Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song"

One Song

Hartbeat

Music Commentary, Music Interviews, Onesong, Comedy, Music

4.9 • 876 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on One Song, Diallo and LUXXURY dive into the lore of Roberta Flack's 3x Grammy-winning cover of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” In their discussion, they journey through the life of the song, unpacking the complicated origins of Lori Lieberman's original folk ballad and highlighting the transformative changes in Roberta Flack’s iconic interpretation. Plus, Diallo shares a remix of the Fugees' version that all the heads used to love. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/ONESONG and get on your way to being your best self. Songs Discussed: “Killing Me Softly With His Song” - Roberta Flack “American Pie” - Don McLean “Empty Chairs” - Don McLean “Killing Me Softly With His Song” - Lori Lieberman “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” - Roberta Flack “Days Go By” - Dirty Vegas “Back Together Again” - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway “Killing Me Softly With His Song” - Fugees “Killing Me Softly (Sound Barrier Mix)” - Fugees ft. Bounty Killer “Bonita Applebum” - A Tribe Called Quest “Fool Yourself” - Little Feat “Memory Band” - The Rotary Connection “wanna be tied” - Salon Music “Won’t Cry” - Amber Mark Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Lecture today we're talking about an iconic singer and brilliant pianist whose blend of soul, gospel, jazz, and folk made today's song uniquely her own.
0:09.1	That is right, Diallo. In 1974, it won three Grammys, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
0:16.4	And let's not forget the Fugis loved this song so much they made a version of their own.
0:20.1	This song strums our pain and sings our life.
0:23.4	Sure does.
0:24.0	Today we're talking about one song and that song is Killing Me Softly with His Song by Roberta Fleck.
0:29.4	Singing my life with his words.
0:34.0	Killing me softly with his song.
0:37.0	Killing me softly with his song. Killing me softly.
0:45.9	Before we continue with the show,
0:47.3	we wanted to tell you about another podcast
0:49.1	that might be right up your alley.
0:50.6	It's called Life of the Record.
0:52.3	And it's a documentary podcast hosted by Dan Nordheim.
0:55.2	It's all about the making of a classic record. The unique thing about Life of the Record
0:59.4	is that it features the artists, musicians, producers, and more who are all integral to how
1:05.3	the album was made. Each episode tells the story of how one album went on to become a classic,
1:10.4	directly from
1:11.1	the people who were there. You'll hear surprising insights from artists like Spoon, Pixies,
1:16.2	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Violent Femmes, Minor Threat, and Richard and Linda Thompson.
1:20.7	Love Richard and Linda Thompson. Covering albums across different eras, music scenes, and genres,
1:25.7	Life of the Record offers in-depth looks at some of your favorite albums.
	...

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