ERIC CLAPTON - NOBODY KNOWS YOU

NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN AND OUT

ERIC CLAPTON

SONGWRITERS: TONI PARENTI, PHILIP PARENTI (HEIR OF PARENTI, TONY), JIMMY COX(DP)

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: SLOWHAND

LABEL: UNIVERSAL MUSIC

GENRE: CLASSIC ROCK

YEAR: 1977

Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton 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 also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.

In the mid-1960s Clapton left the Yardbirds to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After Cream broke up, he formed blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. Clapton's solo career began in the 1970s, where his work bore the influence of the mellow style of J. J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley. His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped reggae reach a mass market. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded with Derek and the Dominos; and Robert Johnson‘s "Crossroads", recorded with Cream. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which appeared on his Unplugged album.

Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his solo career, Clapton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.

This song was written by Jimmy Cox in 1923 and became popular in 1929, when Bessie Smith recorded it.

"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" was one of the first songs that Eric Clapton learned to play in the finger-picking acoustic-guitar style of Big Bill Broonzy when Clapton was attracted to London's folk-music scene being an art student in the early 1960s.

Eric Clapton recorded a group version of this song with his band, Derek and the Dominos, for their debut album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" in 1970.

In 1992, Eric Clapton recorded an acoustic version for the MTV Unplugged series. He said, "I also enjoyed going back and playing the old stuff like 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out', which was how it all started back in Kingston so long ago."

Once I lived the life of a millionaire,

Spent all my money, didn't have any care.

Took all my friends out for a mighty good time,

Bought bootleg liquor, champagne and wine.

Then I began to fall so low,

Lost all my good friends, had nowhere to go.

I get my hands on a dollar again,

I'll hang on to it 'til that old eagle grins.

Because nobody loves you

When you're down and out.

In your pocket, not one penny,

And as for friends... you don't have many.

When you get back on your feet again,

Everybody wants to be your long-lost friend.

I said it straight without any doubt,

Nobody knows you when you're down and out.

Oh, nobody knows you

When you're down and out.

In your pocket, not one penny,

And as for friends... you don't have many.

When you get back on your feet again,

Everybody wants to be your long-lost friend.

I said it straight without any doubt,

Nobody knows you,

Nobody knows you,

Nobody knows you when you're down and out.