Few songs have been played at as many weddings as “Wonderful Tonight”, and few have been as thoroughly misunderstood. The popular version goes like this: a lovely man writes aContinue readingThe Meaning of “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton

There are songs I find hard to write about, and “Tears in Heaven” is one of them. It’s not that the subject is obscure. Everybody knows that Eric Clapton wroteContinue readingThe Meaning of “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton

It’s a curious feature of pop music that its grandest-sounding titles often hide its smallest, most tender ideas. “Change the World” is a case in point. Eric Clapton recorded itContinue readingThe Meaning of “Change the World” by Eric Clapton

There’s a certain pleasure in a song that was made to order and turned out better than anyone had a right to expect. “Bad Love” is that sort of record.Continue readingThe Meaning of “Bad Love” by Eric Clapton

Here’s a story with an unusual twist. A struggling songwriter from Oklahoma records a modest tune in 1966, and nothing happens. Four years later, one of the most famous guitaristsContinue readingThe Meaning of “After Midnight” by Eric Clapton

In the blues, rain is usually bad news. It means a ruined harvest, a flooded road, a lover who has gone off in the weather. Which makes “Let It Rain”Continue readingThe Meaning of “Let It Rain” by Eric Clapton

If you were looking for the laziest hit single in the history of rock, “Lay Down Sally” would be in with a fair chance. It drifts, it shuffles, it barelyContinue readingThe Meaning of “Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton

Not every song announces its meaning with a trumpet. “Let It Grow”, which Eric Clapton wrote for his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard, is the sort of record that tiptoesContinue readingThe Meaning of “Let It Grow” by Eric Clapton

Some songs sound exactly like their titles. “I Can’t Stand It” is one of them: four words, a tight jaw, and the unmistakable air of a man who has reachedContinue readingThe Meaning of “I Can’t Stand It” by Eric Clapton

The story of how “Forever Man” came to exist is, in its way, a better tale than the song. In 1984 Eric Clapton handed his record company an album, andContinue readingThe Meaning of “Forever Man” by Eric Clapton