"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon. It was first recorded with their band, Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track on their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, released in 1970. The song’s two contrasting parts were written separately by Clapton and Gordon. Some people say the piano part was played by Rita Coolidge, who was Gordon’s girlfriend at the time.

The song was inspired by a love story from 7th-century Arabic literature. This story later became the poem The Story of Layla and Majnun, written by the 12th-century Persian author Nizami Ganjavi. A copy of the book was given to Clapton by Ian Dallas. The story deeply moved Clapton because it told of a young man who fell in love with a beautiful girl, became so upset he lost his mind, and could not marry her. The song was also inspired by Clapton’s secret love for Pattie Boyd, who was married to his friend George Harrison. After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd married.

Since its release, "Layla" has been widely praised by critics and fans. It is often considered one of the greatest rock songs ever made. Two versions of the song have been successful on music charts: the original in 1972 and an acoustic version performed by Clapton in 1992. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Layla" number 27 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." The acoustic version won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Background

In 1966, George Harrison, a guitarist in the Beatles, married Pattie Boyd, a model he met two years earlier while working on the film A Hard Day's Night. In the late 1960s, Eric Clapton and George Harrison became close friends. Clapton played guitar on Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from the Beatles' self-titled double album, also known as the White Album, though he was not credited for his work. Harrison helped write and played guitar on the song "Badge" by the band Cream, which appears on the album Goodbye. During the time between Clapton's work with Cream and Blind Faith, he developed feelings for Pattie Boyd.

The song "Layla" was inspired by the story of Layla and Majnun, which Clapton learned from his friend Ian Dallas, who was converting to Islam. The tale, written by Nizami, describes a moon princess who is forced to marry a man she does not love, causing the man named Majnun to become deeply upset. This story had a strong emotional impact on Clapton.

In 1977, Pattie Boyd divorced George Harrison. She later married Eric Clapton in 1979 during a concert in Tucson, Arizona. George Harrison did not feel bitter about the divorce and attended Clapton's wedding with his former bandmates, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. During their relationship, Clapton wrote the song "Wonderful Tonight" for Pattie Boyd in 1977. Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989.

Writing and recording

After Cream ended, Clapton worked with several groups, including Blind Faith and the musical team Delaney & Bonnie. In spring 1970, he learned that some members of Delaney & Bonnie’s backup band, such as bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, were leaving the group. Clapton saw an opportunity and formed a new band with Whitlock, Radle, and Gordon. They named themselves Derek and the Dominos. Clapton said the band helped shape his musical style while supporting George Harrison on his first solo album after the Beatles, All Things Must Pass.

During the recording of the Layla album, Duane Allman joined Clapton’s new band as a guest. Clapton and Allman were already fans of each other and met through Tom Dowd at an Allman Brothers concert in Miami Beach on August 26, 1970. They quickly became friends. Dowd described their guitar playing as if they could read each other’s minds, saying they worked together so smoothly that they never needed to repeat ideas. Dowd, known for his work with Clapton in Cream, helped produce Layla and later remixed the original recordings for a film about his career.

Clapton originally wrote Layla as a ballad about his unrequited love for Pattie Boyd. However, Allman created the song’s famous guitar riff, turning it into a rock song. With the band and Dowd’s help, Layla was recorded in its rock form. The first section of the song used 16 tracks, including six guitar tracks: Clapton played rhythm and harmony parts, Allman played solos with bent notes and slide guitar, and both musicians played duplicate solos. Each used the same two-input Fender Champ amplifier.

Later, Clapton heard Jim Gordon’s piano piece and asked him to include it in the song. Though Gordon was credited for this part, Bobby Whitlock said Gordon borrowed the melody from Rita Coolidge’s song Time, which was later recorded by Booker T. Jones and Priscilla Jones. Coolidge confirmed this in her autobiography, and the story was also shared in Graham Nash’s book.

The second part of Layla, called the “Piano Exit,” was recorded about a week after the first section. Gordon played piano, Clapton played acoustic and slide guitar, and Allman played electric and bottleneck slide guitar. After Dowd combined the two parts, Layla was complete.

The song has two main sections, each with a unique riff. The first section, in D minor and C-sharp minor, focuses on the “signature riff,” a guitar melody using hammer-ons, pull-offs, and power chords. Allman’s slide guitar solo, recorded with layers, included notes played beyond the fretboard, which Dowd called “notes that aren’t on the instrument.”

The second section, the “Piano Exit,” was originally in C major but was slightly sped up during mixing, making its pitch between C and C-sharp. The piano melody is accompanied by acoustic guitar and slide guitar an octave higher. Gordon played the piano part exactly as written, while Clapton and Allman improvised the melody. The song ends with Allman’s slide guitar playing a high-pitched “bird call,” a sound featured in the movie Goodfellas.

Clapton said, “I wanted to express my feelings through music.” Pattie Boyd later said, “He was very emotional at the time. His music let people feel his emotions clearly.”

Personnel

Derek and the Dominos

• Eric Clapton – lead vocals and guitars
• Duane Allman – slide guitar
• Bobby Whitlock – Hammond organ and harmony vocals
• Jim Gordon – drums, percussion, and piano
• Carl Radle – bass guitar

• Tom Dowd – producer
• Ron Albert, Howard Albert, Mack Emerman, Chuck Kirkpatrick, Karl Richardson – recording engineers

Beyond the original album

The album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos had low sales. It did not reach the music charts in the United Kingdom, possibly because Eric Clapton's name was only listed on the back cover of the album. Additionally, the song's length made it difficult for radio stations to play. Because of this, a shorter version of the song, which included the first 2:43 of Part I, was released as a single in March 1971 by Atco Records in the United States. This version reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Later, when "Layla" was re-released in 1972 on two compilations and as a single with the full 7:10 version (including the "Piano Exit" from Part II), it reached number seven in the United Kingdom and number 10 in the United States. Billboard magazine ranked the single as the 60th best-selling song in 1972.

In 1982, "Layla" was re-released as a single in the United Kingdom and reached number four. This time, the entire seven-minute version was included, with the last two-thirds of the song being instrumental. Since then, critics have praised the song highly. Dave Marsh, in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, wrote that "Layla" is one of the greatest songs ever recorded. He listed it as number 156 in The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.

In May 1980, the London Symphony Orchestra performed a version of "Layla" without lyrics, recorded at EMI Studio One in London. A similar version was later performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. On September 20, 1983, a charity concert called the ARMS Charity Concert for Multiple Sclerosis at the Royal Albert Hall in London featured a musical performance of "Layla" by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. These three musicians were the Yardbirds' guitar players in a row from 1963 to 1968.

In 2003, the Allman Brothers Band began playing "Layla" in concerts. Warren Haynes sang the vocals, Gregg Allman played the piano, and Derek Trucks performed Duane Allman's guitar parts during the song's ending. These performances were a tribute to Duane Allman and to producer Tom Dowd, who had died the previous year. Eric Clapton also recorded a third version of "Layla," which appears as track seven on Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center. This version includes musicians such as Wynton Marsalis (vocals, trumpet), Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar), Victor Goines (clarinet), Marcus Printup (trumpet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone, vocals), Don Vappie (banjo), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), and Ali Jackson (drums).

Unpluggedversion

In 1992, Clapton was invited to perform for the MTV Unplugged series. On January 16, 1992, he recorded an acoustic album and a concert film at the Bray Studios in Bray, Berkshire. Although the production team and Clapton's staff liked the recordings, Clapton did not want to release the album or film. Eventually, he agreed to release the album in a limited edition. When the album sold out, Clapton allowed Warner Bros. and Reprise Records to stop producing the limited edition. For the album, Clapton chose to record new songs, such as "Lonely Stranger," and older songs he knew from his youth, like "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," as well as songs he enjoyed listening to or wrote as an adult, such as "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Layla." Clapton played acoustic guitar and sang on the live track. He was supported by Andy Fairweather Low, who played acoustic rhythm guitar; Nathan East, who played acoustic bass guitar and provided background vocals; Ray Cooper, who played percussion; Steve Ferrone, who played drums; Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles, who provided background vocals; and Chuck Leavell, who played piano. Chuck Leavell said that recording the acoustic version of "Layla" felt natural and that the band had more space to play during the song than in the original recording. He added that the band was able to interpret the song in their own way, which worked well and gave the song a new life. The acoustic version of "Layla" was produced by Russ Titelman.

Clapton recorded the acoustic version of "Layla" on a C. F. Martin & Company steel-string acoustic guitar in the OOO-42 style from 1939. The guitar was handmade in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (No. OOO-42/73234). Clapton called this guitar one of the finest instruments he has ever used and described its sound as "incredible." Christie's, an auction house, noted that the guitar became one of the most memorable images in recent music history because it appeared on the Unplugged album cover. Christie's expert Kerry Keane said the instrument was responsible for helping people rediscover the popularity of playing acoustic guitar today. Keane also said the guitar had a "wonderfully balanced tone" that was both loud and sweet, with a strong bass note. The vintage instrument was expected to sell for between $60,000 and $80,000 but was sold for $791,500.

Andy Fairweather Low, the rhythm acoustic guitar player, was invited by Clapton to his flat in Chelsea, London, to prepare songs for the Unplugged album in January 1992. During this process, Clapton suggested recording another version of "Layla." Fairweather Low agreed because he was a fan of Derek and the Dominos, the band that originally recorded the song. Clapton believed the best way to arrange the rock anthem was as a shuffle, a type of rhythm, because he enjoyed changing a song's tempo and exploring it from a new perspective.

When asked about the acoustic version of "Layla" by MTV, Clapton said, "Layla" had always been the same to him, and he never thought of changing it until this opportunity. He compared it to how Bob Dylan changes his songs each time he performs them. Clapton said making the song acoustic removed the original guitar riffs, which would have sounded weak on an acoustic guitar. This change made the song feel more jazz-like. He also sang the song an octave lower, which created a different atmosphere.

The song was written in the key of D minor, which Clapton said pushed him to the top of his singing range. When he slowed the song down, Fairweather Low suggested singing it an octave lower. Clapton was happy with the result, calling it "nice" and "sort of Jazzy." The new arrangement slowed and reworked the original melody, removing the piano section from the end. Because the arrangement changed so much, Clapton told the live audience, "See if you can spot this one."

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine said "Layla" was the most popular song on the Unplugged album. He described it as a slow, calm version of the original, turning the intense emotion of the original into a relaxed shuffle. Journalist Steve Hochman called the acoustic version a "low-key but seductive recasting." VH1 noted that the Unplugged version showed Clapton's guitar skills in an acoustic setting, especially in the reworked version of "Layla," which highlighted his gentle side without losing intensity. Entertainment Weekly journalists selected "Layla" as the most popular song on the Unplugged album. Critics praised Chuck Leavell's piano work, saying it added a smoky-jazz atmosphere that made the song emotionally powerful.

Critical reception and legacy

In 1972, "Layla" was one of the most played songs of the year and was already called a "rock standard." When it was re-released in 1982, the song was praised again. It appears on many "greatest ever" lists. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included "Layla" in its list of "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 27 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." The Recording Industry Association of America listed "Layla" at number 118 on its "Songs of the Century" list on March 7, 2001. Music critic Dave Marsh ranked the song number two in his "Best Singles of the Year 1972" compilation.

In 1992, "Layla" was re-recorded for the Unplugged album. This version became a major success, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1993. The song was played continuously on radio, in stores, and on television worldwide in 1992 and 1993. In 1992, "Layla" was the most performed song of the year. It also received a BMI Broadcasting Award for being played more than two million times on radio and television by summer 1994. As of 2011, "Layla" had been broadcast more than six million times on television and radio or performed on other records and during live concerts.

The song "Layla" was used in the movie Goodfellas during a scene showing the aftermath of the 1978 Lufthansa heist. Director Martin Scorsese chose the song for this scene to match the actions and camera movements. The song also plays during the film's ending credits after a cover of "My Way" by Sid Vicious.

In 2021, American record producer DJ Khaled used a part of Derek and the Dominos' version of "Layla" in his song "I Did It," which features American rappers Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, and DaBaby.