“Can’t Find My Way Home” comes from a supergroup of the highest order: Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They made just one album. The self-entitled album went to number one in the US and the UK as the band was breaking up.

The cover art for the UK album featured an 11-year-old girl, Mariora Goschen. The photo was of Goschen naked and holding a model spaceship (sending people to the moon was a huge topic in the timeframe).  The US album cover featured alternative artwork.

According to Songfacts, the idea and photo came from Bob Seidemann.  The photo of the girl and the spaceship represents humankind’s relationship with technology.  The band has yet to pick a name, so Bob called the photo “Blind Faith.”  Eric Clapton made the decision to name the band the same.

The band played their first gig by giving a free concert at Hyde Park on June 7th, 1969.  100,000 people showed up.  Here’s a live concert video from the show:

Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I’ve been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key

Well, I’m near the end and I just ain’t got the time
And I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home

How “Can’t Find My Way Home” Came To Be

• Steve Winwood

  Steve Winwood wrote and sang the song.  According to MyRockMixTapes.com, “Some say this Steve is singing about a break-up or the meaning of life while others claim that it’s about war and death. The most well-known interpretation of  ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ is that it’s a song about drugs.”

  My personal interpretation would be, “You need to quit the drugs.  I’m still here because I love you, but maybe I’m not the one who can help you.  I’m about done here. I’m spent and I can’t find a way out of this.”  One of the things I love about music, in general, is the open, personal interpretation of song lyrics.  The song appealed to people in the now of 1969: the end of the 60’s, war, space exploration, and the ever-present uncertainty of life.

  I couldn’t find ANYTHING on the internet about Steve Winwood talking about the song… and after a while, I wasn’t surprised.  It’s a smart move.  The song has been interpreted in so many ways and speaks to so many so let them.  Winwood isn’t the first artist to not expound on the meaning behind the lyrics.  Let people take from it what they want… and what they need.

  Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton during their time as Blind Faith, at a...

  Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton during their time as Blind Faith, at a free Hyde park concert, London, 7th June 1969. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

   

  Steve Winwood became the lead singer of the Spencer Davis Group when he was just 14 years old.  Besides singing and keyboards, he also knows how to play a wide variety of other instruments, including the guitar and organ (medium.com)

  A lot of people thought Blind Faith sounded more like Winwood’s previous band, Traffic, than Eric Clapton’s Cream, but that’s what Clapton was actually looking to do.

• Eric Clapton

  Eric Clapton played acoustic guitar on this track, which is not something he did often in this timeframe. When Eric was in Cream, he played long, impassioned solos.  He wanted to take a different path with Blind Faith.

  English Rock musician Eric Clapton, of the group Blind Faith, plays...

  English Rock musician Eric Clapton, of the group Blind Faith, plays guitar as he performs onstage at Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, August 1, 1969. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

  The picture above is of Eric Clapton at the Olympia Stadium show in Detroit on August 1st, 1969.

• Ginger Baker

  This band started from jam sessions between Clapton and Winwood.  Ginger Baker showed up to one of the sessions, unannounced, uninvited, and wanted to play.  Steve Winwood loved the idea, but Clapton was not all in on the idea of the former Cream drummer joining the band.  Clapton was looking for a departure from his role in Cream… part of that role included moderating fights between Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. (medium.com)

  Ginger Baker performs on stage with Blind Faith in Hyde Park, London,...

  Ginger Baker performs on stage with Blind Faith in Hyde Park, London, 7th June 1969. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

• Ric Grech

  Ric Grech was the bassist for the band, Family.  He was brought in to round out the lineup on bass.

  Rock band "Blind Faith" pose for a portrait in 1969. : Steve Winwood,...

  Rock band "Blind Faith" pose for a portrait in 1969. : Steve Winwood, Ric Grech, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton. Photo by Bob Seidemann. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

• Touring

  Touring wasn’t easy.  Blind Faith only had one album so they had to play old stuff from Cream and Traffic which did not make Eric Clapton too happy.  He was further annoyed that the crowds preferred the old stuff over Blind Faith’s newer songs.  Clapton left the band after the final show of the tour. Blind Faith, from start to finish, lasted about 9 months.  Here’s another shot from the Olympia Stadium show:

  Members of English Rock group Blind Faith perform onstage at Olympia...

  Members of English Rock group Blind Faith perform onstage at Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, August 1, 1969. Pictured are, from left, Steve Winwood, on keyboards, Ginger Baker , on drums, Ric... Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

• "Can't Find My Way Home" - The Original Acoustic Version

  “Can’t Find My Way Home” is one of the most covered songs of rock.

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