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.
Evil
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
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Can't sleep at night.
Call on your telephone
Something just ain't right.
That's evil, evil is going on wrong.
I want to warn you brother,
You better watch your happy home.
Knock on the front door,
Run 'round to the back
You'll catch him just before he goes.
That's evil, evil is going on.
I have warned you brother,
You better watch your happy home.
If you call on the telephone
And she answers long and slow,
Grab the first thing smoking
And you have to haul her home.
That's evil, evil is going on wrong.
I have warned you brother,
You better watch your happy home.
The lyrics of Derek and the Dominos' song "Evil" seem to be warning someone about an impending danger that could threaten their family and home. The first stanza talks about a feeling of unease and danger that arises at night when one can't sleep and something seems wrong, possibly connected to a phone call. The repeated phrase "That's evil" emphasizes the seriousness of the situation and the urgency of the warning being given.
The second stanza appears to envision a specific scenario: arriving home to find someone lurking around the house, and possibly catching them if you move fast enough. The third stanza is more abstract, referring again to the telephone and suggesting that if someone answers in a particular way, it's a sign of danger, and the person delivering the warning urges the listener to "haul her home" as quickly as possible.
What the specifics of the danger might be is left up to interpretation, but the theme of protecting one's family from malevolent forces is clearly the focus of the song. The repetitive structure of the verses and the menacing tone of the lyrics create a sense of urgency and unease, leaving the listener with a sense that something important is at stake.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long way from home,
Being far away from home is making the singer uncomfortable.
Can't sleep at night.
The singer is kept awake by some pressing concern.
Call on your telephone
The singer is attempting to reach out to someone for help.
Something just ain't right.
The artist feels like they are in danger or that something is off.
That's evil, evil is going on wrong.
The artist believes that they are dealing with something very bad or evil.
I want to warn you brother,
The singer feels a sense of responsibility to warn others about the danger they perceive.
You better watch your happy home.
The singer is advising someone to be careful and protect their home from the perceived danger.
You make it to your house,
The artist has arrived at their home.
Knock on the front door,
The artist is attempting to enter their own home.
Run 'round to the back
The artist is taking a different approach to entering their home.
You'll catch him just before he goes.
The singer believes that someone is about to leave their home.
If you call on the telephone
The artist is using the phone again as a means of communication.
And she answers long and slow,
The singer believes that someone is answering the phone in a way that suggests something is wrong.
Grab the first thing smoking
The singer wants to leave immediately and as quickly as possible.
And you have to haul her home.
The singer is insisting on taking someone with them for safety.
I have warned you brother,
The artist is reiterating their warning.
You better watch your happy home.
The artist believes that someone's home is in danger and they must be vigilant in protecting it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID BATEMAN, BEKI BOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind