Editing Layla (section)

{{short description|1970 song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon}}
{{about|the 1970 song|the album on which it appears|Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs{{!}}''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''|the 2022 song|Layla (DJ Robin & Schürze song)|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Layla
| cover      = Layla by Derek and the Dominos UK vinyl side-A.png
| alt        =
| caption    = Side A of the 1972 UK single release
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Derek and the Dominos]]
| album      = [[Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs]]
| B-side     = I Am Yours
| released   = {{Start date|1971|03}}
*{{Start date|1972|05}} (Re-release)
| recorded   = 9 September 1970
| studio     = [[Criteria Studios|Criteria]], [[Miami]]
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length     =
* 7:04 (album version)
* {{Duration|2:43}} (single version)
| label      =
* [[Atco Records|Atco]] (US)
* [[RSO Records|RSO]]
* [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
| writer     =
* [[Eric Clapton]]
* [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]]
| producer   =
* [[Tom Dowd]]
* Derek and the Dominos
| prev_title = [[Bell Bottom Blues (Derek and the Dominos song)|Bell Bottom Blues]]
| prev_year  = 1970
| next_title = Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
| next_year  = 1973
| misc       = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|5dCSUD37qxQ|"Layla" by Derek and the Dominos}}}}
}}
"'''Layla'''" is a song written by [[Eric Clapton]] and [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]], originally recorded with their band [[Derek and the Dominos]], as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''[[Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs]]'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. The piano part has also been controversially credited to [[Rita Coolidge]], Gordon's girlfriend at the time.

The song was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century [[Arabic language|Arab]] literature and later formed the basis of ''[[Layla and Majnun|The Story of Layla and Majnun]]'' by the 12th-century Persian poet [[Nizami Ganjavi]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/leyli-o-majnun-narrative-poem |title=Leyli o Majnun |last=Seyed-Gohrab |first=A. A. |date=15 July 2009 |website=Encyclopædia Iranica |access-date=27 November 2016 }}</ref> 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 young girl, went crazy and so could not marry her.{{sfn|McKeen|2000|p=127}}{{sfn|Santoro|1995|p=62}}{{sfn|Clapton|2007|p=107}} The song was further inspired by Clapton's secret love for [[Pattie Boyd]], the wife of his friend and fellow musician [[George Harrison]]. After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd eventually married.

"Layla"{{sfn|Gambaccini|1987|p={{page needed|date=June 2020}}}} has, since its release, 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 20 years later as an acoustic ''[[MTV Unplugged|Unplugged]]'' performance by Clapton. In 2004, "Layla" was ranked number 27 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]", and the acoustic version won the 1993 [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song]].