More than 50 years later, it still serves as a timeless anthem that continues to connect with listeners. Rolling Stone even named the track as one of the greatest songs of all time, ranking it #273 out of 500 in their updated 2021 list.
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" was originally composed as a folk song by Charles Fox and co-written by Norman Gimbel and Lori Lieberman in late 1971. After Gimbel and Fox denied Liberman songwriting credit, she decided to record her own version of the song, but it never charted. Instead, multiple artists recorded their own covers, including Roberta Flack.
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American hip-hop group Fugees also released a cover of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" in 1996. Although it became an international hit, it did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
American musician Roberta Flack onstage at Madison Square Garden for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert, New York, New York, May 14, 1988.Paul Natkin/Getty Images
"My classical background made it possible for me to try a number of things," she said. "I changed parts of the chord structure and chose to end on a major chord. It wasn't written that way."
"I have endless gratitude to Roberta Flack for hearing something within that song to bring it to the world and to change not just my life, but so many with her artistry, her talent and her heart," Lieberman told the New York Post in February 2025 when Flack passed away due to health complications. "She was an incredible musician, an incredible pianist and a beautiful singer. She's one of the greatest artists of my generation."
Roberta Flack, Grammy winner of Best Album of the Year, "Killing Me Softly With His Song," poses for a portrait on January 15, 1975.CBS via Getty Images
"Killing Me Softly With His Song" and the rest of Flack's discography are available on all major streaming platforms.
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