"You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" is a song written by

Johnny MacRae Johnny MacRae (February 15, 1929—July 3, 2013), born Fred A. MacRae, nicknamed "Dog" was an American country music composer credited with 235 songs released by recording artists including Ray Charles, George Jones, and Reba McEntire. His best kn ...

and Steve Clark, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer George Strait. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from his album ''

Lead On ''Lead On'' is the fifteenth studio album by American country music artist George Strait. Released in 1994 on MCA Records, the album was certified platinum in the U.S. for sales of one million copies. It includes the singles "The Big One", "You ...

''.

Content

The song is about a man who proposes to his girlfriend, but she rejects it. In a play on the

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," the woman tearfully explains that—despite her best efforts—she is simply not in love with her boyfriend ("''You can lead a heart to love, but you can't make it fall''").

Critical reception

Larry Flick, of '' Billboard'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a fine ballad. He goes on to say that Strait and co-producer Tony Brown have "refined the song search process to a science, and the singer outdoes himself here."'' Billboard'', January 7, 1995

Chart positions

"You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" number 59 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of December 24, 1994.

Year-end charts

References

{{George Strait 1990s singles 1994 singles 1994 songs George Strait songs Songs written by Johnny MacRae Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) MCA Records singles