Clapton previously considered naming the album "50 Years of Drift in an Open Tuning", a homage to the Derek Taylor book "50 Years Adrift (In An Open Necked Shirt)". He was inspired to name the album "Old Sock" from a conversation with David Bowie. After hearing Bowie's then-new song "Where Are We Now?", Clapton sent a note thanking him "for writing such a beautiful song". Bowie responded, "Thanks for the shoutout, old sock. Really appreciate it." Bowie allowed Clapton to use the phrase for his album title and share the story of their conversation. Following Bowie's death in 2016, Clapton wrote "Sweet dreams old sock" on his Facebook account.