The love triangle that shaped rock

At the beginning of their career, the Beatles were signed to create four movies. Within their first movie, “A Hard Day’s Night,” it featured an actress named Pattie Boyd. George Harrison asked her out on set, and they dated for three years before getting married on January 21, 1966.

Their marriage was followed and praised by the media and followed it diligently. Pattie Boyd’s influence on The Beatles catalog is profound. Songs like “I Need You,” “If I Needed Someone,” “For You Blue,” and “Something” are among their most beloved compositions With her as the chosen muse.

George Harrison was best friends with Eric Clapton, a highly regarded guitarist known for his work with bands like Cream and Derek and the Dominos. Their friendship was so close that George gave Clapton the guitar solo in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” instead of playing it himself. During the creation of Abbey Road, Clapton also provided George with space in his country house to write “Here Comes the Sun” when George was feeling stressed about the Beatles.

Pattie, George, and Eric were all close friends, but there was a problem: Eric Clapton was in love with Pattie Boyd. He confronted George multiple times about his feelings, but Pattie reassured her husband that she would never choose Eric over him. Consequently, George didn’t perceive Clapton as a threat to his marriage.

Eric Clapton, still “madly in love with her,” penned a song for Pattie in 1970. It was a song he wrote alongside Derek and the Dominos titled “Layla.” This song was his declaration of love and his plea for her to choose him. The lyrics were filled with emotion, as he sang, “Layla, you’ve got me on my knees, Layla, I’m begging, darling, please. Oh, darling, won’t you ease my worried mind?”

In 1968, the Beatles embarked on a spiritual journey to India, which further deepened their exploration of psychedelic drugs, gurus, and Hinduism. George Harrison’s growing detachment from Pattie stemmed from his belief that attachments to the material world were insignificant. During this period of separation, he allegedly cheated on her multiple times. As he distanced himself from Pattie, she found solace in the company of Eric Clapton. One fateful night, George stumbled upon them, and that night, Pattie made the difficult decision to divorce George.

Despite his lingering love for Pattie, George remained close to her after the divorce. He vowed to support and assist her in any way he could. He also maintained a friendship with Eric Clapton. And this followed the entire growth and crumbling of the Beatles.