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.
Keep On Growing
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
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Playing in the streets, I was unknowing;
I didn't know my fate.
Playing
The game of love, but never really showing;
I thought that love could wait.
I was a young man and sure to go astray.
You walked right into my life and told me love would find a way
I was standing,
Looking in the face of one who loved me,
Feeling so ashamed.
Hoping,
And praying, Lord, that she could understand me,
But I didn't know her name.
She took my hand in hers and told me I was wrong.
She said, you're gonna be all right boy, oh just as long
As you keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Maybe,
Someday baby, who knows where or when, Lord,
Just you wait and see.
We'll be walking,
Together hand in hand, alone forever;
Woman just you and me.
'Cause time is gonna change us, Lord, and I know it's true;
Our love is gonna keep on glowing and growing and it's all we gotta do.
Keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing.
The lyrics to "Keep on Growing" by Derek and the Dominos speak to the journey of a young man who is unsure about love and his place in the world. He is playing in the streets, laughing, and unknowing of his fate. He is participating in the game of love but is not willing to fully show his emotions or commit to anyone, thinking that love can wait. This mentality of delaying love is common among young people who think that they have all the time in the world to find love.
However, his fate changes when he meets a woman who walks into his life and tells him that love will find a way to keep growing. She takes his hand and speaks words of encouragement, telling him that he will be alright as long as he keeps growing. This woman understands him and helps him to see the error of his ways. The young man realizes that he has been looking for love in all the wrong places and that he needs to keep growing and changing to find true love.
The song speaks to the message that love is a journey that requires growth and change to find. Time will pass, and people will change, but as long as love keeps growing and glowing, it will endure. The song is a testament to the power of love and the importance of growing and changing with your partner to keep that love alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I was laughing, Playing in the streets, I was unknowing;
At a young age, I lived life without much thought or worry.
I didn't know my fate. Playing The game of love, but never really showing; I thought that love could wait.
I was naive and didn't consider the future. I flirted with love but wasn't serious about it.
I was a young man and sure to go astray. You walked right into my life and told me love would find a way To keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing.
I was bound to make mistakes, but then you came into my life and gave me hope that love could succeed and develop.
I was standing, Looking in the face of one who loved me, Feeling so ashamed. Hoping, And praying, Lord, that she could understand me, But I didn't know her name.
I felt guilty when I looked into the eyes of someone who was affectionate towards me. I wanted her to comprehend my character, yet I didn't even know who she was.
She took my hand in hers and told me I was wrong. She said, you're gonna be all right boy, oh just as long As you keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
She held my hand, corrected my behavior, and gave me reassurance that I'll be okay if I just continue to mature and develop in love.
Maybe, Someday baby, who knows where or when, Lord, Just you wait and see. We'll be walking, Together hand in hand, alone forever; Woman just you and me.
There's a chance that we'll end up together, no one knows when or where. But wherever it is, we'll be happy building a life together.
'Cause time is gonna change us, Lord, and I know it's true; Our love is gonna keep on glowing and growing and it's all we gotta do. Keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing.
As time goes on, we'll both change and grow, but our love will continue to thrive as long as we keep nurturing it.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY WHITLOCK, ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, ROBERT S. WHITLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind