"Tears in Heaven" is a song by English guitarist, singer, and songwriter
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
and
Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the
1991 ''Rush'' film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapton performed the song in front of an audience at
Bray Studios, Berkshire, England for ''
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'', with the recording appearing on his ''
Unplugged'' album.
The song is Clapton's best-selling single in the United States, reaching number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Clapton's native United Kingdom, it reached number five on the
UK Singles Chart, and also charted in the top 10 in more than 20 countries. It won three
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance,
Song of the Year, and
Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
. In 2004, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked "Tears in Heaven" 353rd on its list of "
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Writing
On 20 March 1991, Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, whom he had with
Lory Del Santo, died after falling from the 53rd-floor window of a New York City apartment belonging to a friend of Conor’s mother. After isolating himself for a period, Clapton began working again, writing music for the film ''
Rush'' (1991). He dealt with his grief by co-writing "Tears in Heaven", with
Will Jennings, for the soundtrack.
Clapton said he admired Jennings' work with
Steve Winwood.
According to Jennings, Clapton wrote the lyrics for the first verse, and asked him to write the rest. Jennings urged Clapton to write the entire song due to the personal subject matter, but eventually agreed. He said it was "a song so personal and so sad that it is unique in my experience of writing songs".
In an interview in 1992, Clapton said the song "was in the back of my head but it didn't really have a reason for being until I was scoring this movie ... And it is a little ambiguous because it could be taken to be about Conor but it also is meant to be part of the film."
In another interview, he said: "I almost subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and behold, it worked... I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music."
Release
Shortly after the soundtrack was released, Clapton recorded the song in front of an audience at
Bray Studios,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, England as part of a set for ''
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'', released as ''
Unplugged''. The album topped numerous charts, including the US, Japan and Australia, reached number two in the UK, and was nominated for nine
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
the year it was released.
United States and Canada
"Tears in Heaven" is Clapton's best-selling single in the United States. With more than 2,800,000 copies sold – both physical and digital – it remains one of the best-selling pop singles of the 1990s and one of the best-selling singles released by any non-American artist. The Reprise Records single reached number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles charts, where it was held off the number one spot by
Vanessa Williams' single "
Save the Best for Last" for four weeks and charted for a total of 26 weeks. It is Clapton's highest-charting single on the Hot 100 after "
I Shot the Sheriff
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers.
Background
The song was first released in 1973 on Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers ...
", which is Clapton's only Hot 100 number one single to date.
While charting on America's most important single chart, Clapton received several sales awards by the ''Billboard'' magazine, including a "Hot Shot Debut" and a "Power Pick/Sales" certificate.
After the physical single release was certified with a
Gold disc by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) on March 18, 1992,
the single was still selling about 150,000 copies every week.
On April 15, 1992, "Tears in Heaven" was certified with a
Platinum certification award for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
It topped the Top Single Sales chart, compiled by the ''Billboard'' magazine in 1992.
The release also topped ''Billboard'' magazines
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
chart, on which "Tears in Heaven" charted for a total of 30 weeks,
and also became a number one single on the Top 100
''Cashbox'' charts.
By the end of 1992, "Tears in Heaven" sold more than 2,300,000 copies in the United States alone.
The pop single also received a lot of airplay, charting 20 weeks on the Top Radio Songs chart, peaking at number three, and reaching position nine on the
Mainstream Rock Songs chart, where "Tears in Heaven" stayed for a total of 18 weeks.
Also, it was later the fourth-favourite recurrent airplay single, as the ''Billboard'' magazine reported in summer of 1992.
The 1992 single release was the 6th-best-selling single recording in the United States that year, reaching number six on the ''Billboard'' year-end Hot 100 chart
as well as the 5th-most successful Adult Contemporary release. It also ranked at number five on the Top Single Sales chart, compiled by the ''Billboard'' magazine and reached position 25 on the Top Radio Songs year-end chart in 1992.
In Canada, the Reprise Records single release topped all of the three pop single sales chart in the country and is therefore Clapton's most successful single in Canada to date. The song reached the number one top position on both the Canadian Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
and Top 100 Singles chart, compiled by the
''RPM'' magazine.
In addition to the already rare success, reaching number one on both of the charts, "Tears in Heaven" was
''The Record'' magazine's top retail selling single release.
Shortly after the single was released in Canada and topped all of these three record charts, it was certified with a double Platinum sales certification for physical sales exceeding 200,000 copies.
In 1992, "Tears in Heaven" was the 17th-best-selling single on ''RPM'' magazine's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
Europe and Oceania
The pop single release was especially successful in Europe, reaching the Top 10 in 12 countries and the Top 20 in 15 of them. The single charted at number three on the
European Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
chart in 1992, and was Europes 21st best-selling single of 1992.
In Austria, the physical single peaked at number 25 on the
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired on Tuesdays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as ...
singles chart, and eventually charted at number ten in week four, reaching its highest charting position in the country. In total, the single of "Tears in Heaven" spent 12 weeks on the nations single sales chart.
It was eventually certified with a Gold disc by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Austria and reached number 61 on the country's year-end chart in 1992.
In
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
(Belgium), the single reached three singles charts. In 1992, it peaked at position 44 on
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...
's Top 50 single chart, and reached its peak position, 16, in week four and five, while on chart for a total of ten weeks.
At that time, the single also peaked at number ten on the Belgian
VRT Top 30 singles chart, where "Tears in Heaven" spent eight weeks on chart.
In 2010, when a remastered physical edition of the single was released in Belgium, it reached number 16 on the Back Catalogue chart.
The song was Belgium's 159th best-selling single in 1992,
and certified with a Platinum disc for sales over 50,000 copies by the
Belgian Entertainment Association
The Belgian Recorded Music Association (BRMA), previously Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) is the organisation that represents the interests of the music industry in Belgium. The BRMA is the local record industry association in Belgium of ...
.
In Denmark, "Tears in Heaven" topped the single sales chart and was certified Platinum for sales exceeding 10,000 copies by
IFPI Denmark, as it spent a total of 29 weeks on chart.
In France, the single peaked at number two on the French singles chart, where it charted for 34 weeks. On chart week 28, it was certified with a Platinum award by the
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
(SNEP) for sales of more than 500,000 copies in the country.
In Germany, the single placed itself on its lowest charting position, number 42.
In total, the single charted for eleven weeks on the German singles chart, and sold more than 170,000 both digital and physical copies to date. "Tears in Heaven" topped
the single charts in Ireland and was certified with a Platinum disc by the
Irish Recorded Music Association
The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit association set up in 1999 to promote certain interests of the music industry in Ireland. It is particularly active in addressing copyright issues, and it compiles the official music ...
(IRMA), selling more than 50,000 copies in 1992, as it reached both of the year-end charts in 1992
and 1993 with positions five and 47.
In Italy, the single reached Top five positions as both a physical as well as a digital download single. In 1992, the single peaked at number four on the Italian single chart, compiled by
Musica e dischi.
Later, the single re-entered the nations single chart as a digital download and streaming single, reaching number five on the charts, now compiled by the
Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI).
In addition, the digital single was certified with a Platinum disc, for sales and streams exceeding 30,000 units. The single was a medium successful hit in the Netherlands. It reached position 17 on the
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
singles weekly chart, where it stayed for ten weeks,
and reached number 131 on the chart's year-end list in 1992.
It also reached the
Dutch Single Top 100
The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
chart, peaking at number 13 and staying for 21 weeks on chart,
before placing itself on position 87 on the year-end Single 100 chart.
In Norway, the single topped the
VG-lista
VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper ''Verdens Gang, VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Soundscan Inte ...
singles chart in 1992. In Spain, the single charted at number seven on the nation's singles chart, and was eventually certified with a Gold disc, commemorating the sale of more than 25,000 copies in the country by the
Productores de Música de España
Productores de Música de España (; shortened as Promusicae) is the national organisation responsible for the music charts of Spain. it is a trade association that represents more than 90% of the Spanish recorded music industry. It is the Inter ...
(PROMUSICAE). In Sweden, "Tears in Heaven" reached number four on the
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from IFPI Sverige. It was formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and has been known by its current name si ...
singles chart, where it spent a total of 30 weeks on chart.
In October 1992, it was presented with a Platinum sales award by the
Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF), when it exceeded 50,000 sold units in the country.
It reached number 86 on the 1992 Swedish year-end chart.
In Switzerland, the single was also a Top ten hit, peaking at number seven on the
Schweizer Hitparade, where "Tears in Heaven" stayed for 15 weeks.
Here too, the single was presented with a Gold certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, for sales exceeding 25,000 copies in Switzerland. It was the 38th most-bought single in Switzerland in 1992.
"Tears in Heaven" was also a major success for Clapton in his home country, the United Kingdom. The single reached number five on the charts, compiled by the
Official Charts Company
The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
and spent a total of 14 weeks on the British charts,
selling 140,000 copies in the first five weeks. Shortly after, the single was certified with a
Gold disc by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI), for sales more than 400,000 copies in the country.
With total sales of more than 300,000 copies by the end of 1992,
"Tears in Heaven" reached number 56 on Great Britain's 1992 year-end chart.
In Australia, "Tears in Heaven" was a hit record despite charting in the lower positions of the
ARIA Singles Chart. In 1992, the pop Reprise Records single placed itself at number 102 on Australia's year-end chart.
However, in 1993, it would generate far more single sales, become Australia's 28th best-selling single alongside "
Layla".
In 1993, the single release was also certified with a Platinum record sales certification by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) for sales figures exceeding 70,000 physical units.
In New Zealand, the single topped the country's single chart for the first five weeks on chart, and spent a total of 18 weeks on the country's single sales chart.
On May 31, 1992 – just four weeks on chart in New Zealand – "Tears in Heaven" was certified with a Gold disc by the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), commemorating the sale of more than 7,500 copies in the country.
Asia and South America
In Asia, "Tears in Heaven" was mostly successful in Japan, where the Reprise Records single stayed for a total of thirty-seven weeks on the nation's Hot 100 single sales chart, compiled by ''Oricon''.
Because "Tears in Heaven" was not released as a maxi single or part of a
double A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
by Reprise or Warner Bros. Records in Japan, it was not eligible to chart on any other charts. While charting in Japan in 1992, the pop single release was certified with a triple Platinum disc by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include pro ...
(RIAJ),
for sales overstepping the 300,000 sales mark. By the end of 1992, "Tears in Heaven" sold more than 389,000 units in Japan,
however, not enough for a quadruple Platinum certification award.
For the year-end closing of ''Oricon'', it was revealed, the 1992 single release was the fortieth best-selling release on the Hot 100 Singles chart.
On the summary of 1992's most-purchased international singles in Japan, "Tears in Heaven" reached number sixty-three.
In Taiwan, the Recording Industry of Taiwan (RIT) awarded the single release with a Gold disc, for digital download sales exceeding more than 175,000 units in the country. On Taiwan's year-end chart of 2007, "Tears in Heaven" ranked at position seventy-seven.
The song is also successful in South Korea, singers
Kang Susie and Lisa Ha (Ha Soo-bin) once covered the song.
"Tears in Heaven" is Clapton's commercially most successful single release in South America to date, as it reached the single sales charts of three countries. In Argentina, the Reprise Records release topped the country's single charts, compiled by the
Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (CAPIF). Also, the pop tune topped the singles chart in Brazil,
and reached the 1992 year-end charts, placing itself on number fourteen.
In Brazil, the single release was certified with a Platinum disc for physical sales of more than 250,000 copies.
It is Clapton's highest-selling single in Brazil, as "Change the World" was certified with a Gold disc, and a rare certification for any physical single, as the world's best-selling single "
Candle in the Wind 1997" achieved similar sales figures.
At last, "Tears in Heaven" peaked at number eight on
Asociación Colombiana de Productores de Fonogramas (ASINCOL)'s physical format singles chart in Colombia. It also reached number thirty-eight on the country's year-end chart of 1992, compiled by ASINCOL, and is Clapton's only charting single in the country.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the ''Rush'' soundtrack's liner notes.
*
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
–
vocals
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
acoustic and
electric guitars,
dobro
*
Randy Kerber –
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
*
JayDee Maness –
pedal steel guitar
*
Nathan East
Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts ...
–
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
* Gayle Levant –
Celtic harp
*
Lenny Castro –
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
* Jimmy Bralower –
drum programming
Legacy
Clapton made numerous public service announcements to raise awareness for
childproofing windows and staircases. In 2004 Clapton stopped performing "Tears in Heaven" as well as the song "
My Father's Eyes", stating: "I didn't feel the loss anymore, which is so much a part of performing those songs. I really have to connect with the feelings that were there when I wrote them. They're kind of gone and I really don't want them to come back, particularly. My life is different now. They probably just need a rest and maybe I'll introduce them for a much more detached point of view."
Eventually, however, both songs would make it back into Clapton's regular setlists, with the latter being performed as recently as 2013, and the former in 2022.
Genesis wrote and recorded the song "Since I Lost You" for the 1991 ''
We Can't Dance
''We Can't Dance'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis (band), Genesis, released on 11 November 1991 by Virgin Records in the UK and a day later by Atlantic Records in the US. It is their last studio album recorded wit ...
'' album.
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
, a longtime friend and collaborator of Clapton's, said in interviews the song was inspired by Clapton's loss of Conor.
Dana Key wrote a song in response to "Tears in Heaven" and Clapton's loss of Conor titled "Dear Mr. Clapton". The song appears on Key's 1995 solo album ''Part of the Mystery''.
Awards and nominations
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Other performances
In January 2005,
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
and
Sharon Osbourne assembled an all-star cast to collaborate on "Tears in Heaven". Sales from the recording benefited the
Disasters Emergency Committee's Tsunami Earthquake appeal and the
tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. The line up included
Gwen Stefani,
Mary J. Blige,
Pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
,
Slash,
Duff "Rose" McKagan,
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
,
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
,
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
,
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
,
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera".
Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
,
Katie Melua,
Josh Groban,
Scott Weiland,
Paul Santo,
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...
, and
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
. Ozzy Osbourne and
Kelly Osbourne also sang on the song.
See also
*
List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1992
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tears In Heaven
1992 songs
1992 singles
1990s ballads
Eric Clapton songs
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Number-one singles in Argentina
Number-one singles in Brazil
Number-one singles in Denmark
Number-one singles in Iceland
Number-one singles in Japan
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles
MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
Songs about children
Songs written for films
Commemoration songs
British soft rock songs
Songs with lyrics by Will Jennings
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Song recordings produced by Russ Titelman
Warner Records singles
Songs written by Eric Clapton
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in Norway
Rock ballads