Eric Clapton is one of music’s finest guitarists and the legend himself turned 70 this week.
The only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, having been recognised for his work with The Yardbirds and Cream as well as his solo material, Clapton has been a master of reinvention throughout his career.
From his rocking early years to songs that will bring a tear to your eye, here are six of Eric Clapton’s finest moments…
Layla
While it’s now recognised as one of the greatest rock songs of all time, Layla wasn’t a huge hit when it was initially released by Clapton’s band Derek And The Dominos in 1970. The song was inspired by the guitarist’s love for model Pattie Boyd, who was married to his friend George Harrison at the time.
Wonderful Tonight
After getting together with Boyd, whom he went on to marry, Clapton wrote this beautiful ballad and included it on his 1970 album Slowhand. The track was also used in Friends, with Monica and Chandler dancing to it after they get engaged in season six.
Old Love
Clapton split with Boyd after nine years of marriage and wrote this song about the separation. The model later spoke of her dislike of the track to The Guardian, saying “The end of a relationship is a sad enough thing, but to then have Eric writing about it as well. It makes me more sad, I think, because I can’t answer back.”
Cocaine
Originally a song by blues artist J. Cale, Clapton made this his own and it is now closely association with him. While it was written as an anti-drug song, many fans miss the sentiment of the song, with Clapton commenting “The fans only listen to the refrain: ‘She don’t lie, she don’t lie, cocaine.’ But it says, ‘If you wanna get down, down on the ground, cocaine.’ It’s sad how young people destroy themselves with drugs. I hate listening to my old records, which I did stoned or drunk.”.
Tears In Heaven
Written for the 1991 Rush film soundtrack, this song was inspired by the loss of Clapton’s four-year-old son Conor, who died after falling from a window of a 53rd-floor New York apartment building. He has said the track is not a sad song but “a song of optimism … of reunion”.
Crossroads (Cream)
Originally recorded by blues musician Robert Johnson in the 1930s, Cream’s version of Crossroads is actually made up from parts of two songs: Crossroads Blues and Travelling Riverside Blues. The track was played by the band in 1993 when they reunited for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
