Pattie Boyd Doesn’t Consider Herself a Muse Despite Being the Subject of Many Love Songs From George Harrison and Eric Clapton

Despite being the subject of some of the best rock ‘n’ roll love songs from ex-husbands George Harrison and Eric Clapton, Pattie Boyd doesn’t consider herself a muse. She understands why many people have called her that, but she doesn’t believe she fits the term.

The model/actor inspired some of the best rock ‘n’ roll love songs

Boyd met George on the set of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night in 1964. George prosed to her the moment they met, falling in love with her virtually upon first sight. Boyd broke up with her boyfriend to be able to go out with the Beatle, and they started dating.

Over the years, she inspired her boyfriend to write “I Need You” and “If I Needed Someone.” The pair married in 1966. They explored spirituality together and traveled the world. Later, during his last months as a Beatle, George wrote one of the best love songs, “Something,” for his wife.

Into the 1970s, the couple’s marriage started to disintegrate due to George’s alleged infidelities and other issues. Meanwhile, George’s friend, Eric Clapton, fell in love with Boyd. He showed her his love by playing a song he wrote for her, “Layla.”

Boyd knew George would know the song was about her when he first heard it. Eventually, George learned about Clapton’s love after the Cream guitarist told him at a party. Boyd later left George for Clapton. During their relationship, Clapton wrote “Wonderful Tonight” for Boyd.

So, Boyd inspired many of the best rock ‘n’ roll love songs. However, Boyd didn’t think she was a muse exactly.

Pattie Boyd doesn’t consider herself a muse

Boyd recently told El Pais that she didn’t consider herself a muse. When she thinks back on the times she had being married to George and Clapton, she feels as if it was someone else’s life. Plus, she can’t remember most of it, only the fun parts. “The rest is very far away,” she jokes.

Boyd thinks she would be narcissistic to say she’s a muse.

“I’m not a muse,” she said. “I mean, I understand what you’re referring to, but for me, and I say this with complete sincerity, everything is in the hands of the artist. It’s all in their head. They project that on whoever they want, but that’s the artist’s problem.

“Having said that, it makes me really happy to listen to them, but I’m not such a narcissist to believe that they’re talking about me. I don’t believe it. I still remember the first time that George told me he’d written ‘Something’ for me. I looked at him and I said, ‘Why did you write a song for me? Why do I deserve a song? What have I done to inspire it?'”

Boyd once said the songs George and Clapton wrote for her were haunting.

Boyd said being called a muse was ‘understandable’

The model and actor said something similar to Taylor Swift during an interview for Harper’s Bazaar.

Swift asked, “Does the concept of being called a muse feel like a correct fit?” Boyd replied that she understands why people call her a muse, but it wasn’t entirely true.

“I find the concept of being a muse understandable when you think of all the great painters, poets, and photographers who usually have had one or two,” Boyd said. “The artist absorbs an element from their muse that has nothing to do with words, just the purity of their essence.

“I think in my case both George and Eric had an inability to communicate their feelings through normal conversation. I became a reflection for them.”

Boyd is right; an artist does absorb something of someone when writing a song. However, that doesn’t mean that person is the embodiment of the tune. The women in “Something” and “Layla” aren’t the complete Boyd.