Song by Song: "Layla" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Derek and the Dominos

Derek and the Dominos was active from 1970 to 1971. Eric Clapton was in the Yardbirds but never in the Byrds. He was also in a band called Cream, not Milk. Clapton was a part of Blind Faith in 1969.

"Layla" was recorded on the 1970 Derek and the Dominos album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." The album was produced by Tom Dowd and was certified platinum in the United States by RIAA.

Answer: Out of foolish pride

"What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride."

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included "Layla" among its "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." It was also included in Guitar World's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" and on RIAA's 2001 "Songs of the Century" list.

Answer: False

A shortened (2:43) single was released in March of 1971 and peaked at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song was later included on the 1972 album "The History of Eric Clapton." When the single was re-released in a full version (7:10) in 1972 (including part II, the "Piano Exit"), it peaked at number ten.

The 1972 version also peaked at nine on the Canadian RPM singles chart and at seven on the UK singles chart.

Answer: Jim Gordon

Jim Gordon was the drummer for Derek and the Dominos and also a popular blues rock sessions drummer in the 1960s. He has played for Joe Cocker, Johnny Rivers, Art Garfunkel, Traffic, and others. As of 2021, he was still incarcerated for the murder of his mother in 1983 during a psychotic episode.

Answer: knees

The chorus of the song runs:

"Layla, you've got me on my knees
Layla, I'm begging, darling please
Layla, darling, won't you ease my worried mind?"

"Layla" has been covered by The Wrinkle Rockers, Rick Devin, Third World, Sonny Moorman, Hurricane Sam, and others. DJ Khaled sampled the guitar riff from "Layla" for his song "I Did It," which was released in 2021 and featured several other rappers.

Answer: Persian

The title comes from a work of the 12th century Persian poet Mizami Ganjavi titled "The Story of Layla and Majnun." The poem was about a young man who went crazy after falling in love with a moon princess who was married off to a man she did not love. Clapton's friend Ian Dallas, a Scottish-born playwright and actor who later changed his name to Abdalqadir as-Sufi after converting to Islam, gave him the book.

Answer: Patti Boyd Harrison

Derek and the Dominos backed George Harrison on his first solo album. At the time Clapton wrote "Layla," Rolling Stone reports, he was "embroiled in a love triangle with George and Patti Boyd Harrison." Patti Boyd would go on to divorce George Harrison in 1977 and marry Eric Clapton in 1979. The couple would divorce ten years later.

Answer: Duane Allman

Derek and the Dominos included Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon. Guitarist Duane Allman also contributed to the song "Layla." Duane Allman was the founder of the southern rock band the Allman Brothers Band. He was introduced to Clapton by producer Tom Dowd.

It was Allman who composed the song's signature riff, according to Guitar World magazine: "The song began as a ballad, but quickly became a rocker, with Duane Allman reportedly coming up with the opening riff which would alter the tune. With Allman's majestic slide guitar prodding him on, Clapton unleashed some of his most focused, emotive playing."

Answer: Tears in Heaven

The "Unplugged" single of "Layla" peaked at 88 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number five on the Canadian Singles chart. This acoustic version of the song won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1993.

Answer: Goodfellas

Matthew Gilbert reported in his Boston Globe article "Scorsese Tackles the Mob" that Scorsese chose the song to comment on the scene and characters. The director used "Layla" to portray the aftermath of a heist, synchronizing the camera movement with the song as the movie shows dead bodies being discovered in a car, a dumpster, and a meat truck.