"You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" is the title of a single released by country singer George Strait

George Strait

George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...

 in 1994. It is included on his album Lead On

Lead On

Lead On is the title of an album released 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...

, from which it was released as that album's first single.

Content

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

Critical reception

Larry Flick, of Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

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."

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.

Chart (1994-1995)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100	11
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	2