In 1988, Downing finally made his solo debut, releasing the self-titled Will Downing. The album featured a new version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." The track did not fair well on the R&B charts but it managed to reach #4 on the Dance charts. In the United Kingdom, "A Love Supreme" managed to reach #14 on the singles charts.
Downing has released many albums throughout his career, always on the brink of stardom but never quite making it. In 1989 he released Come Together As One and in '91, Dream Fulfilled. The latter featured the single "I Try" which reached #13 on the R&B charts, Downing's best performance to date.
1993 saw Downing's fourth album release with Love's the Place to Be. In 1995, he released Moods and in 1997, Invitation Only. Continuing his steady stream of releases, 1998 saw Pleasures of the Night, 2000 offered All the Man You Need and in 2002, Sensual Journey.
With so many albums under his belt, Downing never slows down, releasing Emotions in 2003, Christmas, Love and You in 2004 and Soul Symphony in 2005.
While Will Downing has never been a massive celebrity in the United States, he has seen reasonable success in the United Kingdom.
Love You Better
Will Downing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh baby, so I can love you
Oh baby, baby, I'll make you feel so good
Oh baby, just like you want me to
Ooh, oh baby, you sure love to ball
Oh baby, you sure love to ball
I love you, I love you so much
Oh baby, baby, don't ever go away
Oh baby, I'll love you night and day
And ooh, oh baby
(Baby) , you sure love to ball
(You sure love to ball)
My lady, you sure love to ball
Oh now I just love you, that's all
Oh, I've got my mind made up, baby
There are no doubts, oh baby
That you're my foxy lady, foxy lady
Ooh, oh baby (Baby) you sure love to ball
(You sure love to ball)
Sweet baby (Baby) , you sure love to ball
My lady, my lady sure does love to ball
Sweet baby (Baby) , sure do love to ball
Oh, my lover, all I know that if we
Ever, ever, ever part
That one day would surely, surely
Surely break my heart
Gotta get ready, gotta get ready, ooh
Baby (Oh baby) You sure love to ball
(You sure love)
My sugar (Baby) You sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy lady, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy honey, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy lady, sweet sexy honey
Ooh, sexy lady, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy lady, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy honey, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy lady, sweet sexy honey
Ooh, sexy lady, you sure love to ball
Sweet and sexy lady, you sure love to ball
The lyrics of Will Downing's song "I Can't Make You Love Me" express the feeling of helplessness and despair that comes with loving someone who doesn't share the same feeling. The first verse sets the tone for the emotions conveyed in the song as the singer is plagued by the voices in his head that keep him awake at night. He begs for the person he is in love with to just hold him and offer comfort without the lies and false hope that comes with patronizing.
The chorus is the crux of the song, as Downing sings the heartbreaking line "I can't make you love me if you don't." The realization of this fact hits hard as the song progresses, as Downing expresses the power he feels to lay down his heart and give all that he can, knowing it is futile without the other person reciprocating those same feelings. The second verse touches on the coping mechanism of closing one's eyes and pretending that the love exists when it is clearly absent.
The final verse shows the acceptance of the situation, with the singer committing to doing the right thing and giving up the fight they have been putting up for a while. The repetition of "If you don't love me" underscores the reality that nothing can be done, no matter how much someone loves the other person.
Overall, the lyrics showcase the frustration, pain, and heartache that comes with unrequited love, as well as the acceptance and peace that come with letting go.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn down the lights
Dim the lights to create a romantic milieu
Turn down the bed
Prepare the bed for intimacy
Turn down these voices Inside my head
Silence the negative thoughts and doubts in my mind
Lay down with me
Lie next to me and share an intimate moment
Tell me no lies
Be honest with me
Just hold me close
Embrace me tightly
Don't patronize
Don't condescend or act insincerely towards me
Don't patronize me
Don't treat me like a child or deceive me
I can't make you love me
It's impossible for me to force you to love me
If you don't
If you don't have genuine feelings of love for me
You can't make your heart feel
You can't control or force your heart to feel something it doesn't
Something it won't
Something it's not capable of feeling
Here in the dark
In this emotional and vulnerable moment
These final hours
This is the last chance for us to be together
I will lay down my heart
I'm exposing my true feelings and emotions
I feel the power
I feel the intensity of the moment and the depth of my emotions
But you won't
But you won't reciprocate my feelings
No, you won't
No, you won't love me in the same way
And I can't make you love me
And I'm powerless to change that
I close my eyes
I shut out the reality of our situation
Then I won't see
Then I won't acknowledge the truth that you don't love me back
The love you don't feel
The love you're not capable of feeling for me
When you're holding me
Even when we are physically close
Morning will come
The reality of our situation will remain
And I'll do what's right
I'll accept the truth and move on
Just give me til then
Just give me some time to come to terms with this
To give up this fight
To let go of the hope of us being together
There ain't no use in you trying
It's pointless for you to try to make things work if you don't love me
If you don't love me Baby!
If you don't have genuine feelings for me
Ain't no use in you trying
There's no point in trying to force a relationship that's not meant to be
If you don't
If you don't love me
If you don't
If you don't have true feelings of love for me
If you don't
If you don't feel the same way about me
If you don't love me
If you don't have genuine and reciprocated feelings of love
There ain't nothing I can do
There's nothing I can do to change that
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind