Writer: Eric Clapton
Producer: Glyn Johns
Recorded: May 1977 at Olympic Studios, London, England
Released: October 1977
| Players: | Eric Clapton — vocals, guitar George Terry — guitars Jaime Oldaker — drums Dick Sims — organ Yvonne Elliman — vocals Marcy Levy — vocals Carl Radle — bass |
| Album: | Slowhand (RSO) |
This gentle love song was written for Eric Clapton's future wife Pattie, whom he wooed away from George Harrison.
Clapton says he wrote the song while waiting for Pattie to get dressed for a night out. They were running very late, and yet Pattie was insisting on trying on virtually every dress in her wardrobe. She kept coming downstairs wearing something new, and Clapton kept saying, “You look wonderful. Can we go now?” Eventually, he got sick of this and picked up a guitar, just to keep himself occupied, and composed “Wonderful Tonight.” Clapton told Rolling Stone, “'Wonderful Tonight' has a little bit of irony in it. I didn't write it in a particular good mood. I wrote it because my (future) wife was late getting ready to go out. I was in a foul temper about it.”
The song has become a favorite at weddings and other romantic occasions, which pleases Clapton. He said, “Every now and then you fall in love again, albeit with the same woman, just for one night for some reason, something she's said or the way she's approached the situation, and Bang! — you're in love again, and it's such a strong feeling you can't do anything else but write it down.”
The song was a Billboard Top 20 hit for Clapton in 1978.
