Clapton Puts 'Tears in Heaven' to Rest

NEW YORK (AP) - Two of Eric Clapton's best-known songs are gone from his concert repertoire - perhaps for good.

The guitar legend found, during a series of concerts in Japan a few months ago, that he couldn't perform "Tears in Heaven" and "My Father's Eyes."

The songs, both Grammy Award winners, deal with the loss of his 4-year-old son, Conor, who died when he fell from a New York apartment in 1991.

"I didn't feel the loss anymore, which is so much a part of performing those songs," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I really have to connect with the feelings that were there when I wrote them," he said. "They're kind of gone and I really don't want them to come back, particularly. My life is a different life now."

He said he'd feel conflicted to sing the songs at a time when he's happy.

"They probably need a rest," he said, "and maybe I'll introduce them from a much more detached point of view."

I don't blame him for not wanting to relive that awful time in his life. How it must hurt! There are certain songs that I cannot listen to because of the hurt that I associate with it. I'm sure most of us can empathize/sympathize with Clapton. It must be horrific to lose a child!:(

well, while I've never experienced the loss of a child (I've heard nothing is more devastating), I am happy that Clapton has moved to a point in his life in which Tears In Heaven doesn't quite sting the way it did in the early 1990's.

I (which is not at all comparable to the loss of a child, I know, but it is something I've never dealt with before) am in the process of losing my mother (she is basically on her deathbed), so right now I cannot listen to ANY ballad because it'll cause me to break down.

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
well, while I've never experienced the loss of a child (I've heard nothing is more devastating), I am happy that Clapton has moved to a point in his life in which Tears In Heaven doesn't quite sting the way it did in the early 1990's.

I (which is not at all comparable to the loss of a child, I know, but it is something I've never dealt with before) am in the process of losing my mother (she is basically on her deathbed), so right now I cannot listen to ANY ballad because it'll cause me to break down. I'm sorry to hear about your mother buffyslayer79.... How sad for you...

As for Eric I can understand why he has chosen what he doesn't want to sing in concert. The man went through so much pain.

BuffySlayer79
I'm also sorry to hear about your mother. I've also had an experience with a family member passing on after a long illness/deathbed situation. It's not an easy thing to experience. Keep your head up best you can.

thank you Vashti and Pitooey for your kind words. They're important to me. I dunno when exactly she's going to die, she seems to be stabling off a little bit, but yesterday she almost passed at 9:30 am.

Sorry about that BuffySlayer. I know what you're going through. It's a terrible feeling.