The group debuted at the Lyceum Theatre in London on June 14, 1970 where the announcer mispronounced their provisional name of Eric and the Dynamos to Derek and the Dominos, the band decided to take up the new name and undertook a summer tour of England. From late August to early October, working at Criteria Studios in Miami with legendary Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd, the band recorded Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a brilliant double album now widely regarded as Clapton's masterpiece. Most of the material, including Layla (which soon became an FM radio staple) was inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Pattie Boyd who was married to his best friend George Harrison. Clapton was seeing Pattie secretly at the time and Whitlock was dating her sister. It was not until much later that the affair was open; Boyd moved in with Clapton in 1974 and married him in 1979. However, they were separated in 1985 when Clapton started a relationship with Yvonne Khan Kelly and they divorced in 1988. The two-part song "Layla" was recorded in separate sessions; the opening guitar section was recorded first, with the second section following several months later. The second section was an elegiac piano piece composed and played by drummer Jim Gordon; early on, he objected to it being added onto Layla, but after some arguing among the band's members he finally agreed.
The Layla LP was actually recorded by a five-piece version of the group, thanks to the unforeseen inclusion of slide guitar virtuoso Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band. Clapton recorded most of the album while lying on the floor strung out on drugs. The band was heavily into drugs at this time, but, unlike many artists such as The Beatles, Clapton feels this did not hurt the recording process. A few days into the Layla sessions, Dowd, who was also producing the Allmans, invited Clapton to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The two guitarists who previously knew each other only by reputation, met backstage after the show, and then both bands repaired to the studio to jam (an impromptu session which, happily, was captured on tape). Clapton and Allman "fell in love" with each other's playing and became instant friends, so Allman was immediately invited to become the fifth member of The Dominos. (These studio jams were eventually released as part of the 3-CD 20th-anniversary edition of the album.)
When Allman and Clapton met, The Dominos had already recorded three tracks (I Looked Away, Bell Bottom Blues and Keep On Growing); Allman debuted on the fourth cut, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, and contributed some of his most sublime slide-guitar playing to the remainder of the LP. The album was heavily blues-influenced and featured a winning combination of the twin guitars of Allman and Clapton, with Allman's incendiary slide-guitar a key ingredient of the sound. It showcased some of Clapton's strongest material to date, as well as arguably some of his best guitar playing, with Whitlock also contributing several superb numbers, and his powerful, soul-influenced voice.
Bell Bottom Blues
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
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I don't want to lose this feeling
And if I could choose a place to die
It would be in your arms
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
I'd gladly do it because
Give me one more day, please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
It's all wrong, but it's all right
The way that you treat me baby
Once I was strong but I lost the fight
You won't find a better loser
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
I'd gladly do it because
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day, please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
I'd gladly do it 'cause
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day, please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
Bell bottom blues, don't say goodbye
I'm sure we're gonna meet again
And if we do, don't you be surprised
If you find me with another lover
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
I'd gladly do it 'cause
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day, please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
The lyrics to Derek and the Dominos’s song Bell Bottom Blues speak about the emotional turmoil of heartbreak and the desperation to hold onto love. The opening lines set the melancholic tone of the song, with the singer expressing how the person they love has made them cry. Despite the pain caused by the relationship, the singer does not want to let go of the feeling they experience when they’re with their lover. They even suggest that they would want to die in their arms, emphasizing the intensity of their love.
The following lines, “Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you? Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?” demonstrate the singer’s willingness to do anything to be with their lover once again, even if it means them sacrificing their pride. The lines reveal the singer’s desperation and the state of vulnerability they are in. They’re afraid to fade away and want to hold onto the relationship at all costs. The last lines of the song suggest that the singer accepts the possibility of moving on but also that they want to keep their lover in their heart always.
Line by Line Meaning
Bell bottom blues, you made me cry
Your love has brought me to tears.
I don't want to lose this feeling
I'm afraid of losing the love and connection we have.
And if I could choose a place to die
It would be in your arms
I want to be with you until the very end.
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?
Are you willing to make me grovel and beg for your love?
Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?
Will you listen to my pleas to give our relationship another chance?
I'd gladly do it because
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day, please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
I'm willing to do anything to keep our love alive, even if it means giving up my pride to make things right.
It's all wrong, but it's all right
The way that you treat me baby
Once I was strong but I lost the fight
You won't find a better loser
Though I know your treatment of me is unacceptable, I can't help but stay and beg for your affection.
Bell bottom blues, don't say goodbye
I'm sure we're gonna meet again
And if we do, don't you be surprised
If you find me with another lover
I can't bear the thought of our love ending, but if it does, don't be shocked if I try to find someone else to fill the void.
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day please
I don't want to fade away
In your heart I want to stay
I'm desperate to hold on to our love and willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, BOBBY WHITLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind