Eric Clapton's son Conor was just four years old when he fell to his death from the 53th floor of a New York building in 1991. Not long after the tragedy, Clapton and songwriter Will Jennings penned "Tears in Heaven" as a tribute to the child. They never imagined it would become a huge hit, but within months, it was Number Two on the Hot 100 and swept the Grammys.
The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the widely forgotten Jason Patric movie Rush, but the version most people remember comes from Clapton's 1992 Unplugged special. By 2004, Clapton could no longer bear to perform the song at his shows and he dropped it; it returned earlier this year.
Check out this fresh version of Clapton's Tears In Heaven from Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2013.
Crossroads, first staged in Dallas in 2004, takes place every three years to raise funds for Antigua's Crossroads Centre, a chemical-dependency treatment and education facility founded by Clapton in 1998.
Lyrics
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way through night and day
'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please
Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven
Would you know my name If I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same If I saw you in heaven? I must be strong and carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven
Songwriters: Eric Patrick Clapton / Will Jennings Tears In Heaven lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group
