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.
Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad
Derek and the Dominos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To take me back to yesterday.
How can I ever hope to forget you?
Won't you show me a place
Where I can hide my lonely face?
I know you're going to break my heart if I let you.
[Chorus]
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Like a moth to a flame,
Like a song without a name,
I've never been the same since I met you.
Like a bird on the wing,
I've got a brand new song to sing,
I can't keep from singing about you.
[Chorus]
I'm beginning to see
What a fool you've made of me.
I might have to break the law when I find you.
Stop running away;
I've got a better game to play,
You know I can't go on living without you.
[Chorus]
The verses of Derek and the Dominos's classic "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" shows an emotional journey of a person who is struggling with their inner feelings caused by a broken relationship. The singer asks for a way to go back to the past, where they did not have to deal with the pain of the present. The singer's questions why love has to be so sad, suggesting that the negative experience of heartbreak in relationships is almost unbearable. The person is unable to forget their former partner and is apparently seeking a hiding place to mourn their loss alone. The singer understands that staying in the relationship will ultimately lead to heartbreak, but can't seem to let go.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "why does love got to be so sad" four times. It expresses the theme of the song, why love has to create such a significant amount of pain, instead of happiness. It also emphasizes the tension present in the singer's memory and hopes for the future, as well as the fundamental misunderstanding of the circumstances which lead to heartbreak in relationships.
In conclusion, "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" addresses the universal experience of heartbreak caused by faltered love. It is an emotional song that highlights the struggle of loss, pain, and emotional confusion. Its repetition of the chorus shows that it is not just the singer's problem, but an issue resonates with a majority of people who have ever been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to find me a way
I need to figure out how to cope with this unbearable pain
To take me back to yesterday.
I wish I could go back to a time when things were better and you were still here with me
How can I ever hope to forget you?
You've made such an impact on my life, it seems impossible to even consider forgetting you
Won't you show me a place
Can you please help me find somewhere to go where I can escape the constant reminder of my loneliness?
Where I can hide my lonely face?
I'm tired of the world seeing how much you mean to me and how much I hurt without you
I know you're going to break my heart if I let you.
I am fully aware that I am risking extreme emotional pain by allowing myself to love you
[Chorus]
Love is causing me so much agony and it seems like a never-ending cycle
Like a moth to a flame,
I'm helplessly drawn to you, even though it's not what's best for me
Like a song without a name,
My life feels incomplete without you, like a song that hasn't been fully written
I've never been the same since I met you.
You changed my life in ways I never thought possible, but now that you're gone I don't know how to go on
Like a bird on the wing,
I feel free and happy when I'm with you, but now I'm grounded without you
I've got a brand new song to sing,
Loving you has given me inspiration and motivation to do things I never thought I could do before
I can't keep from singing about you.
I am constantly thinking about you and our love, it's impossible to keep it out of my mind or my heart
[Chorus]
Love is causing me so much agony and it seems like a never-ending cycle
I'm beginning to see
I'm starting to realize how badly you've hurt me
What a fool you've made of me.
You took advantage of my love for you and now I'm left feeling foolish and used
I might have to break the law when I find you.
I'm willing to do anything to win you back, even if it means breaking the law or putting myself in danger
Stop running away;
I can't handle this constant rejection, please stop running away from me and give me a chance
I've got a better game to play,
I've learned my lesson and I'm ready to be a better partner to you, I just need you to give me another chance
You know I can't go on living without you.
I can't bear the thought of living without you, please come back to me
[Chorus]
Love is causing me so much agony and it seems like a never-ending cycle
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY WHITLOCK, ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, ROBERT S. WHITLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
Got to find me a way
To take me back to yesterday
How can I ever hope to forget you?
Won't you show me a place
Where I can hide my lonely face?
I know you're going to break my heart if I let you
[Chorus:]
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Why does love got to be so sad?
Like a moth to a flame
Like a song without a name
I've never been the same since I met you
Like a bird on the wing
I can't keep from singing about you
[Chorus:]
I'm beginning to see
What a fool you've made of me
I might have to break the law when I find you
Stop running away
I've got a better game to play
You know I can't go on living without you
[Chorus:]
malbuff
If you can tear yourself away from the magnificent guitar playing for a moment, you'll find Jim Gordon absolutely kills it on the drums here.
lorraine costanzo
malbuff
8 months ago I've been in awe of Jim Gordon's drumming skills for ages, yeah showing my age, but my favorite musical recording of Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon were when they recorded the Layla album. Every one of those musicians were operating on all cylinders and on fire !
Steve M.
Before he absolutely killed his mother.
malbuff
@Steve M. I think everyone here knows about that. His mental illness doesn't detract from his musical brilliance.
Juan Rodriguez
@malbuff True. Still, someone had to make that joke
mrfarenheit0323
@Steve M. saw that comment, hit the reply button just to search for this joke
Jeffrey Colvin
Jim Gordon and Carl Radle were unmatched as a rhythm section. Gordon’s drumming is fabulous. Damn...
Blackwing Valley
Agree - Gordon is a legend
Lizzie Lorman
@Blackwing Valley true story
lorraine costanzo
@Blackwing Valley I so much agree with you On Jim Gordon, and independent of his crime....he is awesome...