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The Woman Who Stole the Hearts of 2 Rock Legends

Aired on 05/07/1996 | CC tv-pg
In 1996, Oprah dedicated an episode of the show to women who had inspired hit songs, and invited the iconic radio DJ and long-time host of American Top 40, Casey Kasem, to lead the lesson in music history. Casey shed some light on one of rock's leading ladies, who inspired not two but three hit songs, written by her first two husbands: George Harrison from The Beatles and Eric Clapton. George Harrison wrote the famous tune "Something" for his first wife, Pattie, while Eric Clapton's love for the married woman remained unrequited. "[Eric Clapton] Fell in love with George Harrison's wife and wrote a song about her because she rejected him, and that song was "Layla"—which was a nickname he gave [Pattie Boyd]," explained Casey. "Then she left George Harrison and guess who she went with?" After Pattie Boyd divorced George Harrison in 1974, she fell in love with Eric Clapton, whom she married in 1979. Clapton went on to write another hit about the woman who was finally his wife, called "Wonderful Tonight." One of the most illuminating takeaways for Oprah, after hearing the story of Pattie Boyd, was that she had misheard the lyrics to "Layla," and been singing them wrong all along!

Original airdate: May 05, 1996