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.
Little Wing
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a circus mind that's running 'round.
Butterflies and zebras, fairy tales,
That's all she ever thinks about.
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free.
Said, "It's all right, take anything you want,
Well she's walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that's running 'round.
Butterflies and zebras, fairy tales,
That's all she ever thinks about.
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free.
Said, "It's all right, take anything you want,
Anything you want, anything."
Fly on, little wing.
The lyrics to Derek and the Dominos's song "Little Wing" are interesting because they are open to interpretation. At first glance, the lyrics appear to be about a woman who is a dreamer, someone who lives in a fanciful world of "butterflies and zebras" and "fairy tales." This person is always "walking through the clouds," indicating that she is disconnected from reality in some way. However, the second half of the song turns the lyrics on their head. When the singer is sad, this dreamer comes to him and offers him "a thousand smiles" free of charge, telling him that he can have anything he wants.
This could be interpreted two ways. One interpretation is that this woman is simply a figment of the singer's imagination, a projection of his own desire to escape reality. He imagines her as someone who is always happy and carefree, someone who can offer him a temporary respite from his own sadness. Another interpretation is that this woman is someone he knows in real life, someone who is always cheerful and kind, and who can help him feel better when he is down. Regardless of which interpretation you choose, the message of the song is clear: when life gets you down, it's important to have someone who can offer you a ray of hope and a reason to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
Well she's walking through the clouds
The subject of the song is daydreaming and lost in her own thoughts.
With a circus mind that's running 'round.
Her mind is like a circus; full of imagination and always active.
Butterflies and zebras, fairy tales,
She thinks about fantasy and enchantment constantly, embodying childlike innocence.
That's all she ever thinks about.
This is her escape from reality and she does not want or need anything else.
When I'm sad she comes to me
She can sense when the artist is in distress and reaches out to them.
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free.
She has a heart that overflows with love and she generously shares it with others.
Said, "It's all right, take anything you want,
She gives the singer permission to take what they need, providing comfort and reassurance.
Anything you want, anything."
She is willing to go above and beyond to help the artist and support them.
Fly on, little wing.
The singer encourages the subject to continue dreaming and soaring higher, even if it means leaving behind their current reality for a while.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@asaucerfullofsecrets
I firmly believe this recording contains some of the finest guitar solos ever... they're so good they make me cry
@markb20
Beautifully put.
@jeffbrindle3196
I cry at music all the time.....
@kelvinsantos5466
Agreed...
There are a few notes that never fail to bring a cpl tears...
@luismarioguerrerosanchez4747
Well, Clapton is God
@jokkergar
@Luis Mario Guerrero Sánchez this is allman on lead actually
@TwinMillMC
This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my entire life.
@rebuttalc2075
Great cover of a classic! Only bad part about hendrix original is how short it is yet everyone who covers ot stretches it out and does it justice. Love SRV’s cover of it as well
@podulox
@Rebuttal C Still relevant, eleven years later...
(the comment... Not the song - The song should be on Voyager I (& Voyager II))
@tbean42000
My absolute favorite cover of “Little Wing”. Of course Hendrix is brilliant, and SRV’s instrumental is lit! But this right here is ethereal and next-level. IMHO!