We at the Hard Times are big classic rock fans, and it definitely shouldn’t surprise you that one of our favorite artists of all time is Eric Clapton. We may not agree with his views on politics or public health, but whether he’s singing “Can’t Find My Way Home” as a member of Blind Faith or as a solo artist rocking to “Change the World” on the soundtrack to everybody’s favorite John Travolta movie “Phenomenon”, we can’t get enough of his tunes.
We had taken ourselves as Clapton experts, but a recent reveal by the prolific guitarist took us for a loop. We thought we knew the inspiration for his 1991 hit “Tears in Heaven”, but it turns out the popular tune is actually about his struggles with porn addiction.
Oh wow, we were way off!
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Clapton revealed that the lyrics to the popular, tear-inducing hit were written to explore his fears that his indulgent and Onanistic lifestyle would preclude his admittance into God’s kingdom, as it turns out the rock star had troubles quelling his fixations over the sprawling collection of hardcore pornographic magazines he’d amassed throughout the 1980s. According to Clapton, the wealth he’d earned from his numerous hits up to that point had been used exclusively to build a treasure trove of smutty magazines from “Club” all the way to “Gent”, with even an entire section devoted to the full-penetrative stylings of “Puritan.” With his financial success unfettering him from the constraints of a typical 9-5 job, he was free to devote every waking moment of his time to obsessively manipulating his genitals while poring over every page of his lascivious cache.
Yeah, that’s definitely not what we thought “Tears in Heaven” was about. Color us surprised!
“I must be strong and carry on, ‘cause I know I don’t belong here in Heaven,” laments Clapton over that beautifully composed acoustic legato we’ve all come to love. Now that we know we are hearing the mournful intonation of a man conflicted between his faith and his socially backward affinity for excessive masturbation, we’re not sure if we’ll ever be able to listen to this song the same way again
Thankfully, Clapton has since sought professional help for his unchecked hedonism and has been clean these past three decades. Considering the downward spiral that would inevitably have resulted from having the Internet able to instantly fulfill every one of his darkly libidinous fantasies, we consider this a blessing. Hopefully, Clapton has found peace with his Maker as well and now considers himself worthy to be seated at the right hand of the Father for all of eternity.
Again, we were truly taken aback by this revelation, and while we’re certainly sympathetic to his plight, we might not have sobbed so heavily during his 1992 performance on MTV Unplugged had we known the true meaning of this song. Thanks, Mr. Clapton, and good on you for kicking that porn habit!