written by Eric Clapton

produced by Eric Clapton and Simon Climie

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Later (1998) song by English legend Eric Clapton who’s done

work in the genres of rock (Yardbirds/Cream/solo), blues/rock

(Derek & The Dominos), straight blues, pop, reggae (solo) and

blends therein. Being finessed in so many different genres definitely

lends one an edge in one’s career, and credence to the fact that Mr. Clapton’s career has spanned almost 60 years to date, as of this page.

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I scored this song on its album Pilgrim, from Reprise/Warner Records, a few years after its release, for inclusion on one of the couple dozen compilations I made for a friend. As the pop culture markets shifted from decade to decade, Eric’s sound in the ’90s held on to its bluesy folk nuance but too melted into a poppier feel, as evidenced on his live record Unplugged, his Wayne’s World contribution “Loving Your Lovin’,” and his mega-hit “Change The World,” from Phenomenon. Eric’s solo records in the ’90s were a bit more sporadic than those of the ’70s and ’80s at only three, one being the film Rush’s soundtrack, which gave birth to the bittersweet ballad “Tears In Heaven,” an ode to the loss of Eric’s 4-year-old son Conor.

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“My Father’s Eyes” is also a song inspired by a passed-on relative, Eric’s deceased father Edward, whom he never knew, as well as by Conor, paralleling the relationships between each. The song was written years before, and an unplugged version of it was recorded as an outtake from the ’92 Unplugged record. (I still have Unplugged in my collection, my own parents having bought the CD close after its release.)

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Have notes to add? Let me know!

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YT:

full version

music video

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Eric’s official website