Killing Me Softly with His Song

Killing Me Softly with His Song
Lori Lieberman
publication	1972
length	4:18
Author (s)	Charles Fox , Norman Gimbel
Producer (s)	Joel Dorn
Label	Capitol Records
album	Lori Lieberman
Cover versions
1973	Roberta Flack
1996	Fugees

Killing Me Softly with His Song is a 1972 song by Lori Lieberman . It was written by Norman Gimbel (lyrics) and Charles Fox . In 1973 the piece with Roberta Flack became an international hit. In 1996, the version of the hip-hop group Fugees with singer Lauryn Hill again had great success.

History of origin

When Lieberman heard a concert by Don McLean in 1971 at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles and was impressed by his song Empty Chairs , she wrote down her impressions on a napkin. From this, Norman Gimbel wrote the text and Charles Fox composed the music. In the same year, Lieberman recorded the song and released it on their 1972 debut album Lori Lieberman .

Fox and Gimbel, who was then in love with Lieberman, later disputed Lieberman's version of the genesis. Gimbel is said to have already written the song Killing Me Softly with His Blues . When he discussed it with Fox and Lieberman, the piece reminded Lieberman of Don McLean's concert. According to Gimbel and Fox, Lieberman had no authorship whatsoever on the song. Even if McLean had supported Lieberman's version, the story of how it came about could only be finally clarified when an earlier newspaper article was found that supported Lieberman's statement.

Roberta Flack's version

Version by Roberta Flack

American Airlines included the song as a promotion in their music program. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York City , Roberta Flack heard the piece and was thrilled. She contacted Fox about a cover version . In 1973 she released her version on the album Killing Me Softly . Your cover became an international hit. The piece was in the US with five weeks longest # 1 song of 1973. At the 1974 Grammy Awards , it was named Single of the Year , Song of the Year, and Best Female Vocal Performance - Pop .

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	30th (14 weeks)	14th
Austria (Ö3)	19th (4 weeks)	4th
Switzerland (IFPI)	32 (4 weeks)	4th
United Kingdom (OCC)	6th (14 weeks)	14th
United States (Billboard)	1 (16 weeks)	16

Version of the Fugees

The hip-hop group Fugees landed another hit in 1996 with the singer Lauryn Hill . Their version Killing Me Softly from the album The Score reached the top of the charts in Germany , Austria , Switzerland and Great Britain . It was ranked number 2 in the US airplay charts.

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	1 (24 weeks)	24
Austria (Ö3)	1 (21 weeks)	21st
Switzerland (IFPI)	1 (28 weeks)	28
United Kingdom (OCC)	1 (23 weeks)	23

Music Sales Awards (Fugees)

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	4 × platinum	280,000
Germany (BVMI)	2 × platinum	1,000,000
France (SNEP)	platinum	500,000
Austria (IFPI)	platinum	50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	2 × platinum	1,200,000

Other versions

Also in 1973 Manuela covered the piece in the German translation Something in me got sad . Katja Ebstein promptly published The Song of My Life . According to cover.info, there are at least 150 other cover versions of the song.

The song also plays a role in the film About a Boy or: The Day of the Dead Duck from 2002: The young main character Marcus performs it at a competition at his school and is laughed at by his classmates, but his (substitute) father is played by Hugh Grant , help him.

See also

• List of the best-selling singles in Germany

Web links

• Further explanations at www.jochenscheytt.de
• Translation of the lyrics
• Official music video of the Fugees on YouTube

Individual evidence

1. ^ History. In: Troubadour. Retrieved August 6, 2019 . 
2. ^ Charles Donovan: Killing her Softly - the Trials and Triumphs of Lori Lieberman. In: HuffPost. April 16, 2013, accessed August 6, 2019 . 
3. ^ The Lori Lieberman Team . In: Billboard Newspaper . June 22, 1974, p. 53 ( PDF [accessed August 6, 2019]).
4. ↑ Norman Gimbel obituary. In: The Times. February 6, 2019, accessed August 6, 2019 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} Interview with Charles Fox 2010
6. ↑ Patricia O'Haire: A Killer of a Song . In: Daily News . April 5, 1973 ( Online ( Memento of May 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive )).
7. ↑ The 'Killing Me Softly' story ( Memento from May 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song chart placement Germany. GfK Entertainment , accessed on June 23, 2018 . 
9. ↑ Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song Chart placement Austria. In: Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
10. ↑ Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song chart placement Switzerland. In: Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
11. ^ Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song Charthistory United Kingdom. Official Charts Company , accessed June 23, 2018 . 
12. ↑ Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song chart position in the United States. Billboard , accessed June 23, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Fugees - Killing Me Softly chart placement Germany. GfK Entertainment , accessed on June 23, 2018 . 
14. ↑ Fugees - Killing Me Softly chart placement Austria. In: Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
15. ↑ Fugees - Killing Me Softly chart placement Switzerland. In: Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
16. ^ Fugees - Killing Me Softly Charthistory United Kingdom. Official Charts Company , accessed June 23, 2018 . 
17. ↑ ARIA single charts. ariacharts.com.au, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
18. ↑ Gold / platinum database. musikindustrie.de, accessed on June 23, 2018 . 
19. ↑ Gold & Platinum. ifpi.at, accessed on June 23, 2018 . 
20. ↑ BPI Awards. bpi.co.uk, accessed June 23, 2018 . 
21. ↑ https://cover.info/de/song/Lori-Lieberman-Killing-Me-Softly-With-His-Song