This, That, and the Other

My theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge is classic rock songs. Each day during the month (except for the first four Sundays, I will post a classic rock song: a video from YouTube, along with a brief bit of background about the song and the recording artist(s).

This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. For every letter of the alphabet there are dozens of fantastic classic rock songs to choose from and picking just one song for each letter is maddening. But this is what I signed up for.

My L song is “Layla” from Derek and the Dominos.

“Layla” was written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their 1970 studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon.

When a shortened version of the song, consisting of the first 2:43 of Part I, was released as a single in March 1971 in the U.S., it peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. When “Layla” was re-released as a single in 1972 as the full 7:10 version (including the “Piano Exit” that formed Part II), it charted at number 7 in the UK and reached number 10 in the U.S. With good sales figures, Billboard magazine was able to rank the Rock single as the 60th best-selling song in 1972.

Since its release, “Layla” has received critical and popular acclaim, and is often hailed as being among the greatest rock songs of all time. Two versions have achieved chart success, the first in 1972 and the second 20 years later as an acoustic, unplugged performance by Clapton. 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.

The song was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century Arabia and later formed the basis of “The Story of Layla and Majnun” by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. 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 further inspired by Clapton’s secret love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend and fellow musician George Harrison. Clapton’s situation with Pattie was different than the tale on which it was based, but he liked the title and the theme of unattainable love. After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd eventually married.

Here are the lyrics to “Layla.”

What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side
You've been running and hiding much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride

Layla, you've got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling please
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
Turned my whole world upside down

Layla, you've got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling please
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind

Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane
Please don't say I'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain

Layla, you've got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling please
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind

Layla, you've got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling please
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind

As a bonus, here’s Eric Clapton’s acoustic version of “Layla.”

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