"Killing Me Softly With His Song," as sung by Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, & Lori Lieberman
Strong Songs
Killing Me Softly With His Song
Killing Me Softly was composed by Charles Fox, with lyrics by Norman Gimbal. The song was first recorded by a young singer named Laurie Lieberman in 1971. Roberta Flack heard that recording and decided she wanted to cover it. It remains the most elaborate and fully fleshed out version of the song.
It's not uncommon for a song to be written for one artist, only to become widely known after being recorded by another. It's less common for a song to have yet another rebirth decades later. That's just what happened with "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
Originally inspired by Lori Lieberman's profound experience at a 1971 Don McLean concert, Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox's song underwent two dramatic reinventions, first by soul titan Roberta Flack in 1973, and then by Lauryn Hill and her band Fugees in 1996. In this episode, Kirk dives into all three versions, looking to better understand how each singer put her own spin on what was already a classically strong song.
Written by: Music by Charles Fox, lyrics by Norman Gimbel with uncredited contributions by Lori Lieberman
Recorded by: Lori Lieberman (1972), Roberta Flack (1973), Lauryn Hill & Fugees (1996)
Albums: Lori Lieberman (1972), Killing Me Softly with His Song (1973), The Score (1996), A Thousand Dreams (1995), Truly (2022)
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
- "She sang ‘Killing Me Softly’ before Roberta Flack. Now she just wants you to hear her side of the story," by Geoff Edgers for the Washington Post, 2020
- "Lori Lieberman comes to terms with 'Killing Me Softly'" by FaceCulture, 2010
- "Empty Chairs" by Don McLean from American Pie, 1971
- "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest from People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, 1989
OUTRO SOLOIST: Joey Brink
Joey Brink is University Carillonist and Professor of Carillon at the University of Denver, where he performs daily on the 65-bell Williams Tower. An award-winning performer and composer, he has released two albums for carillon and performed widely across North America and Europe. Watch him record his solo on YouTube and check out his site at joeybrink.com.
----LINKS-----
💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!
Patreon | Paypal
🏠 HOMEPAGE
strongsongspodcast.com
👚 MERCH
strongsongspodcast.com/store
📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER
newsletter.kirkhamilton.com
📷 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton
Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com
💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER
strongsongspodcast.com/discord
🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS
kirkhamilton.com/gear
🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC
kirkhamilton.com/music
🎨 SHOW ART
Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics
--------------------
JULY 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS
Catherine Warner
Damon White
Kaya Woodall
Dan Austin
Jay Swartz
Miriam Joy
SEAN D WINNIE
Rush
Daniel Hannon-Barry
Ashley Hoag
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joe Laska
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Elliot Jay O'Neill
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
JULY 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS
Callum Webb
Lynda MacNeil
Dick Morgan
Zach Wampler
Ben Stein
Susan Green
Sean Murphy
Jake Yumatilla
Alan Brough
Randal Vegter
Go Birds!
Jeff Speck
Samuel Millett
Whit Sidener
Chance McClain
Robert Granat
dave malloy
Tim Rosenwong
Nick Galloway
john halpin
Peter Harding
David
Meghan O'Leary
John Bauman
Dax and Dane Huddleston
Martín Salías
Tim Howes
Stu Baker
Steve Martino
Dr Arthur A Gray
Carolina
Gary Pierce
Matt Baxter
GiantPredatoryMollusk
Luigi Boccia
Rob Albright
E Margaret Warton
Charles McGee
Catherine Clause
Ethan Bauman
Renee Downing
KenIsWearingAHat
Jordan Block
Aaron Wade
Travis Pollard
Jamie
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Carrie Schneider
Richard Sneddon
Julian Roleff
Doreen Carlson
David McDarby
Wendy Gilchrist
Elliot Rosen
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Ailie Fraser
Von
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Victoria Yu
Brad Clark
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Jason Pratt
Abbie Berg
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Linda Duffy
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Dallas Hockley
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Michael Casner
Lowell Meyer
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Jules Bailey
Andrew Fair
L.B. Morse
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Kevin Morrell
Colin Hodo
The AI-powered Podcast Player
