My Father's Eyes (song)

For the Amy Grant song, see My Father's Eyes (album).
"My Father's Eyes"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Pilgrim
B-side "Theme from a Movie That Never Happened", "Inside of Me"
Released 1998
Format CD single
Recorded 1997
Genre Soft Rock
Length 5:24
Label Reprise
Writer(s) Eric Clapton
Producer(s) Eric Clapton, Simon Climie
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Change the World"
(1996)		 "My Father's Eyes"
(1998)		 "Circus"
(1998)

"My Father's Eyes" is a song written and performed by Eric Clapton and produced by Clapton himself and Simon Climie. It was released as a single in 1998 and was featured on the album Pilgrim. The song reached the top 40 on the Billboard Airplay chart, peaking at number 16, and spent five weeks at number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.[1] "My Father's Eyes" won a Grammy award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Clapton performed this track for the first time in 1992 and again in 1996, in both electric and unplugged versions. These versions of the song were completely different from the version released as a single released in 1998. He would later retire the song in 2004, along with "Tears in Heaven", until the 50 Years Further On Up The Road world tour in 2013.

Inspiration and content

The song is inspired by the fact that Clapton never met his father, who died in 1985. Describing how Clapton wishes he knew his father, "My Father's Eyes" also refers to the brief life of Clapton's son Conor, who died at age four after falling from an apartment window. "In it I tried to describe the parallel between looking in the eyes of my son, and the eyes of the father that I never met, through the chain of our blood", said Clapton in his autobiography.

Music video

In the beginning of the music video (directed by Kevin Godley), we see a basketball which dribbles seven times, the seventh dribble causing the basketball to break into pieces. This dribbling footage returns at the end of the video, without the basketball breaking. Between these scenes, there is footage of Eric Clapton playing slide guitar and running on a treadmill.

Accolades

Year Ceremony Award Result Ref.
1999 BMI Awards Song of the Year Won [2]
Grammy Awards Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Won [3]

Track listing

  1. "My Father's Eyes"
  2. "Change The World"
  3. "Theme from a Movie That Never Happened" (Orchestral)
  4. "Inside of Me"

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 74
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 18
Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM)[6] 10
France (SNEP)[7] 23
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 57
Italy (FIMI)[9] 26
Netherlands (Dutch Tip 40)[10] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 72
Norway (VG-lista)[12] 20
Poland (LP3)[13] 3
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[14] 41
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 31
UK Physical Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 33
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 33
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[18] 7
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[19] 26
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[20] 21
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[21] 16

Year-end charts

Chart (1998) Position
Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM)[22] 5

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 56.
  2. ↑ "This month at the BMI website". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (46): 1. November 13, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Rock On The Net: Grammy Awards: Best Pop Solo Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  5. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Eric Clapton – My Father's Eyes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Adult Contemporary – Volume 68, No. 3, October 12 1998". RPM. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Tout les Titres par Artiste > Clapton, Eric". Info Disc. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > My Father' Eyes". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: C > Clapton, Eric". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes | Top 40". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eric Clapton – My Father's Eyes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Eric Clapton – My Father's Eyes". Norwegian Charts. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "My Father's Eyes – Eric Clapton" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Eric Clapton – My Father's Eyes". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1998-04-04" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Eric Clapton. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Eric Clapton. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Eric Clapton. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for Eric Clapton. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Adult Contemporary – Volume 68, No. 12, December 14 1998". RPM. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
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