Clapton is God

Last updated
Clapton is God
Clapton is God.jpg
The original photograph of the Islington graffiti. It received worldwide recognition and helped create a myth around Eric Clapton. [1]
MeaningEric Clapton fan meme
Original form Graffiti
Coined byHamish Grimes

"Clapton is God" is a 1960s meme referencing the English guitarist Eric Clapton. The line was popularised after being spray-painted on a wall in London during the mid-1960s, when Clapton was a member of the Yardbirds and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, creating the cult of the guitar hero. [2]

Contents

Overview

The earliest known use of the phrase appeared in the form of graffiti spray-painted by an unknown admirer on a wall in Islington, London. [3] [4] Commentators traced the year of origin variously to 1965, [4] early 1966, [5] and 1967. [3] Soon after, the proclamation could be seen scrawled at numerous spots around London, [6] such as on club bathroom walls and construction sites. [7] It also appeared around New York. [8] [9] In 2016, Clapton speculated that the original graffiti was painted by Hamish Grimes, a promoter who worked for the Yardbirds' manager. [6]

Clapton was initially humbled by the slogan. [10] Later, he said he had become embarrassed by it, saying in his The South Bank Show profile in 1987, "I never accepted that I was the greatest guitar player in the world. I always wanted to be the greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Clapton</span> English musician, singer, and songwriter (born 1945)

Eric Patrick Clapton is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009. In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton the 35th best guitarist of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graffiti</span> Drawings and paintings on walls

Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Beck</span> English guitarist (1944–2023)

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layla</span> 1970 song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon

"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. The piano part has also been controversially credited to Rita Coolidge, Gordon's girlfriend at the time.

Blues rock is a fusion genre and form of rock music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock. From its beginnings in the early to mid-1960s, blues rock has gone through several stylistic shifts and along the way it inspired and influenced hard rock, Southern rock, and early heavy metal.

<i>Five Live Yardbirds</i> 1964 live album by the Yardbirds

Five Live Yardbirds is the live debut album by the English rock band the Yardbirds. It features the group's interpretations of ten American blues and rhythm and blues songs, including their most popular live number, Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning". The album contains some of the earliest recordings with guitarist Eric Clapton.

<i>For Your Love</i> (album) 1965 studio album by the Yardbirds

For Your Love is the first American album by the English rock band the Yardbirds. Released in June 1965, it contains new studio recordings along with previously released singles. The album features some of the earliest recordings by guitarists Eric Clapton and his replacement Jeff Beck.

<i>Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds</i> 1965 album by the Yardbirds

Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds, or simply Having a Rave Up, is the second American album by the English rock group the Yardbirds. It was released in November 1965, eight months after Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton on guitar. It includes songs with both guitarists and reflects the group's blues rock roots and their early experimentations with psychedelic and hard rock. The title refers to the driving "rave up" arrangement the band used in several of their songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Samwell-Smith</span> English musician and record producer

Paul Granville Samwell-Smith is an English musician and record producer. He was a founding member and the bassist of the 1960s English rock band the Yardbirds, which launched leading guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page to fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Dreja</span> English guitarist (born 1945)

Christopher Walenty Dreja is an English musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and bassist for rock band the Yardbirds for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

"Tangerine" is a folk rock song by the English band Led Zeppelin. Recorded in 1970, it is included on the second, more acoustic-oriented side of Led Zeppelin III (1970). The plaintive ballad reflects on lost love and features strummed acoustic guitar rhythm with pedal steel guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Matos</span> American graffiti artist (born 1961)

Crash is a graffiti artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Full of Soul</span> 1965 song by the Yardbirds

"Heart Full of Soul" is a song recorded by the English rock group the Yardbirds in 1965. Written by Graham Gouldman, it was the Yardbirds' first single after Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton as lead guitarist. Released only three months after "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul" reached the Top 10 on the singles charts in the UK, US, and several other countries.

<i>Live! Blueswailing July 64</i> 2003 live album by the Yardbirds

Live! Blueswailing July '64 is a live album by English rock group the Yardbirds. The recordings were discovered in 2003 and when the album was released that year, the date and location of the performance was uncertain. However, it since has been determined that it was recorded at the Marquee Club in London on 7 August 1964. As with the group's British debut album it contains some of the earliest live recordings with guitarist Eric Clapton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For Your Love</span> 1965 song by the Yardbirds

"For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by the English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in favour of a more commercial pop rock sound. Guitarist Eric Clapton disapproved of this change, and chose to leave the group shortly after the single was released.

<i>Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds</i> 1966 live album by Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds

Sonny Boy Williamson & the Yardbirds is a live album by Chicago blues veteran Sonny Boy Williamson II backed by English rock band the Yardbirds. It was recorded at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey on December 8, 1963. However, the performances were not released until early 1966, after a string of Top 40 hits by the Yardbirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Morning, School Girl</span> Blues standard first recorded by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson

"Good Morning, School Girl" is a blues standard that has been identified as an influential part of the blues canon. Pre-war Chicago blues vocalist and harmonica pioneer John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson first recorded it in 1937. Subsequently, a variety of artists have recorded versions of the song, usually calling it "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Yardbirds</span> English blues and psychedelic rock band

The Yardbirds are an English rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band's other members during 1963–1968 were vocalist/harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, with Dreja switching to bass when Samwell-Smith departed in 1966. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".

The Fool is a 1964 Gibson SG guitar, painted for Eric Clapton by the Dutch design collective The Fool, from which the guitar takes its name. One of the world's best-known guitars, it epitomizes the psychedelic era. Clapton used the guitar extensively while playing with Cream and it was an essential element of his famed "woman tone". From the 1970s to early 1980s, the guitar was owned by Todd Rundgren, who was often seen playing the instrument in his live performances. He nicknamed the guitar "Sunny", after the Cream song "Sunshine of Your Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Certain Girl</span> 1961 single by Ernie K-Doe

"A Certain Girl" is a rhythm and blues song written by Allen Toussaint, with the credit listed under his pen name Naomi Neville. New Orleans R&B singer Ernie K-Doe recorded it in 1961. Minit Records released the song as the B-side of "I Cried My Last Tear".

References

  1. ↑ Gulla, Bob (2009). Guitar Gods: The 25 Players who Made Rock History. ABC-CLIO. p. 42. ISBN   978-0-313-35806-7.
  2. ↑ Hann, Michael (12 June 2011). "Eric Clapton creates the cult of the guitar hero". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 Norman, Philip (30 June 2020). "Why Eric Clapton is still God". GQ.
  4. 1 2 "Clapton Biography Portrays a Restless Rocker Forever Bolting His Bands". The Washington Post . Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Dobney, Jayson Kerr; Inciardi, Craig J.; DeCurtis, Anthony (2019). Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 53. ISBN   978-1-58839-666-2.
  6. 1 2 Hughes, Ruth (12 June 2016). "Rock legend Eric reveals: 'Clapton is God graffiti was a stunt'". Express. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  7. ↑ Weinstein, Deena (2015). Rock'n America: A Social and Cultural History. University of Toronto Press. p. 112. ISBN   978-1-4426-0018-8.
  8. ↑ Collins, Pat. "Essay: A 1960's hit still carries a message". Newsday.com.
  9. ↑ Dowling, Stephen (29 March 2005). "Clapton's guitar 'genius' legacy". BBC. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. ↑ Guralnick, Peter (2000). Rock and Roll is Here to Stay: An Anthology. Norton. p. 213. ISBN   978-0-393-04700-4.
  11. ↑ Clapton Documentary (1987). South Bank Show. ITV.
  12. ↑ Molenda, Michael; Molenda, Mike (2007). The Guitar Player Book: 40 Years of Interviews, Gear, and Lessons from the World's Most Celebrated Guitar Magazine. Backbeat Books. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-87930-782-0.
  13. ↑ Lambert, Philip, ed. (2016). Good Vibrations: Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in Critical Perspective. University of Michigan Press. pp. 20–21. doi:10.3998/mpub.9275965. ISBN   978-0-472-11995-0.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.