Raitt co-produced the song with Don Was, while Bruce Hornsby provided a piano accompaniment. Eventually, the song made its way to Bonnie Raitt, who recorded the track for her eleventh studio album, Luck of the Draw (1991). Upon slowing down the tempo considerably, they realized the song gained considerable power and thought about giving the song to one of three artists: Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler or Linda Ronstadt. Instantly, I knew it was the best thing I'd ever been a part of.' Reid and Shamblin were both country music songwriters, who according to some accounts originally wrote the song as a fast, bluegrass number. He sat down and started playing this melody, and it was one of the most moving pieces of music I'd heard. One day, he said, 'Come up to the living room,' where his piano was. 'And we'd worked on this song for more than six months. 'We wrote, most every week, in Mike's basement,' Shamblin told Peter Cooper in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean. The song was rewritten many times before being finalized, months later. 'I Can't Make You Love Me' was written by Nashville writers Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, who were well-noted for their successes in the country music arena. On November 27, 2016, the Grammy Hall of Fame announced its induction, along with that of another 24 songs.

The song was ranked at number 339 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, later placing at number 372 on the 2021 ranking. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted 'I Can't Make You Love Me' the eighth best track on its The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Released as the album's second single in 1991, 'I Can't Make You Love Me' became one of Raitt's most successful singles, reaching the top-20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the top-10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. ' I Can't Make You Love Me' is a song written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by American singer Bonnie Raitt for her eleventh studio album, Luck of the Draw (1991).

Love so soft bet you cant