Nick of Time is the tenth studio album by the American singer Bonnie Raitt, released on March 21, 1989.

In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

[4] In 1983, Bonnie Raitt was dropped from Warner Bros. Records for not selling enough copies of her two previous albums, The Glow (1979) and Green Light (1982).

[5] Two years later, Raitt's affair with producer Rob Fraboni came to an end, and she was forced to dissolve her backing band as she could no longer afford to pay them.

[7] When asked about this period in her life, Raitt said: "I wasn't kicking and screaming into dementia, but I did have a complete emotional, physical, and spiritual breakdown.

Pop star Prince was a fan of Raitt, and attended her performance at the Beverly Theater in Los Angeles.

Co-manager Danny Golberg said at least fourteen executives passed on Raitt before Tim Devine of Capitol Records took an interest.

[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "[Raitt] never rocks too hard, but there is grit to her singing and playing, even when the surfaces are clean and inviting.

[19] For example, Raitt was almost forty years old when Nick of Time was released, and the album's title track is about coming to terms with middle age.

[20] Devine was unable to convince Capitol Records' marketing team to promote Raitt, and instead had to ask the president of the company to put full-page ads in music magazines.

[14] Despite the limited promotion, Nick of Time sold very well for the first few months, and quickly became the best selling album of Raitt's career.

[14] When asked why Nick of Time sold as well as it did, publicist Joan Myers said: "Bonnie's personality and sincerity just won people's hearts, in addition to her music.

"[14] Bego identifies the music video for "Thing Called Love" as an important factor to the commercial success of Nick of Time.

[35] In 2022, the Library of Congress selected Nick of Time for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" work.