Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack first heard the song inspiration when she saw Don McLean perform Empty Chairs live and commissioned the writers.

Floating Player

The Cover -- 1996

Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill was just 21 when the Fugees cover exploded, making her the first woman to sell millions with hip-hop.

Floating Player

Image Credits

1,414 artist portraits across 5 genres (Rock, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Folk). 1,363 sourced from Wikipedia (Creative Commons / Public Domain), 50 from Deezer (promotional artwork).

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Who Did It Better

Killing Me Softly

Written by Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel

Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words

This song is about...

"Killing Me Softly" is about the specific vulnerability of being seen too clearly. Roberta Flack recorded it in 1973 as a story about a woman watching a musician perform and realizing he is singing her life back to her. He has never met her. He does not know her name. But the song he plays cuts through every wall she has built. The feeling is not comfort. It is exposure. Being understood without consent. The violence of being known by a stranger who has no idea he is exposing you.

Roberta or Lauryn

Roberta Flack

1973

Roberta Flack first heard the song inspiration when she saw Don McLean perform Empty Chairs live and commissioned the writers.

Lauryn Hill

1996

Lauryn Hill was just 21 when the Fugees cover exploded, making her the first woman to sell millions with hip-hop.

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Who else did it better?