This song was written by Eric Clapton and songwriter Will Jennings, only months after Clapton’s four year-old son Conor died tragically. It was written for the film Rush (1991), and in Clapton’s words, being asked to score this movie gave him an excuse to write this song that had been forming in his head since the accident.
Still, having written it, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to use it, but was persuaded to do so by the film’s director, Lili Zanuck.
The first verse is Clapton’s, and the song was finished, at Clapton’s request, by Jennings, even though he was reluctant to do so, given the personal nature of the song.
It reached #2 in the USA, and remains Clapton’s biggest hit that he wrote. He did reach #1 with I Shot The Sherriff, but that was a cover of a Bob Marley tune.
It also won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1993 Grammy awards.