Song · Bonnie Raitt
“I Can't Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt
From the album Luck of the Draw (1991)
“I Can't Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt appears on 14 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2004 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Luck of the Draw. Its best result is #121 on The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #439 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"I Can't Make You Love Me" is the emotional center of Bonnie Raitt's eleventh studio album, Luck of the Draw, from 1991. Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin wrote it, but Raitt owns every breath of it, and she co-produced it with Don Was as a slow, late-night confession where nothing is allowed to get in the way of the voice.
The band barely touches the ground. Bruce Hornsby's piano carries the melody, Benmont Tench's Hammond organ glows underneath, and Tony Braunagel, James Hutchinson and Paulinho da Costa keep the pulse down near a whisper, with David Lasley and Arnold McCuller softly behind her. Ed Cherney recorded and mixed it.
Pulled as the album's second single, it became one of her biggest. Mojo later ranked it eighth among the greatest songs ever, Rolling Stone put it on its 500 Greatest Songs list, and the Grammy Hall of Fame took it in during 2016.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 263 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 879 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 130 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2009 | 356 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2014 | 269 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2016 | 775 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 | 913 |
| 2018 | 470 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2019 | 1096 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2020 | 206 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 742 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2023 | 121 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2023 | 387 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2024 | 700 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2026 | 339 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
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