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42听听|听Top 100
'I Can't Make You Love Me'
Bonnie Raitt
If it hadn鈥檛 been for a knee injury that took Mike Reid out of America鈥檚 NFL Cincinnati Bengals hits like I Can鈥檛 Make You Love Me wouldn鈥檛 have seen the light of day. Reid had also played classical piano and took a music degree while pursuing college football. His |
 Song facts |
| Composer |
Reid/Shamblin |
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| Genre |
Rock |
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| Album |
Luck of the Draw
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| Released |
1991 |
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| UK Chart Position |
50 |
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loss from football has been Nashville鈥檚 gain. I Can鈥檛 Make You Love Me came from his work with Allen Shamblin who racked up five country number ones in the 90s including the gold status 鈥淒on鈥檛 Laugh At Me鈥
Shamblin recalls that I Can鈥檛 Make You Love Me came from a newspaper article. He had read about a man who was in court for harassing his ex-girlfriend. Ruefully the man had told the court he had been trying to win her back but he said 鈥測ou can鈥檛 make a woman love you鈥.
It was from this one line the song grew. Bonnie Raitt recorded it for 鈥楲uck of The Draw鈥 the 1991 follow up to 鈥楴ick of Time鈥, the Album that brought her international recognition. Talking about recording I Can鈥檛 Make You Love me she said it had moved her to tears 鈥"I couldn't even get through that song. I kept crying at the line 'I'll close my eyes/So I don't see/The love you don't feel/ When you're holding me' - that's the saddest line I've ever heard.鈥
Bonnie Raitt |
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Bonnie Raitt talks about picking songwriters.
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Other versions |
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听This version appeared on 'Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael'.
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Songwriting tips Look for unusual words and phrases to make your song different
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