Layla

"Layla"
German vinyl single
Single by Derek and the Dominos
from the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Released	1971
Format	Vinyl record
Recorded	9 September 1970, Criteria Studios, Miami
Genre	Blues rock, hard rock
Length	7:02 to 7:11 (with piano coda; depending on version) 2:43 (1971 single edit; without piano coda)
Label	Atco (US), RSO, Polydor
Writer(s)	Eric Clapton/Jim Gordon
Producer(s)	Tom Dowd, Derek and the Dominos

"Layla (Acoustic)"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Unplugged
B-side	"Tears in Heaven (Acoustic)"
Released	September 14, 1992 (1992-09-14)
Format	7" vinyl · CD single · download
Recorded	January 16, 1992 (1992-01-16)
Genre	Acoustic blues blues rock pop
Length	4:46
Label	Reprise
Writer(s)	Eric Clapton · Jim Gordon
Producer(s)	Russ Titelman
Eric Clapton chronology
"Tears in Heaven" (1992) "Layla (Acoustic)" (1992) "Down & Out" (1992)
Music sample "Layla (Acoustic)"

"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally released by their blues rock band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (November 1970). Its famously contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon.

The song was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century Arabia and later formed the basis of The Story of Layla and Majnun by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, a copy of which Ian Dallas had given to Clapton. The book moved Clapton profoundly, because it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and went crazy because he could not marry her. In his autobiography, Clapton states, "Ian Dallas told me the tale of Layla and Majnun [sic], a romantic love story in which a young man, Qays [sic], falls passionately in love with the beautiful Layla, but is forbidden by her father to marry her and goes crazy with desire giving him the title Majnun (English: The mad one)." The song was further inspired by Clapton's then unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend and fellow musician George Harrison of The Beatles.

"Layla" was unsuccessful on its initial release. The song has since experienced great critical and popular acclaim, and is often hailed as being among the greatest rock songs of all time. Two versions have achieved chart success, the first in 1972 and the second (without the piano coda) 20 years later as an acoustic Unplugged performance by Clapton. In 2004, "Layla" was ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and the acoustic version won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.