20 Eric Clapton Quotes About Music and Life

Famous quotes and thoughts from one of the greatest guitarists in history.

Eric Clapton (1945) is one of the leading figures in modern music.. Born in England, his contribution to Blues and Rock is absolutely fantastic.

Nicknamed "slow hand" (for his incredible guitar solos) or "God" (God), Clapton has been considered the second best guitarist of all time according to the prestigious Rolling Stone, only surpassed by Jimi Hendrix.

Eric Clapton Quotes and his best famous quotes

Clapton's life has not been a bed of roses. In love with the wife of his best friend George Harrison (of the Beatles), he lived obsessed with Pattie Boyd, to the point of composing the song Layla to show his love for her. Another mythical song by Eric Clapton, Tears In Heaven, tells us about the untimely death of his son.

To get to know more about this unprecedented talent in the world of musicwe have decided to create this compilation with his best quotes and reflections..

1. And it makes me feel so angry to know that the flame is still burning... Why can't I make it go away? When will I ever learn?

From his song "Old Love", Clapton curses himself for still being in love with a love long gone.

2. Music became my relief, and I learned to listen to it with all five senses. I found that I could then erase all the feelings of fear and confusion related to my family. These became even more acute in 1954, when I was nine years old.

She talks about her childhood, marked by fear and a bad environment.

3. I remember thinking that her beauty was also internal. It was not just her appearance, although she was certainly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. It was something deeper. It came from inside her too. It was her way of being.

Talk about Pattie Boyd, who was also the wife of beatle George Harrison.

4. Creating a song is as easy as shaping a feeling.

To shape feelings into beautiful musical works is one of her gifts.

5. My main philosophy on how to make music is that it can all be reduced to a single note, if that note is played in the most sincere way.

Honesty in composing and performing songs is the foundation of every artist.

6. The only education I ever really had was to find out things about the blues. I mean, I wanted to know everything.

His obsession with the blues led him to share the stage and recording studio with idols like BB King.

7. I became convinced that, for some strange reason, I was invulnerable and wouldn't get hooked [on drugs]. But addiction doesn't negotiate and little by little it spread inside me like fog.

In this famous quotation, Eric Clapton confesses that he lived hooked on cocaine and alcohol..

8. When choosing a guitar, I would look for wear and tear.... It's like going into a restaurant. If it's full, it's a good place to eat.

An excellent metaphor for a master of the strings.

9. The only planning I do is about a minute before I play. I try desperately to think of something that will be effective, but I never sit down and figure it out note by note.

Improvisation is part of the DNA of the blues and, by extension, Eric Clapton.

10. Your playing is totally hybrid. Musically it makes no sense to the scholar. When he plays the piano, it only makes sense to the listener. If you were a musician you would say: but what are you doing? It doesn't make sense. And the same when he plays the guitar. Whatever he does, it's like you have to wait a year or two to get the hang of listening to it. The first time you hear it, it's useless. Then you reflect and realize it's perfect.

In these statements he talks about the great Bob Dylan.

11. Being the author of something so powerful is something I'll never be able to get used to. It still disturbs me when I play it.

He talks about his song Layla.

12. The guitar was very shiny and had something virginal about it. It looked like an elegant device from another universe, and as I tried to strum it, I felt like I was moving into the territory of maturity.

About his beginnings with the instrument.

13. I was interested in white rockers until I discovered Freddie King.

That player changed your perspective on music.

14. For me, it's all about the music. I'm just the messenger, and I hope to do it as long as I live.

His passion for music surpasses any boundaries.

15. I have the God-given talent or the God-given opportunity, rather.

Clapton is aware of his own abilities, which does not make him pretentious considering the quality of his musical work.

16. I am and always will be a blues guitarist.

Although he has been a very versatile artist, if you ask him he is very clear: he considers himself basically a Blues lover.

17. The sound of an amplified guitar in a crowded place was so hypnotic and addictive for me, that I could cross any kind of border to be there.

Another famous phrase of Eric Clapton, this time about his adolescence.

18. For me there's something primitively soothing about music, it goes straight to my nervous system, so I feel ten meters high.

Does music have a calming effect on us? Eric Clapton seems to be sure that it does indeed relax us.

19. I didn't really fit into sports or group activities like any kid, I couldn't find a place. And music wasn't part of the curriculum for the population.

A reflection on his childhood, which was somewhat sad and lonely.

20. Some people say of me that I'm a revolutionary. That makes no sense, all I did was copy BB King.

Humility before the one he always considered a master of the Blues.