Holy Mother
| Holy Mother | |
|---|---|
| Eric Clapton | |
| publication | November 24, 1986 |
| length | 4:55 |
| Genre (s) | Pop rock |
| Author (s) | * Eric Clapton
|
| Label | Duck / Warner Bros. |
| album | August |
Holy Mother is a pop rock song written by Eric Clapton and Stephen Bishop and released on November 24, 1986 as a single as well as on Clapton's August studio album .
Live interpretations of the title appeared in 1987 on the concert film and CD Live 1986 , in 1996 together with Luciano Pavarotti on Pavarotti & Friends - For War Child , in 1997 on VHS and DVD Live in Hyde Park and in 2006 on the video recording Live at Montreux 1986 . In 2003 Clapton performed the song again with Pavarotti.
History and occupation
In his autobiography, Clapton explains how the song came about: “In Canada, when we were playing at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, I had a total crash, the first in a series that would eventually bring me back to Hazelden. I had been drinking a lot throughout the tour and had had an alcohol-related breakdown or two. In Toronto I had bought two six-packs of beer and no sooner had I drunk them than I fell into a state of utter despair. It was like a moment of complete clarity when I suddenly realized how deep I had sunk again. In this mood I wrote a song, Holy Mother , in which I pleaded for help from a heavenly authority, a woman I couldn't even begin to imagine. I still love this song today because I know it came as a sincere cry for help from the bottom of my heart. ”When August was released, Clapton dedicated the song to Richard Manuel , whom he described as a“ great keyboardist ”. Bishop explained that the song came about differently. Clapton asked him if he wanted to work on Holy Mother . He worked on the idea - played what he had for Clapton.
In addition to Clapton, Phil Collins on drums, Nathan East on bass, Greg Phillinganes on keyboards and Katie Kissoon also played on the recording .
Reception and criticism
Critic Richard Gilliam of the music website Allmusic described the song as one of the "melodically most beautiful" Clapton pieces and notes that it has spiritual inclinations.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Luciano Pavarotti & Eric Clapton - Holy Mother on YouTube
- ↑ Eric Clapton : My Life . (Autobiography, with Christoph Simon Sykes). Kiepenheuer & Witsch : Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-462-03934-4 . Pages 224f., 240.
- ↑ Holy Mother by Eric Clapton Songfacts , accessed February 17, 2015, songfacts.com
- ↑ a b Holy Mother at Allmusic (English)