked
This song is so iconic. You may have heard it on Goodfellas, although they only played the piano solo in the movie. Als, it is originally from Derek & the Dominoes when Clapton played with them.
Oh my goodness! I’m so excited!! Literally one of my favorite songs of all time. The opening riff has been my ringtone for 10+ years. I absolutely adore Eric Clapton ❤ Edit: I recently listened to/watched Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo, Roseanne Cash and others play with none other than Carl Perkins and it was a joy-check it out if you love old rock ‘n’ roll! “Carl Perkins and Friends - 1986”
They are not "Slides" they are bends. Slides are done with a tube over a finger and runs up and down the neck. Interestingly enough, the original is done mostly with slides and was done by Duane Allman from the Allman brothers band.
You just made me go and find the Backtrackin' (compilation) album I have pre-inherited from my mother. She has always been a huge Clapton fan and I guess it somehow hit me as well at an early age. My sister is called Laila, and I always felt like this was her song - though, if you ask her and my brother in law, it is "Wonderful Tonight" that is "their song", which I actually learned to play myself. In the last year of school I picked up playing guitar and got a guitar teacher who was also a big fan of Mr. Slowhand, and he taught me Wonderful Tonight. Sadly I didn't keep up playing, which I regret enormously today.
What you're describing as slides are mainly bends. A slide is where you play a note and slide your finger up or down the neck to a different fret and there are some instances of that in there. A bend is where you push or pull the string sideways across the neck and you can see him doing that quite a bit.
You really should listen to the studio version with Duane Allman on slide guitar. Absolutely remarkable. This is one of those songs that I've heard so many thousands of times that I tend to take it for granted. Seeing you hear it for the first time gives me new appreciation for it and reminds me of when this song was new and special for me. Thank you!
One of the most iconic rock songs ever. The original version is the best for me, though Not many women have been honored by the men who loved them like Pattie Boyd has been. "Something", "Layla", "Wonderful tonight" among the best known. There's a website listing all 10! of them by George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood. "Poor" Jenny Boyd, her sister, has only one to her credit, as much as I know, "Jennifer Juniper" by Donovan
Most people don't know the whole story behind Wonderful Tonight. Clapton wrote it while he was waiting for Patti Boyd to get dressed and ready for a dinner party they had been invited to after he became fed up with how long she was taking. The "you look wonderful tonight" hook was actually more sarcastic when he wrote it. More like "okay, you look wonderful tonight, can we go now?" Someone involved in the recording process smelt out a hit in it and had Clapton tinker with it until it turned from a "can we get a move on" song into a ballad that everyone plays at their wedding without knowing the actual inspiration behind the song.
@@88wildcat I read in some Ronnie Lane related texts, that the song got really developed out a bit later, when EC was finding quiet time at Ronnie's farm, Ronnie Lane of The Faces and Small Faces. There was supposed to be a lot of great music played sitting around the campfire, "Wonderful tonight" as well.
Eric toured with a duo named Delaney and Bonnie in 1969 after the breakup of Cream, as a guitarist only. Delaney Bramlett encouraged him to use his voice more as he saw Clapton's potential as a lead singer and songwriter. The following year, Eric recorded his first solo album (which contained the classics "After Midnight" and "Let It Rain"), and then the "Layla" album with Derek and the Dominos, which remains his greatest work.
This song has quite the history itself. The theme of it is based on a 7th century Persian poem about unrequited love. He wrote these lyrics about his own unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's wife. He wanted to be with her, but she wouldn't leave George. She and George eventually divorced and then Eric & Pattie married in 1979 - they themselves divorced after 10 years of marriage.
You should hear the original recording which includes what is missing from all other performances of Layla, the amazing guitar work of Duane Allman. The two guitars complement each other beautifully.
Agree 100%, I may be in the minority, but I think the original recording is so much better than any of the live versions.
@@DemonaeTV No Duane not the same!
@@DemonaeTV Think so too man
@@DemonaeTV I agree! I've heard a few live versions with Derek Trucks on slide that come "close" to the original studio recording...but still don't quite get there.
I came on here to look at the comments to see if anyone else said anything similar. The recorded version on the album is amazing.
This opening guitar riff is one of the most recognizable ones in rock history.
Hi, yes and think i know it from an advertise!? Yes it was in a german/UK(?) Opel/Vauxhall(?) car commercial!
Yes. And you can thank Duane Allman for that.
Brings tears to my eyes
@user-wh7hs2bc6m Same here in the UK.
Too bad they stole this song from Rita Coolidge.
Clapton does a really beautiful slow acoustic version of Layla…. treat yourself to it; and I’m sure that we would revel in your analysis of a very different voice.
However, “ Tears In Heaven “ from Clapton has an astonishing back story; an incredible vocal and brings tears to a glass eye!
Thanks for your brilliant work.
tears in heaven is a must. elizabeth should watch it with her man and have all the tissues to cry into on hand when they do. because he will be crying too
This is the comment I would've posted if it wasn't here! (:
@@DixonsCider I'd rather she didn't. She has a young son and another baby on the way, it'd hit pretty close to home. Maybe when her kids are past the age of the son he lost.
This person has put an important piece of musical history! Please listen to this fine work!
I'm incredibly disappointed she didn't listen to that version
I will state what others must surely have said. You must hear the original studio version with Duane Allman on guitar.
Agreed. Duane's slide guitar solo just takes it to an entirely different level, not to mention the intensity of the entire song. When first recorded in 1970, this was an intensely personal song for Clapton, PLUS the presence of Duane Allman, PLUS the fact that the entire band was boozed up and coked up to the gills - the studio version of the song was the band at full throttle, with afterburners.
This is an older Eric Clapton, the original is so full of passion and longing. His unplugged version is also very different and interesting..
The start and stop drums really drags this performance down, unfortunately. Not every chord change needs to be accentuated by the kit.
😂Do you mean a much Younger Clapton?!?!
The Studio version of Layla has this amazing Slide Solo in the later half of the song and Duane Allman put so much emotion in his guitar. Derek Trucks also did an amazing version of it.
I saw Eric Clapton in concert in the late 1980’s, AND I was able to watch Eddie Van Halen in the next row *watching* Clapton.
Two guitar Gods.
Eddie idolized Eric
I don't like it when artists speed the tempo up so much that it sounds weird during live shows. I love this song, thanks for reaction
It's a song Eric Clapton wrote about George Harrison's wife, Patti Boyd, whom Eric Clapton desired, later married (and still later, divorced).
Also, Eric Clapton is the only person inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for his solo work along with his time with The Yardbirds and with Cream. Such a legend!
With friends like these n😂
Don't forget, he and George fought over her with a music-battle, lol. George won. Eric did eventually get the girl (like 10 years later, and divorced afterward). But Ms. Boyd is probably the most sung-about woman in history... it wasn't just Eric and George writing songs about her.
"Layla" was the name of a woman in a 7th century Arabic poem which he felt described her, in case anyone is confused about the name.
But I do think she should have gone with the album version By Derick and the Dominoes. That's the most iconic version of the song, the one everyone fell in love with. This is not bad at all, the original is better.
She also became his wife. He also wrote Wonderful Tonight about her as well as She's Waiting. She must have been some woman.
A musical genius who is hugely personally flawed with abhorrent past views.
and yet this is a song from derek and the dominos :)
The song starts when he turns up the volume and plays the riff. He was just noodling before that point.
That part is so good, and then you see the bassist Nathan East jump back as if it scared him. 😂
@@TheNomadicHandpan Haha! yep!
noodling for him, atmospheric goodness for us
That opening part sounds to me like he’s quieting the crowd before the opening riff. It’s so iconic I think he’s allowing everyone quiet down a little before the opening of Layla. Beautiful.
yeah he is teasing the crowd, the band of course knows what is coming, and the bass player reacts to the big roar of the crowd by jumping lol
You have to hear the studio version with Eric and Duane Allman. The passion and emotion was still fresh in the song!
Eric Clapton performed on The Beatles “White Album” sessions on September 6, 1968, when he played lead guitar on George Harrison’s song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.
And that's when Clapton met Pattie Boyd, Harrison's then-wife, who would leave him for Clapton a decade later.
What?? I didn't know that was Clapton! So cool
Also played on Ozzy's One of Those Days ua-cam.com/video/N7FKAhIVD80/v-deo.htmlsi=asfunH-BiG4pcN6K
In 1991, a maid left a window open after cleaning it in Eric's 53rd floor New York apartment. Eric's 4-year-old son, Conor, fell from this window and obviously passed away.
Eric wrote a song to cope with this called "Tears In Heaven" that appeared on his MTV Unplugged album. It is one of the most beautiful and personal songs I've ever heard.
You should give it a try. You won't regret it.
The original studio album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Song" is iconic. Clapton stole Delaney & Bonnie's backing band, they also played on George Harrison's 1st solo pop album.
I've always loved the phrase "Other Assorted Love Songs"
Stole his girl too
Don’t forget that Jim Gordon and Carl Radle were part of the Mad Dogs and Englishman rhythm section
Trombone player for Delaney & Bonnie grew up a few miles from where I live. Met him a few times, 1st class gentleman.
Pretty sure Duane Allman played on that album too
This solo melted my brain when I heard it as a kid.. Also RIP David Sanborn, incredible saxophonist
Would love to hear Elizabeth react to David Sanborn’s Dreams.
A listen to the classic Layla off the Derek and the Dominos album is a must.
Yes and Elizabeth, please treat yourself to the acoustic version as well!!
they did smooth jazz out the ending a bit which is the best part of the song. the studio version is much more haunting and beautiful
The outro to Layla is in the movie Goodfellas
Thank you!!! I couldn't put my finger on which movie I heard this in.
Can't believe no one else has answered this for her yet. It was literally the background to a (classic) montage in Goodfellas, just like she said.
The MTV Unplugged version has such different energy, you need to give it a video.
100%
I personally prefer the Unplugged version.
It's the best version.
I think the best version is the one with Clapton on acoustic in duo with Knopfler on his Les Paul.@@gregjustlovesyoutubeguidelines
you gotta include the 2 ultimate acoustic versions - 1 is unplugged, and 2 is with Knopfler on the lead
When the album Derick and the Dominos came out we were all blown away! We listened to this song endlessly - 1970.
Must hear the studio version of the song🤘
The coda of the studio song is a masterpiece.
I think the beginning is just building tension and suspense. Fans thinking "what's he going to play?!!"
Cream's Sunshine of Your Love is simply a must although White Room is another classic worthy of TCV's attention. Thanks!
A lot of Clapton's early work is just guitar - - singing was always an afterthought until he went solo. His guitar playing on John Mayall's *Bluesbreakers* album is what made him a star, then his work with Cream just solidified that status. The two songs I'll recommend are *Badge* by Cream, and *Let It Rain* from one of his solo albums.
Clapton knew what he was doing when he pulled Duane Allman (skydog) into this recording. Incredible talent throughout this whole song and original recording.
How old was he at that recording? He was only 24 when he died.
The beginning is totally a concert creation. I think fans are waiting for the famous guitar intro so it really builds the tension.
I first heard this song when I was a kid (mid 80s) and to this day, I am still so enthralled with the complete urgency of the first half of the song.
It smacks of desperation, obsession and desire.
The second half is like the calm let down…like you’ve accepted that you’ve either gotten what you wanted and it’s not what you wanted or you’ve accepted the denial.
It’s like the stages of grief.
Beautifully done.
The piano coda is my favorite part. The story was that Bobby Whitlock, the piano player, was noodling around with the piano bit, but not as part of the song, and that they liked it so much that they added it on at the end. Whitlock has a very good UA-cam page and discusses this song in several place. The coda is from the studio version, and it's also used at the end of the "goodfellas" movie. There's a clip of that on youtube too.
Rita Coolidge wrote it and never got credit for it.
It was drummer Jim gordon
The drummer Jim Gordon stole the piano ending from his former girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I believe the Clapton now gives her a writing credit for the song.
Good morning!The intro was for this performance. The bass man, Nathan East, is every bit the musician that Eric is! Together, the second " coming" of Eric Clapton's legacy is launched. The guitar Solo's show his " Lady Voice", which is superb. Talk about love lost.
Nathan East has been a staple with Eric for years!! I saw them in’92! My favorite concert!!
Nathan is a fabulous Bassman,he really does it all!
Bell Bottom Blues , Little Wing and Badge are a must
Have you heard "tears in heaven" composed after his son dead? So much pain.
I've seen Clapton twice in concert. Once for rock, once for 'a night of the blues'. He has always very much acknowledge his love of blues and the roots of his music. His nickname is 'Slow Hand' in honor of how lovingly he handles his guitar. For each of his concerts, he had a platoon of guitars that he cycled through.
He played with the band Cream, Derek and the Dominoes, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, and some others, as well as solo work.
Yes, the extended play is part of the song, though of course the concert version is always different from the studio version. Yes, it's a very long song, but still always gets lots of radio play. It's iconic.
He did a fantastic acoustic version (I think it was MTV Unplugged?) that also gets lots of airplay.
Other songs to get deep into the talent of Clapton: Tears in Heaven (a tearjerker especially if you know the backstory), Change the World, Wonderful Tonight (one of my favorite love songs EVER), Pretending, Lay Down Sally, Crossroads, Bell Bottom Blues, Forever man, Cocaine, Motherless Child, After Midnight, She's Waiting, Running on Faith, White Room, Tales of Ulysses, Before You Accuse Me (take a look at y'own self!), Traveling Riverside Blues, I Shot the Sheriff, Riding with the King, Ten Long Years, Sunshine of Your Love, Let it Rain, My Father's Eyes,
We named our German Shepherd Layla because of this song! She ran into our lives one day and we returned her to her owner. She didn't seem very well taken care of so I told her previous owner that if she couldn't care for her, we would. Fast forward a month later and the owner texted me and told me she was ours! We felt the name was very fitting. Thought about her allllll the time til she was ours!
This is an unrequited love song from Eric Clapton to Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend George Harrison of The Beatles. In 1977 she divorced Harrison after he cheated on her. In 1979 she married Clapton. They eventually divorced in 1989 due to Clapton’s infidelity and addiction issues.
Through it all Clapton and Harrison remained close friends. Harrison attended their wedding and even referred to himself as their “husband-in-law”.
Layla is 27th on the Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time list.
You may also want to listen to other hits of his, like “Lay Down Sally” and its B-side hit “Cocaine” (which he says is an anti drug song).
The maestro himself, Scorsese, used the ending of Layla in "Goodfellas". But he didn't do it in the sappy way you're imagining. He used it as a montage showing all the people Jimmy had whacked because he was paranoid about the Lufthansa Heist. Great scene/montage! Basically separates the movie from the 'fun' part about being a gangster from the latter half of the movie, the 'not so fun' part of being a gangster.
Eric Clapton's don't seem to exist anymore! As soon as I hear the opening riff of Layla I get the "chill bumps." EVERYTIME I HEAR IT! 👍🏼 The chill builds up until his Layla solo slips my mind into a euphoric trance. The best damn guitar solo of all time! My humbled opinion. Who today does that! No one. It's all pop sh_t 🕺🏼! 😒 - 😁. I saw him live! Layla was MEZMORIZING live.
Eric Clapton‘s vocals have always been the Burl Ives of rock to me. A truly one in a billion melodic guitar player with a voice better than gold.
The opening great slide guitar riff is by Duane Allman, of the Allman Brothers Band
Sadly, this is a later version. No slide.
Duane was on the original album release and this is not that. Duane actually did a lot of the guitar work on the original and not just the slide work.
You definitely missed the boat on this one. You should have reviewed the album version first.
Listen to his song . Tears in heaven 👍
One of the most famous Clapton performances, on guitar and voice (when he was in Cream), is the live version of "Crossroads" from the Wheels of Fire album from 1968. "Layla", and other songs on the 1970 album, was written by Clapton to try to woo George Harrison's wife away from him. This didn't work at first, but eventually she left George for Clapton (for a while). George and Eric still remained friends - See the Clapton organized Concert For George with his cover of George's "Something", written for the same woman when he was a Beatle, and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which he played on the original Beatles album.
"SWLABR!"
A young Eric Clapton was a member of Cream. A short lived 3 piece group, but Oh what a group! Look for a video of the blues song "Crossroads".
You REALLY need to listen to 10,000 Maniacs, particularly their MTV Unplugged cover of “Because the Night”. It’s pretty much the definitive version of the song and Natalie Merchant’s voice is something you can’t explain. It would be right up your alley.
Wonderful Tonight is a beautiful song with a good story line by Eric Clapton
Clapton's drummer was Jim Gordon, and he "wrote" the piano coda of the original recording; Clapton shared the songwriting credit with Gordon for this contribution. In the decades since it came out Gordon stole the coda from Rita Coolidge, who became famous in her own right. At the time the two were dating, but she was unknown, and when she confronted Jim Gordon -- and then the label -- they openly mocked her effort to earn recognition and credit. The record exec sneered at Coolidge, What did she think she was going to do against the label and a superstar like Clapton? It was an act of pure villainy.
The original version of this song was done by Derrick and the Dominos with Clapton and Duane Allman on the iconic guitar parts
I really can't pick a favorite between the studio and the unplugged versions. The Derek and the Dominoes version is full of passionate energy followed by a moving piano outro that mimics the defeat felt by realizing the love he wants could never be.
The acoustic Clapton version of the song is full of blues and longing and just about the perfect easy listening "cigar and bourbon" music.
Phil Collins and Eric Clapton on "I Wish It Would Rain Down" is one of my favorites. The video is fun, too, in that it tells a little story to go with it.
I think this is one of the top 3 songs ever written, maybe #1 for me. The way Clapton and Allman were playing back and forth with each other on the guitars in the original always just grabbed me. I have spent entire days listening to it on repeat picking it apart and finding new little nuances in the instrumentation.
I’ve watched this performance so many times! So good!
My dad worked for United Airlines and my best friend in HS moved to Irvine CA. So I found myself flying on Christmas when to one was flying and I was in the upstairs lounge of a 747 and had my own personal flight attendants. This was pre 911 I was siting listening to music and this song was a staple on their music charts. But listening and looking out as I flew through the rocky mountains. It was just a spiritual moment for me.
If you can find it there is a documentary called The Language of Music.. a tribute to Tom Dowd. He was the producer of Layla. His insights and memories of this song are incredible
Tears in Heaven. Must.
Always love your honest and enthusiastic reactions!❤️
It's funny you asked about that last section being used in a movie. An iconic sequence in "Goodfellas." But it ain't sappy romance. It's mafia killings. Type in "Goodfellas Layla" and you can see the scene.
I agree with many others. The original studio version cannot be beat.
So excited to see you react to Clapton. He's very special to me because my dad died when I was still a baby and Clapton was one of his favorite artists. I still can't listen to Tears in Heaven or Wonderful Tonight without bawling.
This song is written about Geoge Harrison's wife, Patti Harrison (nee Boyd). Amazing songs witten about her include Something (Harrison), Layla and Wonderful Tonight (both Clapton).
You definitely should check out Old Love from the same show as this one. Written by Clapton and Robert Cray, it has it all. 😊
your content review and knowledge is so fascinating and your happiness explodes thru the screen, I love watching you explore a world of music I grew up in my youth
Elizabeth: ok, it looks like he's ending the song.
Us: 😁
Glad it's an electric version with Eric playing Blackie. But like Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky", you really MUST react to the studio version (Duane Allman on lead guitar) to get the full picture! #doboth!
Nevermind the "can't believe you haven't heard it" haters, E!
The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963-1965), Jeff Beck (1965-1966) and Jimmy Page (1966-1968)
Clapton was a guitarist first. he didn't start singing until in the band Cream.
Cream were a British rock supergroup formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker contributed to songs. Formed by members of previously successful bands, they are widely considered the first supergroup. Cream was highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members.
Jack Bruce helped Clapton develop his vocals.
For a fellow of my vintage I love how the music translates in absolute clarity thru your eyes, ears, and most of all,❤️. I can't help but enjoy the music of my era, but you have shown me so much more! I also watch the Classical Harpist, and overjoyed to see you appearing as the 1 st. Honoured Guest,!
Sadly the original with Duane Allman can never be duplicated , although Derek Trucks is an AWESOME player ...still a gorgeous song ...I so loved Derek & The Dominos in H.S.
Agree - love the Tedeschi/Trucks version - the coda is particularly beautiful.
Love his unplugged version!
Well, that was fun! Your reaction to the "two tunes in one" structure of the piece (one being instrumental only) was priceless.
As noted elsewhere, the acoustic version of this song, despite identical melody and lyrics, is emotionally a totally different piece. Would you give us a comparison analysis?
Some of Clapton's best work was done with the band Cream. For starters, consider "White Room" and "Crossroads," two wildly differing songs.
I understand the term "slidey", but in fact it's "bendy"..It's a technique where one frets a note below and then pushes the string sideways to make it tighter thus the pitch go higher..Bending is rather common technique in among eg. blues, country, classic rock, etc. players (but also eg. neoclassical metal player Yngwie Malmsteen has a guitar with a scalloped fretboard to let the bends be very wide and thus 'emotional'). It can give a solo extra emotional feel.. Slide playing is completely different way of playing guitar where the pitch is not changed by fretting the string with fingers against the frets but using eg. glass or metal tube on one finger sliding it along the string. Bending is the one guitar thing i always sand piano players mouths when they brag how superior their instrument is; i just say that 'ok then..bend Your c to e..'.😅
David Gilmour. She’s seen him bend strings
As a guitarist I have to object to saying “pushes the string sideways”
Are we not pushing it up or down??
The beginning part is him just teasing the crowd with "what song am I gonna start with?" As soon as he hits the classic riff everyone knows what song it is.
EXTREME - Get the Funk Out, Hole Hearted, Stop the World
He's got an amazing Unplugged album, too. I specifically recommend his song "Layla" from that 'cause it's super-emotional. *high-fives*
Eight years ago I was excited to see EC live, however, the day of the concert, my wife got the stomach flu. I called my son, who was 30 years old at the time, to see if he wanted to go. "Eric who??" How did I fail so miserably as a parent? But, with some prodding, he did reluctantly go with me. Nearly three hours of Clapton bliss for me and that priceless smile on my son's face!
It’s used for a montage in Goodfellas where a bunch of gangster dead bodies are being discovered.
Two Eric Clapton songs make me cry every time I hear them. "Wonderful Tonight" and "Tears In Heaven"
I prefer the studio, which in the ending part has a much heavier emphasis on piano than sax. Was ionically used in the movie, Goodfellas.
It'd be great if you did a side series of comparing "live" versions to their studio versions.
For another legendary guitarist who also sings I suggest Gary Moore "Still Got The Blues"
Eric is the only person inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 3 times, with Cream, The Yardbirds, & as a solo artist
You should hear Tears in Heaven. Eric Clapton composed this song as a tribute for his son, who tragically passed away.
Is it time to listen to his protege, Steve Winwood? Maybe even "Can't Find My Way Home" with Clapton and Ginger Baker in Blind Faith. Real rock history
Clapton's bends are legendary. Note that he did all of that without a tremolo bar. (Yes, I know it's vibrato; somehow Leo Fender got the terms flipped and they kinda got stuck that way for guitars and guitar amps.) Many guitarists, in what we call "chasing tone," obsess over pedals and amps and speakers, but a lot of what makes a guitarist like Clapton sound like himself and not any other guitarist is in the fingers. That being said, the _difference_ in tone in the guitar solo towards the end is all in cutting the treble on the neck pickup.
I haven’t seen it mentioned yet but the second half of Layla was used in the movie Goodfellas when they were showing the bodies of everyone that got whacked
This song is so iconic. You may have heard it on Goodfellas, although they only played the piano solo in the movie. Als, it is originally from Derek & the Dominoes when Clapton played with them.
Oh my goodness! I’m so excited!! Literally one of my favorite songs of all time. The opening riff has been my ringtone for 10+ years. I absolutely adore Eric Clapton ❤
Edit: I recently listened to/watched Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo, Roseanne Cash and others play with none other than Carl Perkins and it was a joy-check it out if you love old rock ‘n’ roll! “Carl Perkins and Friends - 1986”
The extended outro is the resolution of all the pain and the longing and the desire. The song is incomplete without it
They are not "Slides" they are bends. Slides are done with a tube over a finger and runs up and down the neck. Interestingly enough, the original is done mostly with slides and was done by Duane Allman from the Allman brothers band.
A classic. You should give the studio version a listen
You just made me go and find the Backtrackin' (compilation) album I have pre-inherited from my mother. She has always been a huge Clapton fan and I guess it somehow hit me as well at an early age. My sister is called Laila, and I always felt like this was her song - though, if you ask her and my brother in law, it is "Wonderful Tonight" that is "their song", which I actually learned to play myself.
In the last year of school I picked up playing guitar and got a guitar teacher who was also a big fan of Mr. Slowhand, and he taught me Wonderful Tonight. Sadly I didn't keep up playing, which I regret enormously today.
What you're describing as slides are mainly bends. A slide is where you play a note and slide your finger up or down the neck to a different fret and there are some instances of that in there. A bend is where you push or pull the string sideways across the neck and you can see him doing that quite a bit.
ty for opening my mind and ears to new ways of thinking about songs, ty
You really should listen to the studio version with Duane Allman on slide guitar. Absolutely remarkable. This is one of those songs that I've heard so many thousands of times that I tend to take it for granted. Seeing you hear it for the first time gives me new appreciation for it and reminds me of when this song was new and special for me. Thank you!
Check out Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton. Two of the best musicians from the 1960's. Both have great voices.
One of the most iconic rock songs ever. The original version is the best for me, though
Not many women have been honored by the men who loved them like Pattie Boyd has been.
"Something", "Layla", "Wonderful tonight" among the best known. There's a website listing all 10! of them by George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood. "Poor" Jenny Boyd, her sister, has only one to her credit, as much as I know, "Jennifer Juniper" by Donovan
Most people don't know the whole story behind Wonderful Tonight. Clapton wrote it while he was waiting for Patti Boyd to get dressed and ready for a dinner party they had been invited to after he became fed up with how long she was taking. The "you look wonderful tonight" hook was actually more sarcastic when he wrote it. More like "okay, you look wonderful tonight, can we go now?" Someone involved in the recording process smelt out a hit in it and had Clapton tinker with it until it turned from a "can we get a move on" song into a ballad that everyone plays at their wedding without knowing the actual inspiration behind the song.
@@88wildcat I read in some Ronnie Lane related texts, that the song got really developed out a bit later, when EC was finding quiet time at Ronnie's farm, Ronnie Lane of The Faces and Small Faces. There was supposed to be a lot of great music played sitting around the campfire, "Wonderful tonight" as well.
The studio version has a more seamless transition to the second, more melodic part. You need to check it out.
Eric toured with a duo named Delaney and Bonnie in 1969 after the breakup of Cream, as a guitarist only. Delaney Bramlett encouraged him to use his voice more as he saw Clapton's potential as a lead singer and songwriter. The following year, Eric recorded his first solo album (which contained the classics "After Midnight" and "Let It Rain"), and then the "Layla" album with Derek and the Dominos, which remains his greatest work.
I swear, Eric Clapton's guitar playing could raise me from the dead. My heart beats exactly how the music commands.
I totally agree with others. The original with Duane Allman on guitar is amazing. You really need to check that out.
"Wonderfull Tonight"
This song has quite the history itself. The theme of it is based on a 7th century Persian poem about unrequited love. He wrote these lyrics about his own unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's wife. He wanted to be with her, but she wouldn't leave George. She and George eventually divorced and then Eric & Pattie married in 1979 - they themselves divorced after 10 years of marriage.
What will really blow your mind is if you can find the MTV Unplugged version.