Born in Skewen, South Wales, Tyler rose to prominence with her first hit single "Lost in France" in 1976. She signed a management deal with British songwriters Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who wrote and co-produced Tyler's first four studio albums between 1977 and 1981. "It's a Heartache" became Tyler's first US hit, with worldwide sales in excess of 6 million.
In 1982, Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia and began working with producer-songwriter Jim Steinman. He wrote her biggest career hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and produced its parent album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night" (1983), and the follow-up, "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire" (1986). Both albums were noted for their bombastic pop-rock production and melodramatic lyrics. Tyler's next album, "Hide Your Heart" (1988), was produced by Desmond Child and included several tracks that later became hits for other artists, including "The Best" for Tina Turner and "Save Up All Your Tears" for Cher.
Tyler leaned further into a commercial pop sound in the 1990s. She signed with Hansa Records and recorded her next album, "Bitterblue" (1991), with an assortment of producers including Giorgio Moroder, Roy Bittan and Dieter Bohlen. Her subsequent albums "Angel Heart" (1992)" and "Silhouette in Red" (1993) were recorded almost exclusively with Bohlen.
Towards the end of the 90s, Tyler moved to East West Records and recorded the albums "Free Spirit" (1995) and "All in One Voice" (1998). She continued to experiment with cross-genre sounds in the 2000s, recording the covers album "Heart Strings" (2003) with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004, Tyler began recording in Paris with producer Jean Lahcène, beginning with a re-recording of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" which topped the charts in France and Belgium. Tyler promoted her subsequent albums "Simply Believe" (2004) and "Wings" (2005) with a world tour and the release of her first concert film Bonnie on Tour.
Tyler spent the following eight years concentrating on her live work before returning to the studio for "Rocks and Honey" (2013). The album includes her UK Eurovision entry "Believe in Me". In 2018, Tyler reunited with David Mackay, who produced Tyler's first two albums in the 1970s, for her latest releases "Between the Earth and the Stars" (2019) and "The Best Is Yet to Come" (2021).
Tyler has contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most notable recording is "Holding Out for a Hero" which featured in Footloose, and has since become synonymous with action sequences, having later appeared in Shrek 2, Loki, and in numerous movie trailers. In 1984, Tyler sang the track "Here She Comes" for Giorgio Moroder's restoration of Fritz Lange's Metropolis, a recording which led to Tyler's third Grammy nomination.
I Can't Make You Love Me
Bonnie Tyler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize - don't patronize me
[Chorus]
'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no you won't
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Bonnie Tyler's song I Can't Make You Love Me are a heartbreaking portrayal of unrequited love. The singer in the song is pleading with their lover to be honest and truthful, to hold them close and not to patronize them. They know that they cannot force their lover to love them and ultimately are resigned to the fact that their love is unreciprocated.
The lyrics bring out the pain of being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way. The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to make their lover love them, even if it means sacrificing their own happiness. However, they know that this is not possible and the stark reality sets in, giving a sense of hopelessness and despair.
The chorus reinforces the idea that love cannot be forced, and that the heart will only feel what it wants to feel. The singer knows that they cannot make their lover love them, but they are still willing to give their heart up in the hope that they can make them feel something.
In conclusion, the lyrics of I Can't Make You Love Me are a poignant reminder of the pain and heartbreak of unrequited love. The song strikes a chord with many people who have experienced the same feeling in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
I want to create a calm and peaceful atmosphere for us to be intimate.
Turn down these voices inside my head
I need to quiet the doubts and fears that I have about this relationship.
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
I need you to be honest with me and share this moment of connection with me.
Just hold me close, don't patronize - don't patronize me
I need your affection to be genuine and sincere, not fake or insincere.
'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
I understand that I cannot force your heart to love me if you don't have those feelings for me.
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Just as I cannot make you feel love, you also cannot force yourself to have feelings that are not there.
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I feel vulnerable and alone when we're together, yet you don't love me back.
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
I will be honest and open about my emotions, despite knowing that you won't reciprocate, and that makes me feel strong.
But you won't, no you won't
Even though I'm ready to open my heart to you, I can see that you won't do the same.
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't
Despite my willingness to be vulnerable and honest, it won't change the fact that you don't love me back.
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
I'll try to shut out my emotions by not looking at you, so I don't have to face the fact that you don't love me.
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
When we're physically close, I can feel that you don't have any love or affection for me, and it hurts.
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Even though it's painful, I know that I need to move on and do what's best for myself.
Just give me till then to give up this fight
I just need a little more time to let go of my feelings for you, even though I know they aren't returned.
And I will give up this fight
Eventually, I will accept that our relationship isn't meant to be, and I'll move on to find someone who loves me in return.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION
Written by: Michael Reid, Allen Shamblin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Straight From The Heart
Yet another excellent Bonnie Tyler song.
Philip Kassabian
on Holding Out for a Hero
A great and fantastic song by Bonnie Tyler.