It is beyond doubt that love is a great source of inspiration for the musicians as this famous love triangle proved. The story of the famous love triangle between Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and his wife Pattie Boyd was one of the great examples of a love that inspired some of the most popular songs in rock music history.
It is known that Harrison wrote the well-known Beatles songs ‘I Need You,’ ‘If I Needed Someone,’ ‘For You Blue’ and ‘Something’ to express his love for Pattie Boyd. Eric Clapton, on the other hand, was also inspired by Boyd and wrote a love song named ‘Layla,’ which would a rock masterpiece. However, the songs were not the only musical effort these two successful musicians did for Boyd. They once involved in a historic guitar battle with each other to prove their love towards Pattie, who shared the interesting story in her book years later.
Eric Clapton Fell In Love With George Harrison’s Wife Pattie Boyd
George Harrison and Pattie Boyd first met in 1964 on the set of the Beatles’ film ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ Although Boyd refused to go out with Harrison at the beginning due to her ongoing relationship with someone else, she accepted his offer later on. Harrison and Boyd got married two years later but the way things progressed was not what they expected.
At the time, Harrison and Eric Clapton were close friends. Clapton would frequently visit their home, which planted the seeds of this famous love triangle. The two broke up in 1974 and Pattie Boyd said that Harrison’s disloyalty was the main reason for their separation. It is known that Clapton never concealed his interest in Boyd even when she was married to Harrison.
According to the rumors, Eric made a huge effort to convince Pattie to be in a relationship with him. Especially after Clapton wrote the song ‘Layla’ and made Pattie listen to it, she was impressed with this touchy love song written for her. It looks like Eric’s efforts paid off since their relationship started.
After five years from Pattie’s divorce from Harrison, she married Clapton in 1979. Although they had happy years together at the beginning of their marriage, Boyd left Clapton due to his abusive behaviors towards her. Pattie confessed after years that breaking up with Harrison was a mistake. Apparently, this famous love triangle left everyone broken-hearted at the end.
George Harrison and Eric Clapton Had A Guitar Duel
When Eric Clapton fell in love with Pattie Boyd, he didn’t hesitate to be open about it, even in front of George Harrison. One night, after Harrison learned about his love for Pattie and saw the two together in the garden, he was very furious. He immediately decided to leave there and go home with Pattie.
Later on, Clapton drunkenly showed up in Harrison’s house and found a creative way to impress Pattie. Eric brought a guitar with him and challenged Harrison to a guitar duel. Eric managed to win thanks to his guitar virtuosity although he was drunk. Their duel lasted for two hours. They had a small audience and no one talked while they were playing.
It seems like Eric Clapton used the only way he knew, which is music, to show Pattie that he deserves her more than Harrison. Clapton won the duel but he still couldn’t get what he wanted. Pattie showed her loyalty and didn’t leave George Harrison to be with Clapton. Apparently, Clapton’s technical superiority over Harrison didn’t help him much to steal Pattie’s heart.
