George Harrison Was Stunned When Asked About Writing a Musical Rebuttal to ‘Layla’
George Harrison was shocked when a reporter asked him if he’d written a musical rebuttal to Eric Clapton’s “Layla.” In 1970, Clapton wrote the song about George’s first wife, Pattie Boyd, and used it to confess his love for her.
George Harrison didn’t care that his wife left him for Eric Clapton
Despite having a great start to their marriage, George and Boyd were experiencing serious marital problems in 1970. On top of his alleged extramarital affairs, George was beginning to leave Boyd behind.
George left the door open to Boyd and Clapton fell in love with her. She didn’t mind the attention he gave her when he visited. “I was aware that Eric found me attractive and I enjoyed the attention he paid me,” Boyd said (per the Daily Mail).
Eventually, Boyd started receiving love letters from Clapton addressed to “Layla.” The name was a reference to an ancient Arabian love story. Then, Clapton used the name for a song. When they pair secretly met, Clapton played her “Layla.”
“He switched on the tape machine, turned up the volume and played me the most powerful, moving song I had ever heard,” Boyd said. “It was Layla, about a man who falls hopelessly in love with a woman who loves him but is unavailable.
“He played it to me two or three times, all the while watching my face intently for my reaction. My first thought was: ‘Oh God, everyone’s going to know this is about me.'”
Eventually, it got harder for Boyd to resist Clapton’s advances. When the guitarist told his friend he was in love with his wife, George’s reaction was unexpected. If Boyd was going to leave him for anyone, who better than Clapton? The guitarists had become so close that looking at Clapton was “like looking at myself.”
In 1977, George told Crawdaddy (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters) that he “sort of” knew what was going on when Clapton dedicated “Layla” to a “mystery woman.”
He continued, “I didn’t have any problem about it; Eric had the problem. Every time I’d go and see him and stuff, he’d be really hung up about it, and I was saying: ‘F*** it, man, don’t be apologizing,’ and he didn’t believe me. I was saying, ‘I don’t care.'”
George was shocked when asked about a musical rebuttable to ‘Layla’
George was calm with Boyd leaving him for Clapton. So, he was shocked when a reporter asked him if he’d written a musical rebuttal to “Layla.” There was no point because George wasn’t upset.
During a press conference for his Dark Horse Tour in 1974, a stunned George asked, “Pardon?! How do you mean, musical … what rebuttal! That sounds nasty. Eric Clapton’s been a close friend for years. I’m very happy about it, I’m still very friendly with him. I’d rather she was with him than with some dope.”
The former Beatle did make a musical rebuttal to his relationship with Boyd
George might not have written a musical rebuttal to “Layla,” but he did write two musical rebuttals, one more positive than the other, to the end of his marriage with Boyd.
In 1976, George told India Today that he wasn’t bitter when he covered The Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love.” He said, “Eric’s a good friend, a really nice guy. I don’t regret anything, that was a joke. People thought I was bitter but it was only my way of saying hello to them!”
However, just because he was fine with Boyd leaving him doesn’t mean he didn’t grieve his marriage. George dealt with the situation by writing music. In 1972, George wrote “So Sad.”
In Here Comes The Sun: The Spiritual And Musical Journey Of George Harrison, Joshua M. Greene wrote, “The song spoke of cold winds, lost love, and dreams abandoned. But he had come far in understanding how deeply entangled perfect souls became in an imperfect world.”
Despite being cool about the end of his marriage, it took George a long time to feel better. He hit a low point when Boyd left him, but thankfully, he met Olivia Arias in the late 1970s. They married, had a son, and started their journey together.
