20 quotes by Eric Clapton about music and life

Eric Clapton (1945) is one of the leading figures in modern music. Born in England, his contribution to Blues and Rock is absolutely fantastic.

Nicknamed "slow hand" (for his incredible guitar solos) or "God", Clapton has long been considered the second best guitarist of all time according to the prestigious Rolling Stone, second only to Jimi Hendrix.

Eric Clapton quotes and his best famous quotes

Clapton's life has not been a bed of roses. In love with the wife of his best friend George Harrison (of the Beatles), he lived obsessed with Pattie boyd, he to the point of composing the song Layla to show his love for him. Another mythical song by Eric Clapton, Tears In Heaven, tells us about the untimely death of his son.

To learn more about this unheard of talent in the world of music, we have decided to create this compilation with his best famous phrases and reflections.

1. And it makes me feel so angry to know that the flame is still burning... Why can't I get it to end? When will I learn at once?

From his song "Old Love", Clapton curses himself for still falling in love with a love long ago.

2. Music became my relief, and I learned to listen to it with all five senses. I found that this way I could erase all the feelings of fear and confusion related to my family. These became even more acute in 1954, when I was nine years old.

He talks about his childhood, marked by fear and a bad environment.

3. I remember thinking that her beauty was also internal. It wasn't just about her appearance, although she was undoubtedly the prettiest woman I had ever seen. It consisted of something deeper. It came from inside her too. It was his way of being.

Talk about Pattie Boyd, who was also the wife of Beatle George Harrison.

4. Creating a song is as easy as shaping a feeling.

Capturing feelings in beautiful musical works is one of his gifts.

5. My main philosophy on how to make music is that everything can be reduced to a single note, if that note is played in the most sincere way.

Honesty when composing and performing songs is the foundation of every artist.

6. The only education I ever really had was finding out about the blues. I mean, I wanted to know everything.

His obsession with the blues led him to share the stage and recording studio with idols like BB King.

7. I came to convince myself that, for some strange reason, I was invulnerable and would not get hooked [on drugs]. But the addiction does not negotiate and little by little it spread within me like a fog.

In this famous quote, Eric Clapton confesses that he lived hooked on cocaine and alcohol.

8. When choosing a guitar I would notice that it was worn... It is like entering a restaurant. If it's full, you eat well.

An excellent metaphor for a master of the strings.

9. The only planning I do is about a minute before I play. I try desperately to think of something that is effective, but I never sit down and solve it note by note.

Improvisation is part of the DNA of the blues and, by extension, of Eric Clapton.

10. His playing is totally hybrid. Musically it does not make sense to the scholar. When you play the piano, it only makes sense to the listener. If you were a musician you would say: but what are you doing? Has no sense. And the same when he plays the guitar. Whatever it does, it's like you have to wait a year or two to get to the point of being able to hear it. The first time you hear it, it is useless. Then you reflect and realize that it is perfect.

In these statements he talks about the great Bob Dylan.

11. Being the author of something so powerful is something I will never be able to get used to. It still disturbs me when I touch it.

Talk about his song Layla.

12. The guitar shone a lot and had something virginal about it. It looked like an elegant device from another universe, and as I tried to strum it, I felt like I was passing into the territory of maturity.

About his beginnings with the instrument.

13. I was interested in white rockers until I discovered Freddie King.

That performer changed his perspective on music.

14. For me, it's about music. I am only the messenger, and I hope to do so as long as I live.

His passion for music surpasses all limits.

15. I have the God-given talent or the God-given opportunity, rather.

Clapton is aware of his own abilities, which does not make him pretentious when you consider the quality of his musical work.

16. I am and always will be a blues guitarist.

Although he has been a very versatile artist, if you ask him he is very clear: he basically considers himself a Blues lover.

17. The sound of an amplified guitar in a crowded place was so hypnotic and addicting to me that I could cross any kind of frontier to be there.

Another famous line from Eric Clapton, this time about his adolescence.

18. For me there is something primitively calming in the music, it goes straight to my nervous system, so I feel ten meters high.

Does music have calming effects on us? Eric Clapton seems to be sure that he, indeed, manages to relax us.

19. I didn't really fit into sports or group activities like any child, I couldn't find a place. And music was not part of the population's curriculum.

A reflection on his childhood, which was sad and lonely.

20. Some say of me that I am a revolutionary. That doesn't make sense, all I did was copy BB King.

Humility before whom he always considered a master of the Blues.