“What I should have done”: Pattie Boyd’s biggest regret
Music would be nothing without the muses that inspire it, and Pattie Boyd is the best of them. As well as being a model, photographer and general 1960s it-girl helping to define the style of the era, Boyd was a super muse, inspiring some of the greatest rock songs ever written. She’s lived a life people could only dream of, brushing shoulders with the biggest stars who adored her in return. But when she reflects on her time, one major regret sticks out.
It’s hard to imagine Boyd having regrets. Most people would probably assume that after a song like ‘Layla’ was written about them, life would be all smooth sailing. Surely, knowing you inspired a love song as gorgeous as ‘Something’ should do a lot for your self-esteem, helping to smooth away doubts with one click of the play button.
“The artist absorbs an element from their muse that has nothing to do with words, just the purity of their essence,” Boyd said to Harpers Bazaar and clearly her essence was something special. Not only did the model marry George Harrison and inspire several Beatles songs, but her aura seemed to prompt creativity from anyone around her as the likes of Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, and more dedicated songs to her too.
But there is more to life than just romance. While it’s obvious that Boyd’s life has been full with grand and thrilling love affairs, allowing her a front row seat to the creative world of some of history’s best artists, there is more to her than just being a muse. Even though it’s a title she wears as a badge of honor, she is still a three dimensional person with her own life and hopes and dreams, not just a pretty image attached to the work of men.
Boyd lived her own life with her own thrills. “When I started modelling, every day was a huge adventure,” she told the Big Issue of her own career, adding, “I was full of excitement.” However, over time, it stalled. “For a while it felt perfect, but then I started to want something more challenging,” she said, remembering how she yearned for more creative stimulation.
As she stepped behind the camera, changing from modelling to photography, it made her think back to her school days with a pang of regret. “If I’d got my act together when I was young, I would have tried much harder at school. Then I’d have been able to go to art school, which is what I should have done, which would have been lovely,” she said, adding sadly, “If I’d learned more when I was young, I’d have made more of my life.”
For Boyd, this regret that she didn’t follow a path from school to further education haunted her, even when her life was fun and exciting. It felt like somewhere along the way, she’d lost some guidance as she said, “When you’re young without any direction it’s very difficult. You might be influenced by a girl you’ve met, or something you’ve seen other people do, possibly something you see on TV, and it’s not really you, what you really should be pursuing.”
However, whether Boyd feels it or not, her life has been an incredible one that has inspired generations of women since, not just because of her muse status but from her own position as an it-girl and face of an era.
