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The serendipitous story behind Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly”
For much of the 1970s, KMPC Radio in Los Angeles was my broadcast home. Every Monday, record company reps would visit the station, hoping to persuade us to play the latest releases from both rising stars and established artists.
One Monday in 1971, a record by an unknown singer named Lori Lieberman caught my attention. It wasn’t just the melody that drew me in — it was the story behind the song that intrigued me even more.
As the story goes, Lieberman had been captivated by a performance at a popular Hollywood nightclub.
“I didn’t know who he was, but from the moment he walked on stage, I was spellbound. I felt as if he knew me, and his songs were about my life. I felt like he sang into my soul.”
The performer was Don McLean. Lieberman was so deeply moved by his music that she returned every night of his week-long engagement. One evening, overwhelmed with emotion, she scribbled her feelings onto a napkin at the club. Those words would eventually make their way to her record company, where lyricist Norm Gimbel and composer Charles Fox transformed them into a song.
Her recording of Killing Me Softly with His Song was released in 1971, included on her debut album and as a single. Like many records, it got lost in the shuffle of the…
