A few years ago, my brother and I had a discussion about how vastly different our musical tastes are. He is a professor at NYU, and is totally into Broadway music. I, on the other hand… well, you know what my tastes are based on what this site is all about… anyhow, we talked for quite a while and couldn’t find any common ground until one of us mentioned Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” I forget who mentioned it first, but needless to say, we both said, “Yeah!” and felt content that we DO have something in common.
I remember my brother talking about this song as if he knew the composers. To be honest, I wouldn’t doubt that he DID know the composers… he’s kind of a big deal. His apartment smells of rich mahogany, and Merlin Olsen visits on occasion….
During Thanksgiving dinner this last Thursday, he told me of wonderful rendition of the song by Denison Witmer. I hadn’t heard of this version, so he let me hear it through his iPod. I was really impressed by Witmer’s performance, but felt compelled to go dig out Raitt’s original recording and spin it again… I haven’t listened to this song in a long time.
“I Can’t Make You Love Me” has got to be one of the most heartbreakiest songs ever written. Trying to “make” someone love you is a given in life… everyone feels and experiences it at some point about someone or something… and I’m not being blasphemous when I say that even GOD deals with this struggle on a daily basis. Let’s face it, God can’t MAKE us love Him. Either we do or we don’t… that’s what faith is.
Like many fans of this song, I first heard this song from Bonnie Raitt’s album Luck of the Draw. It’s perhaps my favorite song of hers, and it has nothing to do with the fact that Bruce Hornsby AND Benmont Tench hold keyboard duties in the song (well, maybe a little)… no, I love this song because of the pure emotion exhibited in not only Raitt’s vocals but the song itself. There’s a loneliness to this tune that has been unmatched, and no matter how many people cover it, Bonnie Raitt
The seeds of this song are explained at Songfacts.com:
The song was originally a fast tempo, bluegrass-style song. After slowing it down, though, the two writers realized this was the way to go and marketed the song that way.
According to an interview for 107.1 KGSR, Raitt remarked how she sang the vocal for “I Can’t Make You Love Me” just once in the studio. ONCE. Wow. “We’d try to do it again and I just said, “You know, this ain’t going to happen,’” she says.
This last Thursday night, my brother and I started talking about this song again… he focused on the lyric, “I will lay down my heard and I’ll feel the power / but you won’t, no you won’t.”
He thought that “Power” is such a great way to describe this feeling, that it is a sense of control that we GIVE to the one we “can’t make love us.” They don’t necessarily want it, but we give it to them, nonetheless. There’s really nothing we can do about it, nor is there anything they can do about it. Nobody wants this, it just is.
I told him, “Dude, that’s pretty deep.” And then we ate some pumpkin pie and laughed about the second Star Wars themed Robot Chicken.
The saddest part of the song is the fact that the protagonist is asking the one they love (but who doesn’t love them back) to be intimate with them.
There is no doubt in their mind that they need to leave this situation, yet they remain. The second verse explains more of their plans for the future:
Putting these two lines into context, I get the impression that they have said this to themselves time and time again, yet they still remain. The other person probably knows what is going on, but they still maintain the status quo because… well, it’s convenient, it’s a “sure thing,” and it IS a feeling of power.
A LOT of information is revealed between the two parties, and all the listener gets is one point of view. I totally dig it!
Rolling Stone magazine ranks “I Can’t Make You Love Me” at #331 in their Top 500 Greatest Songs of All The Universe and Beyond. It hit #18 on the Billboard pop singles chart and helped Raitt continue her rebirth in the early 80’s/late 90’s.
I’d like to thank my brother for the different cover versions of the song in the Dig-It section. They’re all fun to hear, but in my opinion, none can compare to Raitt’s. It’s interesting to note that (aside from Witmer’s acoustic recording) all these versions basically start the exact same way Raitt’s does. This just goes to show you how definitive her version is.
I’m glad my brother reminded me of this phenomenal song. It always gives us a subject to discuss that does NOT end up in an argument.
Your Dig-It Downloads: (right click on link to download)
Download: I Can’t Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt)
Buy Bonnie Raitt on Amazon
Buy Bonnie Raitt on iTunes
Download: I Can’t Make You Love Me (Nancy Wilson)
Buy Nancy Wilson on Amazon
Buy Nancy Wilson on iTunes
Download: I Can’t Make You Love Me (George Michael)
Buy George Michael on Amazon
Buy George Michael on iTunes
Download: I Can’t Make You Love Me (Denison Witmer)
Buy Denison Witmer on Amazon
Buy Denison Witmer on iTunes
Download: I Can’t Make You Love Me (Neal Schon)
Buy Neal Schon on Amazon
Buy Neal Schon on iTunes
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I can’t tell you how much I love Bonnie Raitt and this song. She has one of the purest voices I’ve ever heard. “Streelights” is a must have album, too. “That Song About the Midway” and “Angel From Montgomery” are simply incredible songs.
Thanks for these downloads – it was fun to compare them.
OMG Bonnie Raitt is one of the all time best female artists in my opinion. No one, I repeat NO ONE can do that song like her! NO ONE! The others try and they are quite pleasant versions but it’s kind of like comparing a veggie burger to a steak. Veggie burgers are fine, but when you want the real deal, go for the steak.
Gotta agree with Patty, it is nice that others want to cover this classic Raitt song but no one can do the song like she can. Thanks for the other versions though..it was interesting to hear.
It always breaks my heart to hear this song. I agree with Mindy and Patty. Nobody does it better… than Bonnie. And I’m sure, with a wink toward the double entendre, that she would agree. Thank you for this post.
bonnie is THE WOMAN!!! other renditions are interesting, but, as others have said, NO ONE can do it like bonnie!! she is AWESOME in concert, i might add :-)
A song and performance like this makes you believe in music again.
I love Bonnie Raitt. I fell in love with her when I heard her album titled “Give It Up” out in 1972 I think. The title track “Give It Up or Let Me Go” kicks ass as well as “Love Me Like A Man” There is also her take on “Love Has No Pride” that is a real tear-jerker. She is such a talent. GREAT slide guitar player and her voice is awesome. She can sing most any type of music but I personally perfer her more bluesy stuff. I haven’t listened to her lately. Guess I need to re-visit huh?
Oh, I love this song. As others have said, Bonnie’s version is by far the best. But then again, I love her voice. Thanks for the background info on the song. I didn’t know it was written by Mike Reid. He has an interesting background – Football player for Penn State and professionally for the Bengals. He then, obviously, had a successful songwriting career along with a few hits as a singer in country music including the number one song “Walk on Faith” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ChvRA6vXc
I had no interest in Bonnie Raitt until I heard Denison’s cover. My friend, Fred, told me that Bonnie’s version is killer. Thanks for reminding me to check it out.
It really is one of the heartbreakiest (love that word btw) songs, isn’t it? I really enjoyed reading this article and hearing all the different versions. Denison’s & Neal’s are probably my favorites of the covers. Thanks.
love this song…gotta be one of the best/saddest love songs ever! thanks for bringing me back to a classic!
I think the “Lee Brothers” are watching way too much Oprah with all of this talk about “giving up your power”! :)
Great song, great singer (Raitt)!! I’m diggin’ the Neal Schon version!! The mood of his guitar is just the same as the lyrics!!
I think George Michael is a great singer, but wouldn’t it have been funny if he busted into “Wake Me UP before you Go Go?”
LOVE this song!! I love Bonnie’s version best of course but they are all nice! :) Thank you for sharing.