Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face,
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase,
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head,
A sympathy bouquet left with a love that’s dead.— “Empty Chairs” (Don McLean, 1971)
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Originally called the “Gramophone Awards,” the “Grammy Awards,” or “Grammys,” are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Two of the most prestigious awards are (1) song of the year, and (2) record of the year. Song of the year is awarded to the composer. Record of the year is awarded to the performer (and producer and sound engineer).
As usual with this sort of thing, there is a fair amount of politics involved, and inevitably some people are disappointed with results. Often in retrospect, the disappointed are seen to have had a good argument.
For example, in probably the biggest upset in Grammy history, “Hey Jude” lost out in the 11th Grammy Awards on both song of the year and record of the year. Song of the year went to Bobby Russell for “Little Green Apples,” performed by O.C. Smith. Record of the year went to Simon and Garfunkel for “Mrs. Robinson.” Definitely both good records, but endurance over time, obviously, tells a different story.
A second upset of note was in the 15th Grammy Awards in 1973. The most monster hit that year, as far as I can remember, was “American Pie,” by Don McLean.
However, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was awarded the Grammy for both song of the year and for record of the year. The song is beautifully performed by Roberta Flack, and is featured in Clint Eastwood’s “Play Misty For Me.”
It’s hard to argue that this was a mistake. At least, it’s not as major as the first example.
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Roberta Flack became the first recording artist to win for record of the year two years in a row, when she won in 1974 for “Killing Me Softly.” This jazzy composition with an elegant ii-V harmony also won the Grammy for song of the year.
Like most capital in the music business, “Killing Me Softly” has a tangled and nasty legal history. If you look at the copyright, you’ll usually see credit for the music to Charles Fox, and for the lyrics to Norman Gimbel. Of course, even the reporting of copyrights is its own knotty problem. But this is beside the point.
Looking into the matter a little more closely reveals a different story, and not surprisingly, one of exploitation, treachery, and greed.
“Killing Me Softly” was first recorded by Lori Lieberman. She related that during the Summer 1972, she went with a friend to see Don McLean at the Troubadour in Hollywood. Witnesses confirmed that during the performance, Lori was inspired to sketch a song idea on a napkin.
I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style,
And so I came to see him, to listen for a while,
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes,
Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song, killing me softly, with his song.
The song which inspired her, and ultimately, the creation of “Killing Me Softly,” was “Empty Chairs.”
At the time, Lori was twenty, and she had been signed to a management contract with Fox and Gimbel for about a year. Gimbel, who was in his mid-forties, and who was already married, began an affair with Lori. She later recounted that she ended the relationship as he became more controlling and abusive, and helped himself to her diaries. For his part, Gimbel acknowledged that his best songwriting was behind him, and that he relied on Lori for inspiration.
Until things became completely sour, the three of them generally agreed that after the Don McLean concert, Lori called Gimbel to tell him how much the performance had moved her, and that she had an idea for a new song. This then lead to a three-way collaboration to write it out and to make a record. When she went on tour to promote her album, she introduced “Killing Me Softly” with the story about how it had been inspired.
By the mid-1970’s, Fox and Gimbel denied that Lori had had any part in the writing of the song, which by this point, was generating a lot of money. They each maintained this new version of the history for the rest of their lives. Further, when Lori asked to be let out of her contract, they sued her, claiming that she owed them hundreds of thousands of dollars. This was devastating for her career.
When Don McLean learned the background of this song, he said, “I’m absolutely amazed. I’ve heard both Lori’s and Roberta’s version and I must say I’m very humbled about the whole thing. You can’t help but feel that way about a song written and performed as well as this one is.”
All of which begs the question: Is it more cool to win the Grammy for the best song, or to have the song which wins the Grammy be a song about you?
This question probably only applies to Don McLean. However, Carly Simon was nominated for a Grammy that same year for “You’re So Vain.” At the time, she was married to James Taylor, who had won a Grammy with Carole King, for best song in 1972, for “You’ve Got a Friend.” Many have speculated that “You’re So Vain” is about him, but Carly said that it’s not, and also that it’s not about Mick Jagger, who sang background vocals on the recording. Warren Beatty claims that the song is about him, as does Felix Unger, but Carly’s not talking.
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And so, without further ado, “Killing Me Softly,” with Ron Carter, electric bass, and Grady Tate, drums, laying down one of the all-time classic grooves. Eric Gale is on electric guitar, and Roberta Flack is on piano and vocals.
Wll written and agree on several points