Miscellaneous - Tears in Heaven

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 22 / 10 / 2006

intro

Olga Sladeckova writes of an evening at her parents' house in Prague in 2001 spent with her late father and watching with him Eric Clapton perform 'Tears in Heaven' from his 'Unplugged' album

As it is common, I can’t think of a song that would not remind me of a time in my life. Some of them stick out more, some less, some bring happy memories, some sad and some are just very very special. One of my most treasured memories ties in with Eric Clapton's song, ‘Tears in Heaven’. The song originally came out in 1992 on his ‘Unplugged’ album in 1992. I have heard it countless times but there was one time in particular that was very special and unforgettable. I now live in Britain but in 2001 I was in my home city in Prague. I had just returned from Britain after two and a half years and was trying to convince myself that I wanted to live in the Czech Republic. There, however, didn’t seem to be much to keep me there. I only lasted 6 months before running off back to Britain. If there was a reason for me to be there for those 6 months though ,then it definitely was one night. I stayed up till 4 am watching Eric Clapton’s 'Unplugged' session with my dad. My dad never was a big music fan but we really enjoyed Clapton singing ‘Malted Milk, ‘Rollin & Tumblin’ and ‘Before You Accuse Me’. In between the songs we talked about music, war (my dad served in the 2nd World War), travelling, and Britain. When ‘Tears In Heaven Came On’ we talked a lot about the song and life. As I am sure many of you will know, Clapton wrote the song in memory of his young son who by accident fell out of a window and was killed. I could never understand how Clapton manages to get through that song without spilling his eyes out. Sadly my dad passed away last year. Although that night did not seem particularly different and memorable at the time, I always recall it every time I hear ‘Tears In Heaven’. It keeps the memory alive.