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.
Nobody Knows You When You're..
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spent all my money, I just did not care.
Took all my friends out for a good time,
Bought bootleg whiskey, champagne and wine.
Then I began to fall so low,
Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go.
I get my hands on a dollar again,
Cause no, no, nobody knows you
When you're down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny,
And as for friends, you don't have any.
When you finally get back up on your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
When you finally get back upon your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your good old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange,
Nobody knows you,
Nobody knows you,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
The song "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" by Derek and the Dominos explores the theme of loneliness and the experience of being abandoned by friends in tough times. The singer tells the story of a millionaire who squandered all his money on extravagant things and parties. When he lost everything and had nowhere to go, he discovered that his so-called friends had abandoned him, leaving him without any support. The song expresses the pain of losing everything and the realization that real friends are hard to come by.
The lyrics capture the irony of how people treat each other based on their social status and wealth. The millionaire's friends showed him love and loyalty when he had money, but when he lost everything, they disappeared, leaving him alone. The song also reveals the resilience of the human spirit, as the singer vows to hold onto his next dollar and not let anyone take advantage of him again. He speaks from experience and hopes to teach listeners a valuable lesson about the value of true friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I lived the life of a millionaire,
I used to be wealthy and lived an extravagant life.
Spent all my money, I just did not care.
I spent all my money recklessly without any worries.
Took all my friends out for a good time,
I used to treat my friends and take them out for fun.
Bought bootleg whiskey, champagne and wine.
I bought illegal whiskey and expensive champagne and wine.
Then I began to fall so low,
However, I eventually started to lose everything.
Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go.
As I got poorer, my wealthy friends left me and I had nowhere to go.
I get my hands on a dollar again,
If I ever get some money again.
I'm gonna hang on to it till that eagle grins.
I'll hold onto it as tightly as possible and won't spend recklessly again.
Cause no, no, nobody knows you
When you're poor and down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny,
When you have no money in your pocket.
And as for friends, you don't have any.
When all your wealthy friends have left you with no one to turn to.
When you finally get back up on your feet again,
But if you ever do manage to recover financially.
Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend.
All your former friends suddenly come back and pretend to care again.
Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt,
It's strange how people behave differently based on your financial status.
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
No one cares about you when you're poor and struggling.
When you finally get back upon your feet again,
But if you ever do manage to recover financially.
Everybody wants to be your good old long-lost friend.
All your former friends suddenly come back and pretend to be your friend again.
Said it's mighty strange,
It's a strange and sad reality.
Nobody knows you,
No one cares about you.
Nobody knows you,
No one cares about you.
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
People only care about you when you have money and are doing well.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMIE COX, MIKE BATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richardzuelch375
Even after 46 years, this album just never gets old.
@anjilenagrace9868
Richard Zuelch 46 is a good number
@raycali1946
Richard Zuelch Nope. Gets better with age. Like a fine wine.
@raycali1946
Richard Zuelch Nope. Sounds like Eric recorded yesterday. Blues just never gets dated . Especially when Clapton does all the solo’s. The guy is a guitar prodigy. Was born to play the blues
@PwlTwlGuy
Still music to my ears in 2020.
@eksanataprawira
almost 50th anniversary, i will wait for it
@dannybrazen
i love the kind of sad desperation in clapton's voice in the dominoes era. it just sounds so heartfelt and so heartbreaking. in the unplugged album the lyrics to this sound like a jokey anecdote about being broke, in this they sound so damn real man, like you've lost absolutely everything
@davidpaulsen2962
The "original" blues version by Scrapper Blackwell sounds a lot more like Clapton's Unplugged version. Or vice versa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=626pNZB8xXE
@barbaraann7610
Me too! Raw desperation, intense feelings, as if he's sharing his very soul.
@Brian-pr1dq
Wonderfully put sir!