The year was 1991. A forty something country-pop star would release the ultimate jilted love anthem, providing droves of the dejected with a downbeat theme song for their litany of unrequited entanglements [this blogger included].

Of course I’m talking about Bonnie Raitt and her depressingly wonderful “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Written by two Nashville dilettantes, this bluesy country-lite ballad ended up in the safekeeping of the ten time Grammy Award winner and her eleventh studio album Luck Of The Draw. Complimented by a piano accompaniment from pop-stalwart Bruce Hornsby, the slow tempo’d tearjerker is rich in both arrangement and melody; underscored by the deeply emotional and alleged one-take vocals from Raitt. Sister is preaching to the whole damn congregation with this one; who among us can’t relate to the melancholy feels resonating throughout [I can no longer count the number of of straight guys I’ve fallen hard for over my many years].

And the song boasts of impressive staying power too. The list of A-listers who have covered or incorporated the track include George Michael, Boyz II Men, and Adele. High praise indeed.

Bust out your tissues and press play: