Full Control
Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
When I listen to music, I try to listen to ALL of it — every production decision, every instrument used, the way they all intersect and merge together. However, there’s one aspect that always shines above the others for me, and that’s the vocals. Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by the way certain artists portray their lyrics and inject emotion into a tune just through their voice. While there’s plenty of examples I could give for tracks that have exemplary vocal power, I can’t think of a better choice to display this phenomenon than Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song”.
I’m convinced Flack is an angel sent from heaven, and this track is her greatest gift to all the regular people of the world. I feel like I barely even have to say it, because if you listen just once, even for less than a minute, you’ll know exactly what I mean. She’s got full control over every word, over every breath and every note. That alone is impressive, but the layers of pure emotion — excuse me, EMOTION she displays is absolutely earth-shattering. It’s clear that she understands the lyrics with her whole heart, from the soft, defeated bits at the beginning to the desperate, nearly guttural “woahh” section in the middle. Flack gives the type of performance that makes the person hearing it feel worn out by the end, slipping her way easily into the hearts of anyone who listens.
The instrumental behind her breathtaking vocals does a perfect job of keeping it low and steady. From the gentle bass flourish every few beats to the triangle punctuating the end of each phrase, from the subtle sleigh bell shakes to quiet acoustic guitar strums, it’s clear that every piece was carefully constructed for a beautiful result. I’d like to take particular note of the keyboard used — the quality of it is like a resonant chime, the type of keyboard sound that lives in my dreams. It’s one of my immediate green flags in a song, and that’s just one way this one made it to my heart so quickly.
While I love the Fugees version as well, Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” will always be the best one for me. There’s something to be said for the simplicity it’s built on, the way it allows the strengths to sparkle by simply pulling back and letting them take the lead. It’s a track that is absolutely exceptional in every way, and one I think everyone should hear.
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