First recorded by Derek and the Dominos in 1970, "Layla", a hard rock classic co-written by Eric Clapton, was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century Arabia and later formed the basis of The Story of Layla and Majnun by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi -- the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful young girl, went crazy, and so could not marry her. The song was further inspired by Clapton's secret love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend and fellow musician George Harrison (yes, that George Harrison). After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd eventually married. This recording, from 2016, mellows what was originally a gritty, sexy, almost painful song into a bluesy zen ballad, and I love it.