George Michael "I Can't Make You Love Me"

While Bonnie Raitt make this somber ballad famous in 1991, many other artists quickly adopted the song and added it to their respective setlists. George Michael along with Bruce Hornsby, Boyz II Men and Adele are just some of the many artists who embraced the touching tune. Ironically, the song was written by two Nashville songwriters who envisioned Bette Midler, Linda Ronstadt or Bonnie Raitt performing it.

Bette Midler "Night and Day"

When you think Bette Midler, you probably associate her with New York, right? She's actually Hawaiian. The Honolulu-born actress, comedian and singer followed up her huge hit "From A Distance", with the ballad "Night and Day" in 1991.

Natalie Cole "Pink Cadillac"

Bruce Springsteen originally released "Pink Cadillac" as the B-side of "Dancing in the Dark". He later declined Bette Midler's request to remake the tune claiming it wasn't a "girl's song". He later had a change of heart, only this time he allowed Natalie Cole to remake the song in 1988. It became her biggest hit in a decade.

Bette Midler "The Rose"

Which of the following nicknames sounds the coolest?
Michael Jackson: The King of Pop
Prince: The Purple One
Madonna: The Material Girl
Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul
James Brown: The Godfather of Soul
Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M

I'll put my money on Bette Midler.

Bette Midler - "Wind Beneath My Wings"

According to my fuzzy math, approximately 35,482 high school choirs have performed "Wind Beneath My Wings" since 1989. Bette Midler recorded the song for the soundtrack to the movie Beaches, yet Lee Greenwood, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Lou Rawls also have performed their own versions of the tune long before Bette became synonymous with it.

Additionally, my fuzzy math also counts "Wind Beneath My Wings" as getting 18,932,436 plays during Casey Kasem's "Long Distance Request & Dedication" segment...give or take a few.

Teddy Pendergrass - "Love T.K.O."

While Teddy Pendergrass is best known for the 1980 soulful ballad "Love T.K.O.", David Oliver actually recorded and released it the same year.  Numerous Adult Contemporary artists have also covered the tune including Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, and Bette Midler.

Bette Midler - "From A Distance"

Just three years after Nanci Griffith made "From A Distance" a hit, Bette Midler took the pop ballad to new heights.  All the while, God is watching us.

Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt - "Don't Know Much"

Bill Medley and Bette Midler couldn't pull off what Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt did.  Both duos recorded "Don't Know Much" (Medley and Midler in 1981 and Neville and Ronstadt in 1989), but only Neville and Ronstadt could say that they took the song to #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.