Breaking Down My Favorite Eric Clapton Song 

1-½ verses into the song and Clapton has already played more chords than the entire 2023 Spotify Top Ten.

Awesome!! Would love to see a break down of Cream's "White Room" as well!

That’s my father singing and playing B3. I’m very proud of his musical achievements.

10 years ago I sold my Les Paul to pay a medical bill after my wife and I started having kids. All I've had since then is a Martin acoustic, which was always fun to play on but never quite the same. This Christmas, my wife surprised me with a brand new American Stratocaster and Fender amplifier. After 10 years of having no electric set up whatsoever, the first song I broke out on the speaker to jam along with was Layla. Crazy how at the same time you're doing this video.

Rick is the only guy ever who does air guitar with a guitar in his hands...love it

Listening to this song for over 40 years, my skin still turns to gooseflesh and my eyes well with tears every time the second movement begins. I feel something larger than emotion, grander than hope, a frisson of invincibility. This song is pure sorcery. 🩵

I can't believe I didn't think of it until now, but it would be great to get Eric to do an interview with you. I've heard many people interview him but don't recall there being too much talk about his songwriting. Who knows, maybe you're already working on it?

Duane’s slide playing perfectly somehow captured the emotion of the subject matter within Layla. Amazing

I saw a Clapton interview years ago where he said he was driving in his car and the Wilson Pickett version of "Hey Jude" came on the radio. After listening to it he pulled his car over (no cell phones in those days) and called Tom Dowd and said "who is playing those guitar fils on the Pickett version. Dowd said it was a guy named Skydog Alman. That was when Duane was a studio musician in Muscle Shoals befire the Alman Brotheres Band

Jim Gordon should get a ton of credit for his drumming. He's not just playing a straight groove , he's accenting the vocal parts and filling in the space between the guitar riffs. Masterful drumming. No wonder he was in so much demand in those days.

There is a documentary on Tommy Dowd who was the recording engenier on hundreds of hit songs throughout the 60's 70's and I think 80's...anyway in the documentary Tommy isolates Eric and Dwaynes guitar parts and it is Phenomenal.

Rick, You should do an interview with Clapton! One of the last true legends!

The use of the piano section in Goodfellas is sublime.

What a wonderful analysis, Rick! “Layla” is a masterpiece. It’s a bunch of young guys at the top of their game - Eric, Duane, Bobby, Carl, and Jim. Though Jim Gordon is credited as a songwriter because of the piano coda, Rita Coolidge alleges he stole it from her - a song called “Time.” A number of people back up her claim, including Bobby Whitlock. Gordon died in a psychiatric prison after killing his mother with a hammer and butcher knife in the early 80s. At the time of the murder he was an undiagnosed schizophrenic. Crazy stories and tragedies are connected to this tune.

Beato was about 8-9 yrs old when Layla was released in 1971. Crazy! I still have the pristine album. I was a senior in high school.

Duane's "bird chirp" at the very end of the song always makes me shiver. That's something you can't learn to do, either you have the supernatural talent to touch the instrument like that, or you don't. Duane had it.

Carl Radle on bass guitar, was tremendously talented. He's fantastic on Clapton's "461 Ocean Blvd." album. Together with Jim Gordon, it was a rhythm section that was hard to beat. 👍

For those who don't know, the jam sessions that Clapton and Allman played together, and that produced Layla, are available on RU-vid. Guitar heaven.

Layla is without doubt a masterpiece. I was 13 on a road trip with my family and the song came on the car radio. I’ll never forget how it made me feel….utterly awestruck. ❤

I learned about the key of the song being 1/4 off way back in 1997. My guitar teacher was the one who told me (pretty sure he had perfect pitch). He was a very good teacher named G.T. "Terry" Bland who played with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in their later years, and also played all of the banjo parts heard on the original Dukes of Hazard.

I loved that Tom Dowd documentary. You don't realize that some of these producers are so integral to much of the music we enjoy

Love to see you get Bobby Whitlock on the channel. He's a historic treasure trove, going all the way back to his teenage years hanging around at Stax in Memphis, Delaney and Bonnie, George Harrison, Derek and the Dominoes, and more. IMHO, his voice and songwriting are the added element that made the Layla album so great, beyond the great guitarists. He actually has more songwriting credits than Clapton on the album and is a better singer. He's getting old and I'd love to see you talk to him while he's still healthy.

There are three great songs out there, which were written for Pattie Boyd: Something, Layla and Wonderful Tonight. She seemed to be inspiring men at that time

Layla is a classic. It will be played hundreds of year from now, along with a select few, like Bohemian Rhapsody, that will be added to the "standard repertoire".

I saw Eric Clapton in the 80's.. One of my very first concerts. Always loved his playing.

The guitar tone on this song is sick. It just has some wild energy to it, I cant explain it.

It's a fantastic recording and I've never heard a live version by Clapton that even comes close to capturing the feel. It was too good!

Rick talks about Eric coming up with the theme in the intro/chorus. I remember reading in more than one place that it was Duane who suggested it, and based it on Albert King’s “As The Years ago Passing By”. Eric original vision of the song was as a shuffle similar to the later acoustic version.

I love this video so. You do such justice to this and offer such respect to the players. 50 years ago I wore out 2 double album lp's of Derek and the Dominoes "In Concert" at the Filmore trying to figure it out. Clapton, Whitlock, Radle and Jim Gordon to this day are my favorite band of all time. Allman Brothers and Steely Dan are right there too. Great stuff Rick and Merry Christmas.

This and Cream were his finest hours, I never get tired of that song. It’s that amazing!

The coda of this song is quite possibly one of the most awesome pieces of music ever written. Those chords, and chord melody work, what more would you ever need.

Sometime in the mid 90's i was sitting in my car in front if my moms house. I was in my late 20s. Layla came on as I parked and I just cranked it up and sat sitting there listening. As the song was ending yhere was a knock on my window and this teenager standing there. I rolled down my window and asked her what she wanted and she said oh my god. What song is that? I said that's Layla by Eric Clapton. She said that's the most incredible song I've heard in my life. It is an absolutely timeless piece that rips your guts out.

I’ve had the pleasure to have been a part of many car builds (early Hot Rods) for Eric and just finished up another two months back. He is very down to earth while being such a huge star. I’ve been waiting for a special or wmtsg on Layla.

Watching your videos invokes a deep regret in my many, many years of life - that I didn’t learn to play a piano or guitar in my youth. Fortunately I can play the stereo…

I'm 71 and a by-ear bass player. I find that back then songs that I would have just said, 'That's a good song, I like it, I'll learn the bassline', after Rick's analysis of the songs eg: Layla, I now appreciate them much more. We were soooo fortunate to have grown up at that time when artists actually had talent and the record companies took big chances on them that helped form our personal history!

More Clapton Please!! This is just one of the best songs, there are so much more.

I always felt that the coda in this song was basically another song. And Merry Christmas to you and your family Rick.

I was lucky to attend a couple of Cream concerts back in the late 60s. I have loved Clapton’s guitar playing ever since. I couldn’t pick out a favorite song of his; there are just too many good ones. I love his blues songs as well as his rock songs.

Didn’t mention the bird chirps at the end . One of my favorite parts of the song

Carl Radle on bass, excellent smooth player 👌

Tired of doodling! Just bought the bundle. Committing to the Beato Book and getting my theory study done during 2024. Great value package. Love the online video tutorials.

The opening riff, the urgency in the voices...might be Clapton's best track and album. Love how the intro modulates as the verse begins. There's a story that Jim Gordon "borrowed" the piano coda section from a song by Rita Coolidge and her sister. Not sure of the details but an interesting little side note.

Too bad Clapton didn't do a series of albums with this lineup of backing musicians. They were incredible together.

Musicians never die, they just fade to coda…

I always said that if I ever got to see Eric play the electric version of Layla live (having seen him play the acoustic version loads), I’d probably just cry. In reality, my jaw just dropped so hard I think I bruised my chin.

A video on your daily warmup would be awesome, Rick! I am loving the arpeggio course.

The first time I heard "Layla" I was driving a car on the freeway and I almost drove the fucking car off the highway I was so TAKEN by the guitar hook. One of my all time favorite songs. The change (which you called the modulation) is very unusual but sounds so smooth and is very ear catching since you don't expect it.

I would love to see a break down of bell bottom blues. The chord changes in that tune always felt like the most emotional changes I’ve ever heard in a song.

That Lydian dominant sound reminds me of The Rain Song… definitely a signature sound.

This is yet another record based around the classic relationship between the minor 1st and the major 6th - often or usually linked by the major 7th and frequently descending to the major 5th. High time, Rick, that you did a feature video on the astounding ubiquity of this chord sequence in so many of the most famous and best-selling songs 'of all time' . Right from Beethoven's 5th, through "Hit The Road Jack", "All Along The Watchtower", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Don't Fear the Reaper", the coda in "Stairway to Heaven", "Crazy On You", "Sultans of Swing", "Roxanne", etc, etc. Once you start looking for this pattern, you realise it's just everywhere throughout rock history - and variations of it such as Am, G, F, G, Am, etc , and Am,G, F, E, repeat - as in "Hit The Road Jack" and Davey Graham's "Angie", as covered by Paul Simon and Bert Jansch. There is clearly something about this "hook" that is widely recognised by songwriters and artists

The "speeding" of the song was because the song was recorded at the end of the reel and the piano coda was recorded on a new reel. Both were spliced and "corrected" by Tom Dowd to master the track.

I think Layla is probably the most beautiful song written. Yes, the coda is a moving piece of music.

At the time Eric was going through a tumultuous time of the heart when this song was created - and it shows. I don't think that ANYTHING was actually "thought out", it all just flowed... from the heart.

RIP Jim Gordon.

Layla was the song that made my pick up my first guitar - I fell in love with the tune. After 2 years of practicing I managed to play the 3 layers :). Thank you for featuring this epic tune

Fun fact about tuning to the record: now that we have all these synth instruments that are bang-on to A440, we don't have the luxury of variance (Dylan was right, BTW: "Layla" is actually very close to German "Cornet-ton" or "Chorton pitch" at A466, common to a lot of the old pipe organs in Europe). Now, when I tune for basically anything, including studio recording, I almost never actually tune to absolute precision. I tune the middle "D" of a guitar or bass to the first open "D" string that opens "The Sultans of Swing," which is just about the most bang-on studio pitch I've ever heard of any popular recording of the period. The goal is to capture that almost-precise, but never laser-precise sound of the rock & jazz albums I love. adjusted to compensate for a guitarist who likes to bend a little bit. The imperfection is an essential part of the sound to me--and as somebody noted elsewhere in a fantastic takedown of over-autotuned music, we're now associating perfect pitch with clumsy over-production so much that the sloppy ear-tuning of everyone from the Beatles to Howlin' Wolf gives us a more powerful sense of authenticity than it ever used to. Being slightly detuned was something we've been trying to get away from forever, ever since Leo Fender solved the problem by giving us a "Precision" bass that was fretted like a guitar. We succeeded so well that I think it's a thing I like to take a step back from. If being 22 Hz sharp was good enough for Tom Dowd, it's good enough for me!

love your guitar insights, and how you show those voiced chords

My understanding is that Little Wing was also recorded the same day as Layla. Eric and Duane play unbelievable guitars on that song! It was a tribute to Jimi Hendrix but he died before hearing it.

Certainly one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. This and Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" are at the top of my list.

I love how all these videos start out with Rick looking temporarily bewildered.

Merry Christmas ⛄🎁🎄💐🎈🎉🎊✨ One of my favorite songs I like the piano/ guitar part towards the end 👍

This is just amazing insight into the theoretical basics of this remarkable song. Thank you for it.

Thank you, Mr. Beato. Your tireless dedication to music history and compositional structure is an Inspiration to all today. Your Legacy is secure, and your children will carry on this legacy in the future, In one form or another. Merry Christmas everyone!! And a Happy New Year...

Rick, you bring the spirit of music and creativity into my mind and heart just as much as my favorite music hero's used to in the beginning. You make me love to play music again and you have made me fascinated with music again. Thank you for this channel.

Your analysis' are the best. Merry Christmas to you and your family from Canada. 🎅

I think it was once said that Duane Allmans biggest contribution to the songs he did with Clapton was his slide guitar on Layla. Doesn't get much better than Clapton with Allman

Great video! Layla is among the list of my all time favorite songs!!! The lyrics are awesome and Eric sang the song with such passion which you can feel!!! The opening riff lives forever!!!

This song i have heard so many times i could hear the outro (piano on) without any lyrics and be very happy. I never get tired of it. Happy Christmas everyone. Rick I heard Eric say he had the chord progression before the pull off string part that people relate to most.

Layla is a true Master Piece of music ! its one of the few songs that I wished kept playing in a non stop loop

Carl Radle (bass) and Jim Gordon (drums); a phenomenal rhythm section. Radle's life and Gordon's career were tragically cut short.

Hey Rick, I really love the passion you're talking about this masterpiece! And your analysis is brilliantly clear and inspiring, especially for the younger musicians who would definitely benefit a lot!!!

Carl Radle's sub-hook melody in the verses is just beautiful. A perfect example of bass providing both counterpoint and support. For me as a bassist, that makes the song.

Jim Gordon was credited for writing the piano outro on Layla at the time but since then Rita Coolidge has been mentioned as the writer of that part. Apparently Gordon and Coolidge were dating back then.

The fact that Jim Gordon was a drummer and not a regular piano player is amazing

“Every little thing she does is magic” has an amazing coda.

Perfect timing, thank you so much. Just started learning this. found your channel a week ago and burning through your content :D

I remember I asked for this a bit ago, this is my favorite song of all time

As an 70s and 80s rock guy this song is a masterpiece

Am an axe swinger, I LOVE !! this chord progression, its awesome

Thank you Rick. One of my all-time favorites. In fact, the intro is my ring tone! Whenever I hear the song, my first reaction is to answer my phone. Happy holidays!

Carl Radle on bass - that explains it all

The song that got me playing an electric guitar

My favourite Clapton song too! Listened to it a lot as a teenager in the 70s😍

My favorite coda is Crime of the Century. I have often thought that during the coda Eric's guitar is expressing the love he feels while Duane's is expressing the tortured pining of it not being returned. The two emotions are intertwined.

Tedeschi Trucks did a whole concert at LockN 2019 with Trey Anastasio doing nothing but the whole Layla album. Derek trucks is allegedly named after the band and Susan was born on the very day the Layla album was released.

Great video! Would love to see you talk about Yes It Is … easily one of the greatest Beatles songs from the help sessions .. harmonies are out of this world

I'm currently studying your Interactive Beato book Rick, it's opened my eyes a lot about modes and chordal structure, more than I learned at college back in the early 00's

Rick, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you and your family! I so greatly appreciate your channel. Your enrich my life!!!

great episode!!

my favorite as well! Merry Christmas Mr. Beato!

Out of all the things you mentioned I think the most interesting and important is time. It took time to write a masterpiece like this. It didn’t happen overnight. Creating art takes time and patience. It takes knowledge of your craft. It’s not easy creating something that lasts for generations.

Get Clapton on your show!!!

Rick, check out Eric Clapton's live album 24 Nights. Up there with Frampton Comes Alive in terms of a perfect band, arrangements, and production

Listen to the anguish in his voice when he sings the name Layla, it sounds like he really means it! What a great song to have Rick take a look at and break down.

Back in 1973, one of my kid sister's friends, Chuck, who had a band, absolutely adored this song. He and his wife named their first-born after it. I think there was a surge at that time (and since!), of naming girl babies Layla; you and Chuck are surely not the only ones. PS. I, too, totally dig this song - I love everything about it!! Fred

I like Clapton. I like Duane. I think this was one one of the best albums and songs in rock and roll. But I have always thought there were a lot of clinker slide notes in Layla. Particularly in the ending.

Speeding up the tape was rather common in the early '70's. Some mixing engineer's felt a particular song would sound better at A441 rather than A440, so the pitch on some songs would be anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/2 step sharp. For example, two singles, both from 1972, Brandy by Looking Glass and Love Train by the O'Jays, the 45" I have of these were released a 1/2 step higher in pitch than the LP version. I was told many singles were done this way for radio air play purposes.

Thank you Rick. Layla has been my top rock song of all time since it was released! I still perform it in my solo show to this day. I play piano. What I have done is start with the unplugged version finishing with the classic coda for us old timers. This video is my favorite Christmas gift!

One of the best live music sets I've heard was at Eric's guitar festival in Dallas in 2004. He played Layla and at the end went seamlessly into Cocaine. It was as if they were made for each other! He did a phenomenal job in putting together all those acts.

Let’s not forget how awesome Carl Radles bass playing is on this track. Very underrated bass player