Killing Me Softly (With His Song)

A friend tipped me to this delightful story and suggested it as a blog entry: sometime in the late 60s, early 70s, a young singer by the name of Lori Lieberman saw Don McClean perform the song “Empty Chairs” live. She was so moved by the experience that she wrote a poem called “Killing Me Softly with His Blues.” Songwriters Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel composed “Killing Me Softly with His Song” around her poem with Lieberman in mind. She released the song on her 1971 debut album of the same name. The single had very little success until it was covered by the singer Roberta Flack.

Roberta Flack is virtuosic performer and one that I’ve enjoyed since childhood. I had the honor of attending a concert of hers in early 2009 and meeting her afterwards. She’s a class act. Regardless, the Grammy-winning “Killing Me Softly” is probably her greatest contribution to the world, and she takes the prize as having the definitive version. Ms. Flack commented at the concert that she really likes Lauryn Hill’s version.

Roberta Flack: I was unable to find a video of the studio version that wasn’t skank. But this live version is enchanting as well :)

The Fugees

The original:

The song that started it all: “Empty Chairs” by Don McLean

John Mayer Crossroads Lesson

John Mayer deconstructs his cover of the classic Robert Johnson song "Crossroads."  This is for the guitar players out there--it gets pretty technical.

All Along the Watchtower

This one is a go-to song for any band or artist trying to prove they can play the guitar, and has been covered, by my estimates, 8.3 million times. Such efforts usually range from unimpressive to howling disasters. Ask your typical axe man whose song this is, and he will, no doubt, cough up Jimi Hendrix, and I don’t blame him. Jimi’s version appears at number #48 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs Ever, and in 2000, British magazine Total Guitar put it at the top of the list of the Greatest Cover Versions of All Time. It’s a fantastic rendition, to say the least. But Bob Dylan is the OG, and released it on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding.

My favorite rendition is by (don’t tease me) Dave Matthews Band. I love the tense, quiet build-up, the way Dave cackles “No reason to get excited” right as the crowd screams in anticipation, and the thrilling release as the band erupts into mayhem. There are several live versions of this song, and it is a DMB concert staple, but I am partial to the Folsom Field version, which clocks in at a moderate nine minutes.



Jimi Hendrix



For the original, listen here.

Purple Rain

To anyone who has the chutzpah to cover Prince, I only have one question: do you pull your own teeth? Because you have guts. Aside from his legendary status and undisputed talent, his fans are merciless. Even so, I’ve seen and heard artists humbly covering Prince’s 1984 hit “Purple Rain.” Whether or not they are successful I’ll leave up to you:

Darius Rucker: When Darius toured with Rascal Flatts during 2009, he often used this song as his encore. He would preface it with a statement about how the idea came from his bandmate Jeff, and instructed the audience to blame Jeff if it didn’t work, and to credit Darius if it did. At the show I attended in September, it worked—although it could very well be a case of “you had to be there.” This clip is from a Dierks Bentley concert:

Tori Amos: Live and boot-legged piano version, but still good. Really worth a listen.

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Holly Cole: Allegedly a jazz version. More orchestral if you ask me.

Listen to the original here: http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569483827578436