As a fan of a wide variety of popular (and not-so-popular) music from the 1950s (and sometimes even earlier) up through the present, one of my bucket list projects for years has been to put together a list of my 100 favorite songs of all time. At some point I decided that, once I got around to figuring that out, I could put it out on a blog, for the infinitesimally small proportion of the Internet world that might be interested. So, here we are. While the Top 100 will be a major focus, I also plan to post on a variety of other musical (and occasionally non-musical) topics, in which you may or may not be interested. (If a particular posting doesn’t ring your bell, you’re only a few clicks away from a dancing cat video on YouTube.)

Thursday, June 5, 2014

#54 I Can't Make You Love Me -- Bonnie Raitt (1992)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOzMGYCTn-Q

I haven’t checked, but it’s probably safe to assume that this is the only song on this list co-written by a former college and professional football star. Mike Reid was an all-American defensive tackle for Penn State, winning the Outland Trophy for top defensive lineman in 1969 and finishing fifth in that year’s Heisman Trophy voting. After being the 7th overall pick in the 1970 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Reid went on to play in two Pro Bowls before retiring after the 1974 season to turn his attention to music. He was equally successful there, winning a Grammy in 1984 for Best Country Song with “Stranger In My House”, hitting the top of the country charts himself in 1990 with “Walk on Faith”, and winding up in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has also composed the music for several musicals and operas.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” is probably the greatest ballad Bonnie Raitt has ever recorded, and it continues to be a show-stopper whenever she performs.
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