The letters, which go on auction at Christie’s next month among other memorabilia, give insight into the love triangle between Pattie Boyd, Beatle George Harrison and his friend Eric Clapton.
“Something in the way she moves / Attracts me like no other lover”
“Like a fool, I fell in love with you / You turned my whole world upside down.”
She’s the woman behind the lyrics of Eric Clapton’s pining love song 'Layla' and George Harrison’s swooning 'Something'. Pattie Boyd is often regarded as one of the most legendary muses in rock and roll history.
In the 1960s and 70s she was also at the centre of one of rock and roll’s most notorious love triangles, inspiring some of the greatest love songs of all time.
Now 80, the English model and photographer is parting with her souvenirs from that time, selling a collection of memorabilia at Christie’s that gives new insight into her marriages to Harrison and Clapton.
At the crossroads of the counterculture movement
Before meeting Harrison on the set of Richard Lester’s musical comedy A Hard Day’s Night, Boyd was a successful fashion model.
At age 19, she fell in love with Harrison, the “quiet one” in the British supergroup The Beatles, and the two married in 1966.
The “Pattie Boyd Collection” at Christie’s includes many photos of the young couple from the early days of their relationship, along with handwritten lyrics, psychedelic drawings and letters from Harrison.
Boyd was the inspiration behind many of Harrison’s songs, including 'I Need You', 'For You Blue' and 'Something', hailed by Frank Sinatra as one of the greatest love songs ever written.
She was also an important influence on The Beatles’ shift to spirituality and psychedelics.
Over the years, Boyd became a well-known photographer in her own right, and her collection includes many of the photographs she took of The Beatles, Clapton and other musicians.
“Is there still a feeling in your heart for me?” Clapton’s pleas to Boyd
Things got complicated when one of Harrison’s closest friends became infatuated with Boyd. Just as her marriage to the Beatle was getting rocky, she started receiving letters at her home from a mysterious man, “E.”
“I had no idea it was from Eric. I thought it was a letter from a weird fan,” Boyd said in an interview with Christie’s. “I even showed it to George!”
She was surprised when Clapton called to ask her if she received any mail from him. “I said, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t realise it was from you!’”
In the first letter, Clapton writes to ask Boyd how she feels about him: “If there is still a feeling in your heart for me… you must let me know!”
“I have kept the letter ever since in a little box filled with trinkets and things,” Boyd said. “It’s a very beautifully written letter, but the writing is so small – it takes up not even a third of the page. It’s like he was rather shy about writing it. It’s like a whisper instead of a talk.”
This is one of two love letters included in the auction that Clapton wrote to Boyd during her marriage to Harrison.
The second is more desperate, scribbled on a page from John Steinbeck's book "Of Mice and Men", with Clapton passionately questioning “why do you hesitate? am i a poor lover, am i ugly, am i too weak, too strong, do you know why?”
“Please break the spell that binds me. to cage a wild animal is a sin, to tame him is divine”.
Codename Layla
Boyd is also selling the original cover artwork for Clapton’s band Derek and The Dominos’ 1970s album 'Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs', a painting of a blonde woman that reminded Clapton of Boyd. It’s estimated to sell for between £40,000 and £60,000 (€46,754 to €70,000).
Clapton wrote the song for Boyd while she was still with Harrison, to persuade her to run away with him. He also wrote 'Wonderful Tonight' about Boyd, as she got ready for a night out.
In the end, all of Clapton’s wooing worked – Boyd married him in 1979. Amazingly, the trio remained close friends, with Harrison even referring to Clapton as his “husband-in-law”.
While her marriage with Clapton ended in 1989, Boyd is still on speaking terms with the musician, and she says she asked for Clapton’s permission before selling the possessions.
“He asked if I was selling the Layla painting, and I said yes,” she told The Telegraph. “He said, ‘Maybe there are other things you could sell as well.’ So he’s absolutely fine with me auctioning everything.”
Aside from the letters, Boyd’s collection of memorabilia includes clothing and jewellery she wore, photographs she took (including some of the Beatles on tour in India), drawings and trinkets from albums and tours.
The Pattie Boyd Collection will go up for auction online at Christie’s from 8 to 21 March 2024.