First listen to Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven (REACTION) 

The saddest song ever written when you know what it is actually about.

Please tell your parents that they have raised an empathetic, sensitive, intelligent and compassionate young man. It seems to me they have instilled in you the tools you will need for a good life.

Eric Clapton’s son, Conor, was killed in March 1991, at the age of 4. He fell out the window of a New York City apartment--that was on the 53rd floor. I’m a parent. I can’t imagine this kind of loss. God bless Clapton for writing this. When he performed it at the Grammy’s, people were sobbing.

Losing a young child must be unbearable, and the way he lost his son is just tragic.

Being the dad of a 30 year old daughter with Rett Syndrome, this song hits my heart every single time I hear it. Most girls with Rett pass away in their 20’s. Each day we have with her is a blessing. Rest In Peace, Connor.

Don't know how he sings this song with his heart in his throat.

I was so happy and proud of him for not retreating back into drugs and alcohol after this tragedy. Instead he poured his grief and pain into his music. Also, don't overthink the lyrics. :)

When this incident happened, my son was four years old also. That hit so close to home that I would shed tears every time I heard this song. Seeing how pure and innocent my son was at that age, I could not imagine how I would get through what Eric Clapton went through. That has got to be the worst thing anybody could ever go through. I didn't listen to this song for many years because it was too painful. It is a beautiful and touching song, and even now I have a hard time listening to it. Thank God my son is still with me. He is now 34 years old.

I have two kids. This song always makes me cry since I became a parent. That is my only fear in life, losing a child. Enough said.

Heartbreaking. But I admire how poetically Mr Clapton expressed such dramatic pain and sorrow. To me that’s what art is about: pure expession of feelings and emotions. Losing a child is probably the most difficult event someone may go through and then to go on with your own life can almost feel like treason. This song is so poignant but also hopeful. Worth discovering. I enjoy watching you going through those masterpieces. 🤗

I lost my son, too. This song means a lot to me. He better know my name when I get there...Mom

Eric Clapton was considered among the best rock lead guitarists of all time. If there was a Mt. Rushmore of lead guitarists he would be amongst them!Look up the groups he has been in,The Yardbirds,Cream, Blind Faith, And his solo career!

A cleaning lady at their hotel forgot to Close tha roof- celing Windows. Their child fell out. Amazing Eric Clapton didn't go back to drugs.

The first line is a punch in the gut when you know what the song is about. Little kid, only here for such a brief time, would he know his Dad now if he saw him again? 😭

Losing a child IS the most heartbreaking think you can ever go through, I lost my daughter some years back. But I know I will see Desiree Noel in Heaven and we will unite again. I am certain & I have no doubt about that. If you watched the movie "Rush", the part of the movie, where they played this song, made me cry also. It was wonderful movie

Since you're not familiar with Clapton, he is a world famous guitar player. There will be no tears in heaven, no pain or death Rev.21:4. It's still a beautiful and very touching song!

I have a child in heaven and wondering this is always torture. I come back to this song when I'm having a bad day. When you have nothing else, sometimes there is only hope. Glad people are continuing to get to know this beautiful work.

There is an Eric Clapton interview done very soon after he wrote this and he does a part of it and talks about how writing and singing it helped him and might help others. What Grace! This song makes me cry but, oddly, gives me hope too. Tears heal. Tears from Heaven. Peace to all who grieve; hold onto the love for those we've lost forever.

I understand that he said to an awards audience of this song, "I wrote this to heal myself. I never thought you would like it"... You should know of him, Daniel, that he is one of the greatest guitarists in the world.

A very sad song. Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin lost his three year old son in 1977. He processed since the Led Zeppelin" song all my love".

When I see your reactions to sad songs like these I get a little bit of comfort knowing I'm not crying alone.

Eric Clapton is a legend in his own right. He was a guitarist/vocalist in The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Blues Breakers and Cream in the 60s, He was part of Derek and the Dominoes in the 70s and when he went solo ... that's when he began to shine his brightest. Layla, Tears in Heaven, Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight and his cover of Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff are among his greatest hits. From the list of deceased you read: Lemmy was lead singer of Motorhead, one of the first speed metal bands (and the most well-known). Lemmy had a style of his own. Ace of Spades is pretty much their anthem. Killed By Death, Overkill and Don't Believe a Word stand out and show the true talent of the band. Don't Believe a Word is more a ballad and shows off the uniqueness of Lemmy's voice just as well as the harder stuff. Bon Scott was from AC/DC. Bon was a fun singer with much personality who live was just nuts in a good way. If you want some songs that'll put a smile on your face Big Balls, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Whole Lotta Rosie make for fun listens. If you just wanna try out something that'll get the blood pumping TNT, If You Want Blood You've Got It, Highway to Hell and It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock n' Roll definitely would do the trick.

His live version for MTV Unplugged is incredible.

This is a horrible way to lose a child. I, like a lot of people I’m sure felt like how does something like this happen? Apparently the windows of this (I can only imagine) large, high end apartment had large windows that only a maintenance man can come in and open. This type of guy came in to clean them in this particular room. He had closed the doors to the room for safety. The boy’s mother was busy sending a fax. The assistant or nanny was nearby but apparently the boy being his age was running through the apartment burst through into that room and headed straight for the open window not realizing it was indeed open. They say it just happened so fast it was impossible to stop. Just the worst kind of capricious, unexpected tragedy that you can imagine.

Eric Clapton one of the worlds greatest guitarists. This is a sad song about the death of his son. A great track to also react to is the album version of ‘Layla’

He (Eric) doesn't belong "here in Heaven" because he's still here on earth, not finished what his Divine role may be. His son is in heaven, surely, how can such a young boy be held accountable for anything that would keep him from Heaven. I never found it to mean he'd (Eric) never belong in heaven but it simply wasn't his time to be there. Song wells up tears every time I hear it.

Eric had a son , a (3/ 4 yr old ,) toddler , who opened up the window really high up , and fell to his death . Tears in Heaven was cathartic for Eric ,rather than go back on drugs ,he wrote this song for his son . Would you know my name ,if I saw you in Heaven. Eric opened up an addiction centre ,in the islands ,and decided to go straight,feel the pain , and numb it no more . RIP.Erics son . It must be Hell to lose a child . Eric I couldn’t thank you more than saying I love you for reaching out to those people you didn’t have to help . You did carry on, and you wrote this song for your son ,hoping one day they will be together again. One decision really does have the enormous amount of power to influence human beings. Yes us , the very ones that fumble our way through life .Then again , Mr. Eric Clapton ,could have gone down a very dark rabbit hole indeed . However rather than wasted is precious time ,he chose to use it wisely. He became a better man, a choice,a decision,is what one chooses , when we want to embrace change. Thanks for the reaction. Your mom/ person,whoever you were speaking with, shows me that you , young man ,are not only extremely smart ,respectful,but you appear to have a old soul my friend. Which is why I’m giving you a thumbs up and subscribing. Your going to learn by listening,and doing your homework,ie) background on who your analysis is about. I’m really impressed. Great looking,smart , and classy . Watch out ladies and gentlemen! We’ve got a keeper!❤️❤️❤️🥬💃 For anyone going through addiction,I’m so proud of you all overcoming that . We’re all here to help one another. ✌️✌️✌️!

This was written in memory of Clapton’s young son who accidentally fell to his death from the family’s 50th floor apartment window in Manhattan...

Clapton is generally more of a a rock blues musician, but he wrote this after his son died in a freak accident.

When someone says "Does that make me cry?" when you are just in the guitar intro you know the song is perfect in transporting its emotional message.

Was anyone else dreading when he got to the song facts? Well at least you got a couple of emotional ones out of the way tonight. There are so many good Clapton songs. Layla is awesome, but I think White Room from his Cream days would be better to digest lyrically.

I know of no other song with such raw emotion. I cannot imagine the crushing pain and anguish Eric felt (feels). We aren't supposed to bury our kids, they are supposed to bury us.

Binge watching your videos this evening... I have to escape real life for a bit... Washington and Oregon are burning up and I'm on the border. Plus all the other kerfuffle in our nation. Watching your vids is helping me forget. You're an awesome man... as your dad said. You have incredible insight. This video made me weep. I could feel your emotion over the time and space. You really felt compassion. You're an empath. You are also incredibly intelligent. As others have said, your parents should be proud of the man you are.

I dont know how he was able to sing this after what happened🙁

At the height of his drug & alcohol days in the 60's & 70's, Clapton was spending $16,000 a week on heroin. It really is amazing that he's still alive to tell about it.

Daniel: Them lyrics hurt but a must: I honestly enter your reaction because its your feelings that I mean to listen to.

Ah heartbreaking it's about his little boy who died he was only 2, tragic falling from a balcony , I cant even begin to imagine the pain him and his wife suffered and still suffer, such a beautiful song 😔💜

One of the most tragic, heartbreaking backstories of any rock ballad, especially because he came so close to making things right for his little boy.

Every time I hear this song I tear up. Such a sad, tragic story. His wife said that she could hear the sadness in his voice when he played the song for her the first time.

Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. I heard this song just after my grandmother’s funeral. I was very close to her and this song always makes me think of her.

It won three Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Tears in Heaven" 362nd on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

If you want suggestions for other Clapton songs look no further than the iconic Layla

Eric Clapton has done every type of music you can imagine. He is one of the best guitar players of all time. I have been lucky enough to see him live a few times and he is perfect every time. His toddler son, Conor fell from a high window in a building in New York and died. Eric was devastated and he wrote this song to work through his grief. If you want to hear Clapton's guitar chops react to Layla by Derrick and the Dominos. He wrote that as well and it is a rock and roll classic with strong and amazing guitar licks. To watch him play is really something. They don't call him "Slowhand" for no good reason. I remember the day that this happened and I cried. One of my friends sang with Clapton on a few albums and as a backup singer with him for years and was a close friend. She was also devastated. The first several times I heard this song, I cried again and sometimes still do. What a horrible thing it must be to lose a child but to lose a child in such a manner is a wound that never heals, a scar that continues to bleed.

It's hard to listen without shedding tears after ya learn the bk story. Beautiful song. R.I.P. Conner💔😢🕇🕇🕇

Eric Clapton I believe is the only three-time Rock and roll Hall of Fame inductee, for what that's worth. Iconic guitarist, some say overrated, but definitely worth exploring. And if it wasn't mentioned yet this song is a tribute to his four-year-old son who fell out of a 53rd story window and died.

His live performance. A gift to yourself

I knew this song was wrote for his late son, every time i hear it, that's all I can think about. It always chokes me up, so I find myself avoiding this song. Even though it's a beautifully written song. Nice reaction Daniel

I lost my son to brain cancer 10 years ago. This song is very cathartic. A father's grief from one Eric to another.

Holy crap. I started crying again, every time I hear this, my heart breaks for Eric Clapton 😢😢😢

I distinctly remember seeing the story on the news when it first happened, and reading the story in magazines. The shock and awe never goes away when I think of it. Haven't really been able to listen to this song in full ever. This time I figured what the heck, but I was not looking forward to watching the story break again.

I can't help but feel sad whenever I hear this song. I remember vividly the news report, and then not long after watching him sing this on MTV. I don't know how he did it. I'm glad he found this way to channel his grief. The Unplugged version will break your heart. Thanks for the reaction. By the way, Eric Clapton is one of the gods in the rock guitarists' pantheon.

I can't help but cry when I listen to this song and it's beautiful heart rending lyrics... to lose a child would tear anyone up. Nothing more painful.

He's visiting Heaven to see his deceased young son, who died in a fall from a tall building at age 4.

I had to pause before listening to this, knowing what tragic event Mr. Clapton is referring to. I suffer from depression & this song just brings tears & sadness. My heart goes out to Eric, Patty & Connor.

"Where have I been?" Dude, you were a glint in your Daddy's eye when this came out. Also, good things come to those who edit. ;-)

😊! Everything your putting out into the universe and it’s you being you that’s getting all these subs . The love you show for your sisters 👯‍♀️ and your utube family,is impressive,just trust your gut every single time. I know I definitely don’t believe in accidents,and will continue to pass on ur name . I love the attitude. You do not have an IGNORANT BONE OR INFLATED EGO EITHER ! That’s really really mature,because what we see Daniel,is a really great man ,coming into his own . 👍

I really love how you stop and mull over the lyrics to what you are listening to - trying to figure out what it means - and then even going and looking up the meaning and background of the song. Trust me - not many music video reactors do that, or at least not very often. But you are actually trying to understand the music you are listening to. I have to admit, a lot of us older folks who were hearing these songs for the first time many years ago didn't even do that much research!

Another musician/guitarist named Phil Keaggy write Clapton a reply song called “Dear Mr. Clapton”. Phil is a Christian artist and he said hearing “Tears in Heaven” broke his heart for Clapton and he was compelled to write him a song.

Maybe we can get the end of Old yeller or Brian's song

In the same vain.....Traffic "John Barleycorn" You are doing well Grasshopper. Your reaction on the Clapton and Lightfoot were spot on.

the song is from a heartbroken father it over the loss of his sun..i listen to this song and i can see all my love ones in heaven..

I've avoided this reaction for quite a while, because I knew the back story, and knew it would make me tear up.

Daniel, Eric Clapton is one if the greatest guitarists if all time. Being that you love the guitar you need to listen to any and all from Eric Clapton. Layla, cocaine, bell bottom blues, I shot the sheriff, and on and on... It's a must.

It was not written for a movie. It was written by Eric as his way of handling the death of his 4 year old son, Conor, who fell from the 53rd floor of an apartment building. We all handle death differently and this is Eric's way of getting through the heartbreak and pain. It is a beautiful song.

The power of a great artist to transform pain into beauty.

Sweet émotion with you..Éric Clapton great man.

Wow, this and "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" in the same night. Quite a bit to take in, done well.

Do "Layla". It's about Beatle George Harrison's wife whom he later married. Be sure you do the 1972 original version.

I can't even get through the first verse before I start crying. If you want more a flavor of what a traditional Clapton song, check out Sunshine of your Love by Cream

I watched my best friend die when we were 12. Its hard to listen to this song but I'm glad you looked it up and caught the tragedy for Eric. Well done.

Here come those tears again.Very very sad about his infant son!😢😢❤️☮️

Eric Clapton played awesome guitar on White Room and was in Cream, The Yardbirds and Blind Faith.

Written for his 4 year old son that plunged to his death. One of the most moving and beautiful tributes ever.

I cry every time I hear this song .... it's the "Grave of the Fireflies" ( look it up ) of the pop music world.

Wow! First.., I’m impressed about you! You are a very sensitive young man…,a little hard to find now a days! Kudos to your parents! This is sad song indeed! Awesome reaction! ❤️

Amazing how few reactors know Eric Clapton and his influences on music... Amazing and SAD

Early in his career Eric had some heavy issues with drugs (from which he recovered), hence 'I don't belong here'. His son was so young, 'would you know my name'? Great songs are heartfelt. This is a great song. Interesting factoid: Phil Collins played his own song about his friend Eric's loss 'Since I Lost You' to get his approval before Genesis put it on their album 'We Can't Dance'. Eric approved and then sang 'Tears' for Phil. Collins said it was beautiful but wouldn't make a single. 'Shows what I know' Phil quipped.

The world was sick hearing 4 yr old Connor fell out a window at the time the window cleaner for building was washing windows where Connor and his Mom lived Eric was picking him up that day to go to the zoo still breaks my heart❣

Clapton...another great Guitarist ..."Slowhand" :) :)

This song is heartbreaking truly heartbreaking, for all the parents that have lost a child I'm sure the pain is always there though it is said it will deminish with the passing of time. Clapton penned a absolute classic which the parents of young lost souls can embrace. If this song doesn't fill you with memory and emotion then surely nothing will 😢

His maid by accident left a window open. Eric Clapton was not home but close by when he got the call. Eric Clapton said in an interview he walked by the area where his son had died and could see the rescue first responders there but was unable to find the strength to go there and regretted that.

This song wrecks me every time

Why are people suggesting songs like this to you? Are they just TRYING to see if they can make you cry? LOL!

Another song that also is one to listen to is by Kenny Rodgers. "20 Years Ago". It speaks of a young life before some caterphies happened. An older man goes back to his hometown town and remembers what life was like. The video is really good.

Hey man, another nice reaction, I have heard this song a million times, but I actually never realized what it was actually about so good on you, very sad indeed, fortunately, or unfortunately, it seems all real artist go through some kind of hardship that creates great music or acting performance, the passion and pain come though, this is what makes it so surreal and meaningful and it touches us in ways that might not be otherwise possible. I have watched many different reaction videos and while I enjoy some of them, I find yours most interesting and pleasing, risking sounding to wired or odd, I can always feel your passion and love, its real, smart, and enduring. so thank you for keeping it real.

You are a sensitive guy. You’ve treated the story songs with superb reverence. Thank you.

dethstrok9 Yeah it's a sad song for sure. Eric Clapton is a lengendary and world famous British rock and blues guitarist, famous for playing his black Fender Stratocaster "Blackie". I remember when this song was released in the early '90s - a heartfelt response to the accidental and unfortunate passing of Eric's 4-year-old son.

Awesome song by an equally awesome performer. Clapton is a great soul. Please sample "If I Could Change the World. It won't disappoint. Love your reactions. Keep the Peace.

I worked on 48th st in Manhattan at the time it was called Music row. They had about 15 musical instrument shop. Two avenues over we had seen the ambulance and police we herd a little boy fell out of a window. We all felt terrible. Then we found out it was Eric Claptons boy. So sad

so beautifull and sad story.may God help him.

Everytime i hear this song i do not know what to say...I remain silent....

30th anniversary on the 20th of this month. In 1991, Eric Clapton started writing it but could not finish it. He let Will Jennings finish it. RIP Conor Clapton, Cream bandmates Jack Bruce + Ginger Baker

Well...... now I need a good cry. Beautiful song.

I cannot imagine what it is like to have your own child fall to his death out a window in front of you. I do not know if I would be able to recover from it. I hope he does see his son again in Heaven. Eric Clapton is considered one of the best guitar players to have ever lived.

Some of the most beautiful songs, like this, come from some of our deepest darkest pains, When my Grandfather, who basically was the only father figure for most of my youth, passed away i had this song played at his service, and even even 20 years later it still sticks me in the same spot in my heart, like it was brand new. Very deep song and very soothing to my soul at times. Thanks for not shying away from the emotional meaning of this song. Another deep one from Clapton is 'My Fathers Eyes' you should give that one a listen, maybe with your Dad 😏

This song killed us to listen to when it was released. We knew who and what he was singing about. It still chokes me up.

Such a powerful song, so unbelievably sad. I remember when his child died. 😢

I remember that day in the news . His son fell out of window from the 53 rd floor if I’m not mistaken on west 57 th street in Manhattan. The song is about the death of his son .

When he won award fir this dong he thank his son Connor and said he would nev err r sing this dong again. His pain helped him to over come his drug abd alcohol addiction and go forward. When he first performed his pain would show through his years. RIP Connor...

This song has been in Clapton's concert lineup for many years and I can't see how he is able to play it. I know if it were me in his place, I don't think i could.