10 Rock Songs Written About Real People
6. Layla - Derek And The Dominoes
After dissolving the supergroup Cream and having further solo success with other acts like Blind Faith, Eric Clapton formed yet another group with Derek and the Dominoes. Though he was riding high professionally, Clapton's love life was at its most contentious.
While meeting Pattie Boyd in the late 60's, Clapton became more and more infatuated with this blonde bombshell. The only issue was that Boyd was already married to Clapton's best friend George Harrison. Rather than directly act on his romantic desires, Slowhand poured all his lovelorn sorrow into "Layla," which outlined his inner torment at not being able to express himself to his love.
In addition to having a fantastic tale of unrequited love, the song also features some of Clapton's best riffs along with a beautiful slide guitar passage from Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers. The outro of the song is also absolutely breathtaking as the grand piano sends the listener on a sonic ride through the clouds.
The song did have sort of a happy ending when Boyd left Harrison for Clapton, which presented one of rock music's most famous love triangles. Though there was said to be little animosity between Harrison and Clapton over time, "Layla" remains one of hard rock's most gripping tales of unattainable love.