When you wake up in the morning and open the curtains and the sunlight enters the room.As if the sun "speaks" to you in its own way and tells you new things are waiting for you.One day, on March 20, 1991, the Eric Clapton opened the curtains and it was cloudy... and so the "Tears in Heaven”.
20 March 1991...
His young son Eric Clapton with name Conor at the age of 5 from the supervision of his nanny sometime around 11:00 a.m. He escaped from her supervision, climbed up on the window ledge and through a small opening left by the cleaning lady fell into the void. The Conor falling from the 53rd floor died tragically.
The loss of Conor plunged Clapton into a state of deep sadness and depression. He withdrew from public life for several months, trying to process the unbearable pain he felt.
After the death of his son, Clapton was plunged into deep grief. In 1991, he began writing "Tears in Heaven" as a form of therapy to express the pain and loss he felt.
In 1991, Eric Clapton collaborated with songwriter Will Jennings to create music for the film "Rush". Initially, the two composed a track titled "Help Me Up". However, Clapton felt the need to write a special song dedicated to his son, Conor.
Clapton began by writing the first verse of "time can bring you down, time can bend your knees" and then asked Jennings to complete the lyrics. Jennings, acknowledging the personal weight of the song, said it was the saddest song he had composed during his career.
"Tears in Heaven" was released in 1992 and was an immediate success. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Performance and Best Song of the Year.
The lyrics of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" express intense feelings of sadness and loss. Some of the most unique and distinctive lyrics include:
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I’ll find my way through night and day
‘Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven
"Tears in Heaven" is a track that not only reflects Eric Clapton's personal tragedy but also the ability of music to express and process feelings of loss and grief. The track's longevity and influence on Clapton's career is a testament to the power of art to offer comfort and understanding in times of pain.
📝: Evangelos Mertzanidis
