Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Get Your Tissues Ready For Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven” Debut in MTV Unplugged

Get Your Tissues Ready For Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" Debut in MTV Unplugged
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven” is definitely one of the most emotional songs in music history.

Back in 1992, Clapton debuted the song in front of three-hundred music fans at Bray Studios, Berkshire, England for MTV Unplugged – little did they know a music history would be made that night.

Not only it became the series’ highest-rated show, but the performance was made into a very successful album, Unplugged, which topped numerous charts, including the US, Japan, and Australia. “Tears In Heaven,” on the other hand, became Clapton’s best-selling single in the United States, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In his home country in the United Kingdom, the song peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart while charting Top 10 in over twenty nations worldwide. It went on winning three Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Clapton was nominated for a total of nine Grammys that year, and he took home six of it.

This Is Probably The Most Emotional Song You’ll Ever Hear 

Written by Eric Clapton himself with the help of Will Jennings, “Tears In Heaven” is a song in memory of Clapton’s four-year-old son, who died following a tragic incident. Conor Clapton accidentally fell from the 53rd floor of an apartment where his mother and Clapton’s then-wife, Lory Del Santo, stayed in New York City.

After isolating himself for a period to deal with the grief of his son’s death, Clapton started working again and was enlisted to write a song for the 1991 film Rush.

“Eric and I were engaged to write a song for a movie called Rush. We wrote a song called ‘Help Me Up’ for the end of the movie… then Eric saw another place in the movie for a song, and he said to me, ‘I want to write a song about my boy,'” Jennings recalled.

Though Clapton already had the song’s first verse, he wanted Jennings to write the rest of the verse lines. Jennings told him “that it was so personal he should write everything himself,” but being the caliber songwriter Jennings is, Clapton insisted. 

“Finally, there was nothing else but to do as he requested, despite the sensitivity of the subject. This is a song so personal and so sad that it is unique in my experience of writing songs,” Jennings said.

When the song was finally done, Clapton got a little confused if he should release the song at all, but the director of Rush convinced him to use it in the film. “Her argument was that it might in some way help somebody, and that got my vote,” Clapton said. The song can be heard playing near the end of the film.

When Eric Clapton Decided To Stop Playing The Song

In 2004, Clapton decided to stop playing “Tears In Heaven” as well as “My Father’s Eyes.” While he was touring Japan a year before that, Clapton discovered he could no longer perform these songs.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Without a doubt, the death of his son was perhaps the darkest moment in Clapton’s life, yet it led to one of his best pieces of work. Tune in and watch Eric Clapton’s heart-tugging performance of “Tears In Heaven,” but make sure you keep your tissues nearby.

Latest Stories

John Foster performs Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” on American Idol as his emotional mom watches from the audience with a supportive sign on Mother’s Day.

John Foster Sings Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” for His Mom and Brings Her to Tears in the Audience

It takes guts to sing a Brooks & Dunn song on national TV, especially one like “Believe.” But it takes something even heavier to pull it off on Mother’s Day, ...

Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban side by side as fans debate Stapleton's powerful ACM performance of "Blue Ain't Your Color" and whether it outshined the original.

Chris Stapleton Took On Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” but Who Sang It Better

Keith Urban may have recorded it first, but Chris Stapleton just might’ve claimed it for good. When Stapleton took the stage at the 2025 ACM Awards and delivered a smoldering ...

Maren Morris appears in a recent interview, attempting to clarify her stance on country music after previously signaling a departure from the genre.

Maren Morris Now Claims She Never Said She Was Leaving Country Music

Maren Morris wants you to know she never said she was leaving country music. Apparently, all that talk about burning it down was just a misunderstanding. In a new interview ...

Alan Jackson grows emotional during his 2025 ACM Awards speech after performing “Remember When” and receiving the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award named in his honor.

Alan Jackson Breaks Down Thanking His Wife at the ACMs After Lifetime Achievement Win

Alan Jackson has never been one for theatrics. His music has always spoken about love, life, and family in plain, honest language. But on Thursday night at the 2025 ACM ...

Brooks & Dunn share a laugh backstage as they reflect on their journey from million-dollar royalty checks on a bus to breaking records again at the 2025 ACM Awards.

Brooks & Dunn Remember the Day They Got Their First Million-Dollar Check on the Bus

Long before they were legends, Brooks & Dunn were just two guys chasing a country music dream. And like a scene straight out of a Nashville fairytale, they still remember ...

Gretchen Wilson attends the 2025 ACM Awards red carpet, re-emerging after years away due to health struggles and marking the start of her country music comeback.

Gretchen Wilson Reveals the Health Struggle That Took Her Away From Country Music

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Gretchen Wilson in the spotlight, but now we know why. The “Redneck Woman” singer has kept a low profile for the better part ...

Maren Morris appears on a talk show couch expressing her thoughts, shortly before calling out pop artists for "cosplaying" as country singers—a statement stirring irony given her own history with the genre.

Maren Morris Calls Out Pop Stars “Cosplaying” as Country and Yes the Irony Is Real

File this one under “you can’t make this up.” Maren Morris, who all but broke up with country music just two years ago, is now calling out pop stars for ...

Lainey Wilson poses with a horse in a star-studded outfit, capturing the same down-home authenticity and bold flair that earned her Entertainer of the Year at the 2025 ACM Awards.

Lainey Wilson Won Entertainer of the Year and There’s a Damn Good Reason

Another year, another win. Lainey Wilson walked out of the 2025 ACM Awards with the Entertainer of the Year trophy for the second time in a row, and while some ...

Morgan Wallen performs for a packed stadium crowd in an earlier concert moment—just months before his ACM Awards shutout sparked major fan backlash in 2025.

Morgan Wallen Fans Say There Was “Zero Reason He Shouldn’t Have Won” After ACM Snub

The 60th ACM Awards went off in Frisco, Texas, with big performances, big speeches, and big wins. But not for Morgan Wallen. And his fans are not keeping quiet about ...

Old Dominion captured here in a past promo photo, just before breaking Rascal Flatts’ record with their eighth straight Group of the Year win at the 2025 ACM Awards.

Old Dominion Snatched a Record Rascal Flatts Held for Over a Decade

It finally happened. Old Dominion broke a record that most thought would stand forever. At the 2025 ACM Awards, the Nashville-based five-piece won Group of the Year for the eighth ...

Leave a Comment

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.