Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad

Album: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
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Songfacts®:

  • Clapton wrote this in England with Bobby Whitlock, who told Songfacts how they got together:

    "I was with Delaney And Bonnie. I was the last one to leave that organization; everybody else did Mad Dogs And Englishmen (Joe Cocker's album). I stayed with them and helped them do a couple more albums, then the pressure got to be too much and Steve Cropper suggested I go see Eric and see what he's doing. He actually bought my ticket to England. I called Eric and said, 'Hey, what are you up to,' and he said, 'I'm just getting my hair cut.' I said, 'I need to get out of here, is it all right if I come visit?' He said, 'Sure, come on over,' so I was over there two days later. I was just hanging with him, we got around to picking and singing, and the next thing I know, we decided to put a group together. He and I were writing, it just happened real natural for us because we already had a friendship developed through the Delaney And Bonnie thing."
  • The album is full of songs about heartbreak and unrequited love. This was inspired by George Harrison's wife, Pattie. Clapton was having an affair with her and was tormented because he was good friends with George. Eventually, Clapton and Pattie started living together and got married. George was never too upset because he had lost interest in Pattie, and he remained good friends with Clapton. In the end, Pattie and Eric got a divorce and moved on with their lives. Pattie eventually married a guy who does not play guitar.
  • During this period, Clapton also wrote "Layla" for Pattie. She would inspire him to write several others, including "Wonderful Tonight" and "Forever Man."
  • Duane Allman played guitar on this track. Clapton invited him to play after seeing him perform with the Allman Brothers. Clapton called Allman the "catalyst" for the album.
  • A live version was released as a single in 1973.
  • Whitlock included this on his CD Other Assorted Love Songs. After he and his wife Kim were invited to play acoustic sets for a radio station in New Jersey, they realized there were a lot of people who wanted to hear songs from the Layla album. The Other Assorted Love Songs CD was taken from a show they played in 2002 at Whitney Chapel Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey.

Comments: 7

  • Mikomark from Tampa, FlThe drummer is the late Jim Gordon and vocal is the recently passed Bobby Whitlock.
  • Jeff from AlabamaDefinitely not Jim Keltner anywhere on this album. It was all Jim Gordon on this album.
  • Francis L. Vena from New York City,, NyDuane played lead with EC on this song; the guitar
    pharsing at the end is simply magical. It's
    truly a shame that Duane and EC could not have
    collaberated on more projects. It's so sad
    the good brother Duane was killed on his bike.
    Next to Layla this song is on my top ten list
    of all time- Duane studio work on the Layla
    album was the crowning achievement of his guitar
    work- Also buy the ABB live at the Fillmore
    remastered CD- the guitar tracks jump off the
    disc- This CD is cataloged at the Smithsoian
    Museum as a seminal moment in American music history-flv
  • Jim from Batavia, IlUhhhhhh, I believe the drummer on this Why does love have to be so sad to be JIM GORDON....who is in prison for killing his mother at the state prison for the crimminaly insane in Atascadero California. Jim Gordon played drums in Derek and the Dominoes both in the studio and on the Live version of this song.

    The two guitar players on this song are Eric Clapton and Duane ALLMAN....on the studio version that is. The live version was just Eric Clapton alone.
  • William from Las Cruces, NmBig Jim Keltner's drum intro is thrilling. Sets up the whole song.
  • Evan from Fullerton, CaI was under the impression that Clapton and Allman shared lead guitar duties on this song.
  • Marvin from Harwich, MaI believe that It was Duane Allman that Played Guitar on "Why does love have to be so sad?" not Greg as is credited on the site.
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