Eric Clapton is best known for his legendary guitar work and his time in numerous famous bands, from The Yardbirds to Cream. He’s also, apparently, known for having pretty solid music taste. He has revealed some of his favorite tracks publicly through the years, but he once got very candid about his top tracks in a 1989 episode of the famed BBC program, Desert Island Discs. Based on that interview, let’s look at just a few of Eric Clapton’s favorite tunes!
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1. “Senza Mamma” by Giacomo Puccini
“When I’m working, regularly and hard, as I have been for the last few years, I tend to listen to music which is completely divorced from what I do,” Clapton said in the BBC interview. “For the last year that’s been opera.”
When the interview took place, Clapton had been touring non-stop for the better part of the 1980s. Naturally, it makes sense why an operatic masterpiece like “Senza Mamma” by Giacomo Puccini would make it to his list of favorites.
2. “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson
Eric Clapton’s favorite tunes often involve the blues. It’s not that surprising, honestly. Few musicians from his era are as passionate about blues guitar as Clapton, so it only makes sense that he would include the stunning 1937 track “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson on his list of top songs.
3. “Hard Times” by Ray Charles
As Clapton’s picks diverged from the blues a bit toward soul, he named “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)” by Ray Charles as one of his piano-focused favorites. This song was a standout on The Genius Sings The Blues from 1961, and the whole of that album presents Charles at his most innovative.
4. “Purple Rain” by Prince
This entry is a bit surprising. Anyone liking Prince, especially “Purple Rain”, isn’t all that surprising. But for Clapton to dish out numerous soul and blues hits and then toss out a wild card like “Purple Rain” is a little bit funny, we think. Clapton even described the 1984 hit as a “lifesaver”.
5. “I Was Made To Love Her” by Stevie Wonder
Eric Clapton’s list of favorite tunes swayed back to soul with the addition of “I Was Made To Love Her” by Stevie Wonder. It’s by far one of Wonder’s very best, particularly from the 1967 album of the same name.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Crossroads Guitar Festival
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