Writing and recording Īfter the break-up of Cream, Clapton tried his hand with several groups, including Blind Faith and the husband-and-wife duo Delaney & Bonnie. During their relationship, Clapton wrote another love ballad for Boyd, ' Wonderful Tonight' (1977).

Harrison was not bitter about the divorce and attended Clapton's wedding party with his former bandmates Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. īoyd divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Clapton in 1979 during a concert stop in Tucson, Arizona. Nizami's tale, about a moon princess who was married off by her father to a man she did not love, resulting in Majnun's madness, struck a deep chord with Clapton. The title of 'Layla' was inspired by the story of Layla and Majnun, which Clapton had been told by his friend Ian Dallas, who was in the process of converting to Islam. However, between his tenures in Cream and Blind Faith, Clapton fell in love with Boyd. Clapton contributed uncredited (although openly acknowledged) guitar work on Harrison's song ' While My Guitar Gently Weeps' on the Beatles' self-titled double album (also known as the White Album), and Harrison co-wrote and played guitar on Cream's ' Badge' from Goodbye. During the late 1960s, Clapton and Harrison became close friends. In 1966, Beatles guitarist George Harrison married Pattie Boyd, a model he met two years before during the filming of A Hard Day's Night. In 2004, 'Layla' was ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone 's list of ' The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time', and the acoustic version won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Two versions have achieved chart success, the first in 1972 and the second 20 years later as an acoustic Unplugged performance by Clapton. 'Layla' has since its release experienced great critical and popular acclaim, and is often hailed as being among the greatest rock songs of all time.

After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd eventually married. The song was further inspired by Clapton's secret love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend and fellow musician George Harrison. The book moved Clapton profoundly, because it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful young girl, went crazy and so could not marry her.

The song was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century Persia and later formed the basis of The Story of Layla and Majnun by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, a copy of which Ian Dallas had given to Clapton. The piano part has also been controversially credited to Rita Coolidge, Gordon's girlfriend at the time. Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. ' Layla' is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos on YouTube If you find the Bb and C barre chords to be a little too challenging, we show you how to simplify them into something you can definitely play, if need be.From the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs It also incorporates chords into a lick and challenges the student to change chords quickly and cleanly. I’ve taught this song to over a hundred students and I still haven’t gotten tired of it! It’s excellent for building finger strength thanks to the Bb and C barre chords. This was one of the first things I learned to play when I bought my first acoustic guitar (I started on electric) and I’m really happy to finally share this lesson with you all on YouTube. How To Play Layla Unplugged by Eric Clapton

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