Jayhawks – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

I first found out about this group in 2000 with this song. When I heard it I knew I had to find out more about this band. The Jayhawks formed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in 1985 and played alternative country-rock. They have released 10 studio albums and are worth checking out.

The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard Triple A Chart in 2000. It was off the album Smile, and The Jayhawks took a more pop approach to this album than their earlier alt-country albums. Gary Louris… guitar player, singer, and songwriter, when this album was released: “I grew up listening to pop music, and that was my love. I loved the Beatles and I loved Big Star.”

There is a difference between this and their earlier music. They stuck on the alt-country for a long time. I would call this their “power pop move,” but there’s still that unmistakable Jayhawks DNA, those rich vocal harmonies, the bittersweet chord changes, and Louris’s yearning delivery in the vocals.

The evolution of the song was interesting… Gary Louris: “I wrote that song when my ex-girlfriend walked out the door… I had a different chorus that was a little more subtle, a little more of an artist’s song that you wouldn’t even know is a chorus maybe but it was cool.”

The record label and producer Bob Ezrin wanted a better chorus to make it more accessible. “And that became the thorn in my side, y’know, because I had written a song I liked and it seemed like that’s what it was. This was the beginning of a long process where I wrote with a lot of different people… And I saw a lot of people I respected write many different ways on the same song.”

A suggestion from songwriter Taylor Rhodes helped Louris find the hook he needed. “So that was definitely a lot of hard work on that song. Now I love it, but for awhile I just wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want to ever hear that song again.”

They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album Paging Mr. Proust was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

The world never ends
It’s only the beginning
And we can’t pretend
To discover it’s meaning

We talked for hours at a time
Then I came to my senses
You’re more than a friend
You’re my perfect lover

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

It’s the least I can do
Just to make you my baby
No words could describe
Oh, pinch me I’m dreaming

Your hair’s long and black
As it lays ‘cross my pillow
When I stare in your eyes
I get lost in your glory

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

When you were a little girl
Your great big world came tumbling down
So sad

Yeah, the river it bends
But it flows to the ocean
And baby here I am
I’m your sea of devotion

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

33 thoughts on “Jayhawks – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”

  1. Pingback: Jayhawks – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me – MobsterTiger

      1. There is a girl that sings and plays this very weird looking black instrument that might be some type of flute, but I have never seen anything like it before and it is possible that it is not Karen Grotberg, as I don’t know this band very well.

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      2. Jim…you are absolutely right…she does play something strange. I didn’t pay attention to the beginning…and he does the same thing on harmonica afterward…well now I have to find out. That is odd…I’ve never seen that before. I will look though because I want to know.

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      5. Jim….watch her fingers on the other side. I am positive she is playing keys while blowing…. I think it’s a Melodica…. that is the closest thing I could find.

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      6. Well I did find out one thing. Karen left before the sessions were finished…that lady is Jen Gunderman…now I’m looking

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      8. I just read about her as well…she did something at Vandy for a while as well. She is talented.

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  4. Sounds good, quite catchy right off. I like pretty much everything you’ve posted by them, it’s too bad they haven’t done better. A bit like an American Blue Rodeo with their ability to go from near-country to pure pop and sound at home with it. Melodica…I wouldn’t have known what that was off the top of my head either!

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    1. This song is what got me into them. It’s a perfect little power pop song. I’m sure he was paid well…a couple of commercials used this song.
      Yea Jim stumped me on this one!

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    1. I like that one as well…my favorite by them is “Blue”….it sounds so good. But I’m thankful for this one…Lightning 100 played this one and I was listening and found out about them.

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  7. I love this group. Their sense of melody is outstanding. I first heard them in the early 90s with “Waiting For The Sun”. Then, when my local grocery store still had a music section, I bought the Tomorrow The Green Grass CD, which is excellent, and I have been a fan ever since. That one and Sound Of Lies are great albums. Check them out if you haven’t heard them.

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    1. I have spot checked their albums but never sit down with one…I’ll do that this week! I have liked every single song I’ve heard from them…so I know I’ll like them!

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  8. Great song – The Jayhawks are right up my alley, Max! I know of them because of one of my fellow bloggers. Sadly, I can’t remember who introduced me to these guys several years ago – might have been you or CB or somebody else. I’ve since featured The Jayhawks myself on various occasions.

    I’m writing down their name for my Sunday feature. Their most recent appearance there dates back to April 2023 – time really flies!

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  9. They’re more than decent- the ol’ story of trying to climb above the crowds of other similar artists, not quite having that Big Hit breakthrough, one that turns a Jayhawk into the Eagle/Hotel California sort of song. It is often to do with the hook, and this one is decently good, just not…quite…better than very good. I’m going to say it has an REM sway but not quite that earworm that REM as a whole entire band seem to be able to generate(?) Sorry, this is all now a bit of a loose ramble, all a little ‘down the blind alley of my choosing!”

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  11. I think you or Hans mentioned/featured this band before. When I hear this I think there is never going to be enough time to do deep dives on all of the bands that need deep dives. The Jayhawks is one of them. Sweet tune.

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