Of all the Clapton songs, the one I can't get enough of is the humble "Thorn Tree in the Garden", such believable emoting, such a relatable lyric, kind of a "morning after pill" antidote to all that hard rock?

Funny that's on the same album as "Layla", in my experience, sadly, the most requested funeral song of our generation.

I set out to get a music degree once, thinking I could master the thing. What you learn is that music comes at you from so many directions, often in ways we barely understand. Aside from the theory, a great lyric, harmonies, emotion, the power or finesse or combination, so many ingredients, plus the time of life when you hear it makes a difference. I believe musicians sometimes get lucky with a song, not entirely knowing what's behind it's strength.