Lyric discussion by DesertBreeze 

Awesome song!! I had never known the history behind this song until I just watched 20/20 and they interviewed Patti Boyd and told her story.

It was before George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh that Eric Clapton became interested in Patti.

She received a letter from a man that stated he was in love with her and it was simply signed "E" She showed it to George and they had a laugh about it and forgot about it till later that evening when she saw Eric and he asked her if she had received his letter.

She started spending lots of time with him- at that time George spent so much time in the studio she was left on her own so much... she was very flattered with George's many compliments he paid her-- one day in 1970 he asked her to listen to a song and put a cassette in and he played "Layla" 3 times and she had by then figured out the song was about her.

That night she and Georged attended a party at Eric's manager's home and she was out in the garden with Eric where George saw them and he asked what was going on and Eric said "I'm in love with your wife"--George asked her "Are you going home with me, or him?" That night she went home with George.

The next time she saw Eric, he held up a vial of heroin, vowing to take it if she didn't run off with him. She refused and she didn't see him for 3-4 years as he then became addicted to heroin.

George and Patti's marriage started breaking apart during that time--the Beatles broke up, George was more distant and distracted..there was lots of drugs and drinking, and infidelity. Then one hideous scene when George was caught having an affair with Ringo Starr's wife Marie.

Eric kicked his heroin addiction and continued persuing Patti. In the summer of 1974 she made the decision to leave George. She then married Eric and they divorced in 1988. She said their marriage was all about extremes loads of heartache and loads of jun, joyous times. He even had written another song for her named "Wonderful Tonight"

In the interview I watched Patti was asked her is the great love of her life. She first asked if she could have 2 and was told no and then she said "Probably George, I feel George is with me forever. So I supposed I'd have to say George is the love of my life"

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