I CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME

GEORGE MICHAEL
SONGWRITERS: שרים אלדד; REID,MICHAEL BARRY & SHAMBLIN,JAMES ALLEN II
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: THE LOVE ALBUM IV
LABEL: VIRGIN TV
GENRE: POP FOLK
YEAR: 1997
 
  George Michael(born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with sales of over 120 million records worldwide. Michael is known as a leading creative force in music production, songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100. Michael won various music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. In 2015, he was ranked 45th in Billboard's list of the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004.
        Born in East Finchley, North London, Michael rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. Forming the duo Wham! With Andrew Ridgeley in 1981, the band's first two albums, Fantastic(1983) and Make It Big(1984), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. Their hit singles included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas". Establishing themselves as a global act, Wham! toured China in April 1985; the tour was the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, and it generated worldwide media coverage.
       Michael's first solo single, "Careless Whisper", reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. Before embarking on the production of his first solo album, Michael went on to release two more number-one singles, "A Different Corner" and the Aretha Franklin duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". Michael's debut solo album, Faith, was released in 1987, topping the UK Albums Chart and staying at number one on the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks. Globally it sold 25 million copies, and four singles from the album—"Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey"—reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988, and Faith was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. His second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1(1990), sold approximately eight million copies and was a UK number-one. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one "Praying for Time" and the worldwide hit "Freedom! '90". A 1991 live duet with Elton John, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", was also a transatlantic number one. Michael went on to release two more multimillion-selling albums, Older(1996) and Patience (2004).
       Outside music, Michael was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines during the late 1990s and 2000s, as he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and was arrested for multiple drug-related offences after that time. Michael came out as gay in 1998. The 2005 documentary A Different Story covered his career and personal life. Michael's 25 Live tour spanned three tours from 2006 to 2008. Michael fell into a coma in 2011 during a bout with pneumonia, but later recovered. He performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. On 25 December 2016, Michael was found dead of heart disease at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
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
 
'Cause I can't make you love me
If you don't
You can't make your heart feel
Something that it won't
 
Here in the dark
These final hours
I will lay down my heart
And I feel the power
 
But you won't
No, you won't
And I can't make you love me
If you don't
 
I'll close my eyes
Then I won't see
The love you do not feel
When you're holdin' me
 
Mornin' will come
And I'll do what's right
Just give me 'til then
To give up this fight
And I will give up this fight
 
And I can't make you love me
If you don't
You can't make your heart feel
Something that it won't
 
And here in the dark
In these final hours
I will lay down my heart
I feel the power
 
But you won't
No, you won't
And I can't make you love me
If you don't
 
Ain't no use in you tryin'
It's no good for me baby
Without love
 
All my tears, all these years, everything
I believed in
Baby
Oh, yeah
 
Someone's gonna love me.

THE ONLY ONE

LIONEL RICHIE
SONGWRITERS: DAVID W. FOSTER & LIONEL B. RITCHIE JR.
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: CAN’T SLOW DOWN
LABEL: MOTOWN RECORDS
GENRE: SOUL
YEAR: 1983
 
         Lionel Brockman Richie Jr.(born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television judge. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recording the hit singles "Easy", "Sail On", "Three Times a Lady" and "Still", with the group before his departure. In 1980, he wrote and produced the US Billboard Hot 100 number one single "Lady" for Kenny Rogers. The following year, he wrote and produced the single "Endless Love", which he recorded as a duet with Diana Ross; it remains among the top 20 bestselling singles of all time, and the biggest career hit for both artists. In 1982, he officially launched his solo career with the album Lionel Richie, which sold over four million copies and spawned the singles "You Are", "My Love", and the number one single "Truly".
         His second album, Can't Slow Down(1983), reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time; and spawned the number one singles "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello". He then co-wrote the 1985 charity single "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies. His third album, Dancing on the Ceiling(1986), spawned the number one single "Say You, Say Me" (from the 1985 film White Nights) and the Nº 2 hit title track. From 1986 to 1996, Richie took a break from recording; he has since then released seven studio albums. He has joined the singing competition American Idol to serve as a judge, starting from its sixteenth season.
         During his solo career, Richie became one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "We Are the World", and Album of the Year for Can't Slow Down. "Endless Love" was nominated for an Academy Award; while "Say You, Say Me" won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award. In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
         Can't Slow Down is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lionel Richie. It was released on October 11, 1983, by Motown Records. It has sold over 20 million copies, and is Richie's best-selling album of all time. Five singles were released from Can't Slow Down, all of which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two that reached Nº 1: "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello". The album also won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985.

Let me tell you now all that's on my mind
For a love like yours is oh so very hard to find
Looked inside myself now I'm very sure
There can only be you for me
I need you more and more...
 
You turned me inside out
And you showed me what life was about
Only you
The only one that stole my heart away
I wanna do all I can just to show you
Make you understand
Only you
The only one that stole my heart away
 
When you're in my arms
When I'm close to you
There's a magic in your touch that just comes shining through
Want you everyday
Want you every night
There can only be you for me
You make it seem so right
Oh, girl
Cause you turned me inside out
 
And you showed me what life was about
Only you
The only one that stole my heart away
Oh, a-a-a-h
Mmmm
In my mind there's no other love
You're the only girl my heart and soul is thinking of
 
Only you only me (only me)
There can never ever be another
That understands the way that I feel inside
Cause you turned me inside out
 
And you showed me what life was about
Only you
The only one that stole my heart away
Yeah you turned me inside out
And you showed me what life was about
Only you
The only one that stole... my heart away
(You stole my heart away)
You stole it
(You stole my heart away)
Only you
The only one that stole my heart away
Yeah you
(You stole my heart away)
Oh, you stole it
(You stole my heart away)
Only you
The only one that stole... my heart away
(You stole my heart away)
(You stole my heart away).

TINY DANCER

ELTON JOHN
SONGWRITER: ELTON JOHN & BERNIE TAUPIN
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER
LABEL: DJM RECORDS
GENRE: POP ROCK
YEAR: 1971
 
        Sir Elton Hercules John(born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the Rocket Man after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s, having released 31 albums since 1969. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, and his lasting impact on the music industry. John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
         Raised in Pinner, John learned to play piano at an early age, and by 1962 had formed Bluesology, a blues band he was a member of until 1967. He met his longtime musical partner Taupin in 1967, after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician for artists. In 1969, John released his debut album Empty Sky. In 1970, he formed the Elton John Band and released his first hit single, "Your Song", which became his first top ten in both the UK and the US. John's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s, when he released a streak of chart-topping albums in the US and UK, which began with Honky Château(1972) and culminated with Rock of the Westies(1975). John continued his success in the 1980s and 1990s, having several hit singles and albums in both decades, and has continued to record new music since then. He has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King and its stage adaptation, Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical. In 2017, John released the greatest hits album Diamonds, spanning his hits from 1970 to 2016. In 2018, John began his ongoing farewell tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which will conclude in 2023. John's autobiography, Me, was published in 2019. That same year, his life and music career was dramatised in the biopic Rocketman. While he did not appear in his own biopic, John has made cameos in other films and television shows.
     Outside of music, John is an HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser, and has been involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s. Following the deaths of Ryan White and Freddie Mercury, John established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, and a year later he began hosting his annual Foundation Academy Awards Party, which has since become one of the biggest high-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry. Since its inception, the foundation has raised over £300 million. John owned Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987 and again from 1997 to 2002, and is an honorary life president of the club.
      John is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide in a six decade career in music. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine number ones in the UK and US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. His 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and his 1974 Greatest Hits compilation album are among the best-selling albums worldwide. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", a rewritten version of his 1974 single in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time. In 2019, John was ranked by Billboard as the top solo artist in US chart history (third overall), and the top Adult Contemporary artist of all time. In 2021, John became the first solo artist with UK Top 10 singles across six decades.
       Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. The album contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes band keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on three songs.
       There were two singles released from Madman Across the Water, "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer". The album was certified gold in February 1972, followed by platinum in March 1993, and 2× platinum in August 1998 by the RIAA. The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. On 10 June 2022, the album was reissued as a deluxe edition for its 50th anniversary, featuring 18 unreleased tracks including demos, outtakes and alternate takes, as well as a 40-page book detailing the album's creation with notes from John and Taupin.
Blue-jean baby
L.A. lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty-eyed
Pirate smile
You'll marry a music man
 
Ballerina
You must've seen her
Dancing in the sand
And now she's in me
Always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
 
Jesus freaks
Out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
 
Turning back
She just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad
 
Piano man
He makes his stand
In the auditorium
 
Looking on
She sings the songs
The words she knows
The tune she hums
 
But oh, how it feels so real
Lying here, with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
 
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
 
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
 
Blue-jean baby
L.A. Lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty-eyed
Pirate smile
You'll marry a music man
 
Ballerina
You must have seen her
Dancing in the sand
Now she's in me
Always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
 
Oh, oh, how it feels so real
Lying here, with no one near
Only you, and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
 
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
 
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today.

AGAINST ALL ODDS
(TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW)

PHIL COLLINS
SONGWRITERS: PHILLIP DAVID CHARLES COLLINS; LEROY HEYWOOD; FORDE JERMAINE BRINSLEY & MAURICE ANTHONY SILVERA
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: FACE VALUE
LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS
GENRE: POP MUSIC
YEAR: 1981
 
       Philip David Charles Collins LVO(born 30 January 1951) is an English drummer, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and 1990, Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. When his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, he had more US top 40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", and "Another Day in Paradise".
    Born and brought up in west London, Collins played drums from the age of five and completed drama school training, which secured him various roles as a child actor, with his first major role, aged 13, as the Artful Dodger in the West End musical Oliver!. He then pursued a music career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value(1981), Hello, I Must Be Going(1982), No Jacket Required(1985) and... But Seriously(1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He also became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. In 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He also resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster(1988). In 1996, Collins left Genesis to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's Tarzan(1999) for which he received an Oscar for Best Original Song for "You'll Be in My Heart". He rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007. Following a five-year retirement to focus on his family life, Collins released an autobiography in 2016 and completed his Not Dead Yet Tour in 2019. He then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second reunion tour, ending in March 2022.
       Face Value is the debut studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 13 February 1981 by Virgin Records. After his first wife filed for divorce in 1979, Collins began to write songs during a break in activity from Genesis with much of the material concerning his personal life. The album was recorded from mid-1980 to early 1981 with Collins and Hugh Padgham as producers. Additional musicians include the Phenix Horns, Alphonso Johnson, and Eric Clapton.
       Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached Nº 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks and Nº 7 on the US Billboard 200. It has since sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics. Its lead single "In the Air Tonight", released in January 1981, reached Nº 2 on the UK Singles Chart and became known for its drum arrangement and use of gated reverb. In January 2016, Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring a present-day Collins.
How can I just let you walk away?
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath, with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
 
How can you just walk away from me?
When all I can do is watch you leave
'Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
 
So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space
And there's nothin' left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Ooh, take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face
Instrumental
 
I wish, I could just make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all
 
So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And there's nothin' left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Now take a look at me now, 'cos there's just an empty space
But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now, 'cos I'll still be standin' here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've gotta take
Instrumental
 
Take a look at me now.