Forty-One Years Ago Today, Eric Clapton Finally Married “Layla”

Yes, it finally happened. The woman who Eric Clapton had been pining for while she was married to Eric's good friend, George Harrison of the Beatles, was there at the altar to say, "I Do", on March 27, 1979. Her name? Pattie Boyd.

Now, think about this for a moment. Pattie Boyd must have been one heckuva special kind of woman. At least three classic songs have been written about Pattie that we know of. There may be more that people aren't owning up to yet. George Harrison wrote the Beatles hit, "Something", about Pattie while they were together. Eric Clapton wrote "Wonderful Tonight" about Patti during their relationship. Eric was so obsessed with Pattie that he wrote what is perhaps the most famous unrequited love song ever while she was still married to George Harrison. That song? "Layla":

Now, since Eric Clapton and George Harrison were great friends, Eric couldn't have George finding out about his tortuous crush. Otherwise, Clapton would have called his song, "Pattie" instead of, "Layla".