Big Love

Bonnie Raitt called it one of the best songs ever written

A break up song of break up songs, I can’t make you love me, sung by Bonnie Raitt originally in 1991 – I was feeling this mood on Mother’s Day.

Just because I gave up the fight, doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt. A separation and a dream deferred. Like the song says:

“I’ll close my eyes then I won’t see the love you don’t feel when you’re holding me

“I can’t make you love me if you don’t

“you can’t make your heart feel something it won’t

“here in the dark in these final hours I will lay down my heart

“And I’ll feel the power, but you won’t…”

“Of all the songs in my career, that one is the greatest gift. I think it stands among the best songs ever written.

Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stone

Prince. Bon Iver. George Michael. Adele. Patti LaBelle. Josh Groban. Kenny Rogers. Boys II Men. Lots of covers out there on Apple Music.

When Sophie Milman sings this song, wow. Her jazzy, throaty, voice hits every painful emotion the song addresses. Like Bonnie Raitt, whose version I grew up with, in a jazz club, of sorts. This song sums up a lot of the emotions of my past year.

“It’s a pretty devastating song to sing more than once. Plus, it took me a minute to recover from how sad it was.”

Bonnie Raitt, describing how she recorded the song in one take. Rolling Stones. song 372 in top 500 Best Songs of All Time