* Eric Clapton (April–August 1965, November 1965–July 1966) and Jack Bruce, who both left to form Cream,
* Peter Green, who had replaced Clapton, played until August 1967, when he departed with Mick Fleetwood and then also enticed Bluesbreaker John McVie a few weeks later to form Fleetwood Mac
* Mick Taylor (August 1967–July 1969) who later joined The Rolling Stones, and reunion tours in 1982–83 and 2004,
* Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Larry Taylor (later in Canned Heat),
* Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Randy Resnick, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (Free), Chris Mercer, Henry Lowther, Johnny Almond and Jon Mark (later of Mark-Almond).
The Bluesbreakers were formed in January 1963 and became an ever-evolving lineup of more than 100 different combinations of musicians performing under that name. Eric Clapton joined in 1965 just a few months after the release of their first album. Clapton brought the blues influences to the forefront of the group, as he had left The Yardbirds in order to play the blues.
The group lost their record contract with Decca that year, which also saw the release of a single called "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (produced by Jimmy Page), followed by a return to Decca in 1966. The album Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (also known as The Beano Album because Clapton is shown on the cover photo reading a copy of the comic) was released later that year; it reached the Top Ten in the UK.
Clapton and Jack Bruce left the group that year to form Cream. Clapton was replaced by Peter Green for A Hard Road, after which he left to form Fleetwood Mac. Finally, in 1969, the third Bluesbreaker-guitarist departed when Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones.
By the time the 1960s were over, the Bluesbreakers had finally achieved some success in the United States.
With some interruptions, the Bluesbreakers have continued to tour and release albums (over 50 to date), though they never achieved the critical or popular acclaim of their earlier material. In 2003, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber reunited with the band for John Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert in Liverpool — the concert was later released on CD and DVD. In 2004, their line up included Buddy Whittington, Joe Yuele, Hank Van Sickle and Tom Canning, and the band toured the UK with Mick Taylor as a guest musician.
In November 2008 Mayall announced on his website he was disbanding the Bluesbreakers to cut back on his heavy workload and give himself freedom to work with other musicians.
Key To Love
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to help you honey, let me see you again.
Hurts my soul, babe, when I find you feeling rough.
Life is so bad, baby, when I find the key to love.
Put a smile on your face and dry away your tears.
Life is bound to get better as you live your years.
Hurts my soul, babe, when I find you feeling rough.
Somewhere in this world, the one you waited for
Come along and find you, turn the key your door.
Hurts my soul, babe, when I find you feeling rough.
Life is so bad, baby, when you find the key to love.
In the song "Key To Love," John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers address the pain and struggles that their loved one is experiencing. The lyrics suggest that the singer wants to help their loved one overcome this pain and find the "key to love." The song acknowledges that life is tough, but encourages the loved one to keep pushing through, to smile and dry their tears, and eventually things will get better. However, the most important part of this journey is finding the key to love.
The song seems to suggest that love is the key to happiness and fulfillment. The lyrics imply that once the loved one finds love, they can finally move past the struggles they are currently facing. The song also acknowledges that finding love is not always easy and sometimes requires patience and waiting for the right person to come along. The final line of the song suggests that finding the key to love is vital to living a satisfying and happy life.
Overall, "Key To Love" is a song that encourages perseverance in the face of adversity and recognizes the importance of love in achieving true fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
I never realized that you were in pain.
I was unaware of the emotional pain you were experiencing
I want to help you honey, let me see you again.
I would like to be there for you and offer my assistance, can we meet once more?
Hurts my soul, babe, when I find you feeling rough.
It pains me deeply to see you in distress.
Life is so bad, baby, when I find the key to love.
Life is a challenging journey, but is made bearable by discovering and experiencing the true power of love.
Put a smile on your face and dry away your tears.
I encourage you to be positive and let go of your sorrow.
Life is bound to get better as you live your years.
Life will inevitably become better as you gain more life experience.
Somewhere in this world, the one you waited for
The person you have been waiting for is somewhere out there in this vast world.
Come along and find you, turn the key your door.
They will arrive and discover you, and the key to your happiness will be unlocked.
Hurts my soul, babe, when I find you feeling rough.
It pains me deeply to see you in distress.
Life is so bad, baby, when you find the key to love.
Life can be a struggle before discovering the empowering and transformative nature of love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN MAYALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind