Eric, aged 51 during this performance, took on the song’s first segment alone, keeping its original wash of clarity intact, fluffed out by the soft backing vocals of the swaying East London Gospel Choir. But when the second verse rolled around, Luciano Pavarotti’s bold operatic vocals, touched with a lush Italian accent, swerved the track’s tone incredibly, creating a phenomenally passionate hymn in place of the classic rock ballad.
At first, Luciano’s voice is a shock to the system, hardly fitting the song’s style and clashing strangely against Eric’s preceding verse. But by the time Luciano (61 at the time) had firmly grasped the reins and Eric Clapton’s virtuosic guitar solo rang out stellar against the Gospel Choir’s plush backing, a powerful moment of unity arose. By the end of the viral video, even Luciano looks amazed at the music crafted on that stage!
“Holly Mother” single by Eric Clapton from the studio album August
Released November 23, 1987
Label Duck/Warner bros
Songwriters Stephen Bishop, Eric Clapton
Producer Phil Collins
Charted No.95 in UK
Eric Clapton posted on Facebook how he was inspired to write the song after watching Prince’s Purple Rain in a Canadian movie theater.
“In the ’80s, I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs, I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada. I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning!
In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope, he was like a light in the darkness…
I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote Holy Mother.”
Musicians on the original recording:
Bass Nathan East
Percussion Phil Collins
Guitar Eric Clapton
Keyboards Greg Phillinganes
Background Vocals Phil Collins
Background Vocals Katie Kissoon
Background Vocals Tessa Niles
Background Vocals Greg Phillinganes
Vocals Eric Clapton
