Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
In 1992, singer, musician, and composer Erik Clapton released "Unplugged", a cd recorded during his tv special on MTV. This program was part of a series of programs performed by different artists, playing almost no electrical instruments. His cd won the Grammy Awards for best album of the year, best pop male vocal, best rock song -- Layla, and best rock male vocal, and best song of the year -- Tears in heaven.
The song "Tears in heaven", the fourth track on this cd, was written for his son, who had died a little more than a year earlier on a fall. When you read its lyrics and pay attention to the words, you also feel the pain about his loss. Can you imagine how hard it was for him? Have you ever lost a child, or a younger brother or sister? If you read the lyrics, you'll understand what I'm trying to say.
It's lyrics has a lot of pain. For example, in the verse where he says "Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees. Time can break your heart, have you begging please", he is telling us that time can be hard on us if we don't stand up after every fall, time can worsen our wounds.
Even with all this suffering, there's beauty on his feelings towards the loss of his son. The beauty of it is that Eric Clapton is trying to show us that, no matter how hard it is for us to lose a loved one, never turn your feelings into sad memories, remember the good things about the people we lost, keep them alive through those memories. You can read that in the verse where he says, "Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure, And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven".
The message he is trying to send us on this song is: No matter how hard it is, turn your pain into a wonderful, award winning song. Or in our cases, a memory which will be remembered as a turning point in all our lives.
TEARS IN HEAVEN
BY ERIC CLAPTON
Would you know my name
“Hurt” a song originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails which portrays self-harm and heroin addiction has been covered by many great artists including Johnny cash. When Johnny cash covered this song I got a deferent message from the lyrics while he sings it, maybe it is because of his voice or how he lived his life, but when he is singing this song I get a sense that he is singing about a loved one that has passed on, growing older, and his legacy.
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He discusses how his mom got him christmas presents and how he was shocked due to being from a very poor family due to not having the advantage of being white. He continues to say how his emotions are pouring out of him as in he is letting all of the stuff that he has gone through that was hard out and he is ready to let it all out for the best of his health. He mainly discusses the pain he has gone through and how it is hard growing up as a young black male. After this main song, he continues to open up on how he coped with this heartache that he has gone through.
We have the chance to give the future generation a gift. We can give them the answers before they encounter the questions. We can give the help theyíll need before they need it. No oneís perfect when dealing with life. Weíre only here for a short time, why not make it the best time you can? Life throws things at people and one has to be able to cope and learn to solve them as best as they can. As Rolling Stone eloquently put it, ìthe lyrics address the need to cope (Wiederhorn).î In life, people are going to encounter problems no matter how hard they try to get around them. This song recognizes that fact and addresses it. The truth seems hard to come by these days. In my life, it is something I strive to give and receive. Thereís no telling how many times one person has been lied to. Letís just not mention that whole Lewinsky thing. ìBittersweet Symphonyî donates the truth to the future. No sugarcoating or hiding of facts takes place. The lyrics say, ìtry to make ends meet youíre a slave to money then you die . . .î As life is, the song is inclusive of the good and the bad. Without the bad, how would we know of the good and vice versa? This common thread of truth connects us and the future.
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