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Like millions of Swifties everywhere, Travis Kelce‘s emotional-support artist is Taylor Swift — especially following his recent heartbreak at the 2025 Super Bowl. On the latest episode of their New Heights podcast posted Wednesday (Feb. 26), the tight end and his older brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, opened up about the music they […]

Michael Mejía, the winner of a Lamborghini in a giveaway by Shakira, has decided to sell the coveted custom car.
The Colombian-American artist, based in New York City, won the vehicle in December after entering a competition organized by Shakira coinciding with the release of her song “Soltera.” Participants had to create a social media video, and Mejía’s winning TikTok entry featured his illustrations of Shakira mixed with scenes from his life, which was revealed on Univision’s Despierta América.

While snagging the 2022 purple Lamborghini Urus — valued at $280,000 — was a dream come true, the reality of maintaining such a luxury vehicle soon hit home. Mejía received the car just last week and shared his struggles with the ongoing costs. “Not only did she gift me a car, but she also gave me money to maintain it, $90,000!” he explained in an interview on El Gordo y La Flaca. “However, that $90,000 was only enough to cover very little.”

“So far, all the taxes for transferring the car, legal matters and insurance for six months have been paid. And now the federal taxes are due at the end of the year, and yes, that will be about $95,000,” he continued, detailing the financial struggle. “The insurance for the car costs more than $2,000 a month, and that’s just the way it is. So, with the money she gave me, the car is maintainable for a while, but it’s always quite expensive to keep it.”

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Mejía also mentioned that it costs $70 to fill up every two days.

The winner claims he has received offers to sell the car in parts, such as the rearview mirror, the tires and the steering wheel. “Someone offered roughly between $700,000 and $800,000. Can you believe it? That is wonderful. I think it’s anyone’s dream to have their million. A million and one dollar, I’ll be happy,” he added with a chuckle.

Additionally, the show’s host disclosed that Mejía is penning a book about his experience of winning the prize. He also discovered a jacket in the car, purportedly belonging to Shakira, and is exploring the possibility of auctioning it off.

Watch the full interview (which is in Spanish) below.

Pink Floyd‘s beloved 1972 live film, Pink Floyd at Pompeii — MCMLXXII — will return to movie theaters worldwide beginning on April 24. The film directed by Adrian Maben, will also be screened on IMAX in a digitally remastered, 4K version taken from the original 35mm footage, with enhanced audio that has been newly mixed by Steven Wilson, representing what a release said is the “definitive version of this pioneering film.”

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“Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii, so the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment,” said Lana Topham, Floyd’s director of restoration in a statement. “The newly restored version presents the first full 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after.”

The movie’s re-release will be accompanied by a Legacy Recordings release of the live album on CD, digital audio and for the first time in Dolby Atmos and on vinyl on May 2, featuring performances of the songs “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” “Something Else,” “Syncopated Pandemonium,” “Storm Signals” and “Echoes – Part II,” among others.

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The film preceded the release of the psychedelic warriors’ landmark 1973 Dark Side of the Moon album, with the band setting up in the ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy in October 1971 for a gig without an audience. It was the first live concert set in one of the oldest surviving amphitheaters in the world, built in 70 B.C.

According to a release, the movie “documents what Pink Floyd did before they became giants of the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic – where their music remains celebrated to this day. Set in the hauntingly beautiful ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy, this unique and immersive film captures Pink Floyd performing an intimate concert without an audience… The breathtaking visuals of the amphitheatre, captured both day and night, amplify the magic of the performance. Additionally, the film includes rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band beginning work on The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios.”

Former Floyd drummer Nick Mason said in a statement that Live At Pompeii is a “rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period before” Dark Side of the Moon. The original has been hand-restored, frame-by-frame from the original 35mm cut negative, which was discovered in five “dubiously labeled” cans in the band’s archive and scanned in 4K using “advanced techniques to ensure the finest, sharpest detail.”

Detailing the new 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mix — intended to match how the band sounded on those “scorching hot days in 1971” — Wilson said, “Ever since my dad brainwashed me as a kid by playing The Dark Side of the Moon on repeat, Pink Floyd has been my favourite band. They are my ‘Beatles,’ deeply ingrained in my musical DNA. I first saw Pompeii from a grainy print at a local cinema. It made an incredible impression on me with its untethered and exploratory rock music made by four musicians that seemed to epitomise the notion of intellectual cool. It was an honour to remix the soundtrack to accompany Lana Topham’s incredible restoration of the film, which looks like it could’ve been filmed yesterday.” 

Tickets for the film will go on sale beginning March 5 at 9 a.m. ET here.

Check out the album tracklist and a preview of the band’s “Echoes – Part 1” performance below.

Side A

1. “Pompeii Intro”

2. “Echoes – Part 1”

3. “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”

Side B

1. “A Saucerful of Secrets”

2. “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”

Side C

1. “One of These Days”

2. “Mademoiselle Nobs”

3. “Echoes – Part 2”

Side D

1. “Careful With that Axe, Eugene – Alternate take”

2. “A Saucerful of Secrets – Unedited”

BigXthaPlug (born Xavier Landum) has been arrested on a possession of marijuana charge in Arlington, Texas. The Arlington Police Department tells Billboard BigX was booked into Arlington City Jail early Wednesday (Feb. 26) following a traffic stop shortly after midnight, and was charged with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. An Arlington Police […]

Gospel music pioneer and pastor John P. Kee will be honored as a Trailblazer of Gospel at the 2025 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards, to be held at Flourish Atlanta on Thursday, April 3.
Throughout the ceremony, BMI will also recognize the songwriters, producers and music publishers of the past year’s 25 most performed gospel songs in the United States. The private event will be hosted by Mike O’Neill, BMI president & CEO, and Catherine Brewton, BMI vp, creative, Atlanta.

“John P. Kee is a true visionary in the genre, and his music continues to have an impact in gospel music for over 40 years and counting,” Brewton said in a statement. “It’s an honor to recognize his dedication and the unwavering commitment he’s made through his artistry and evangelism.”

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Kee, known as the Prince of Gospel Music, is widely recognized for his contributions to contemporary gospel music. In the mid 1980s, he started a community choir in Charlotte, N.C., that eventually became known as the New Life Community Choir (NLCC). Over the course of his professional career spanning almost four decades, he has written music for Hallmark, Inc., The Hawkins Family, Daryl Coley, Billy Preston, Dorinda Clark Cole, Rev. James Cleveland, Bishop Rance Allen, Florida Mass Choir, Mississippi Mass Choir, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and for the legendary Dr. James Cleveland’s Gospel Music Workshop of America, among others.

His music has been featured in film, television, commercials and on Saturday Night Live. Throughout his solo career and his work with NLCC, he has amassed 37 GMWA Excellence Awards, 27 Stellar Awards, three BMI Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, a Trailblazer Award from former President Bill Clinton and received eight Grammy nominations. Adding to his list of accolades, Kee was inducted into the International Gospel Hall of Fame in 2005 and was previously honored at the BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards in 2001 and 2005.

In addition, Kee has been the full-time pastor of the New Life Fellowship Center in Charlotte since its inception in 1995.

Billboard‘s Women in Music event wouldn’t be complete without a lineup of powerhouse musical performances, nor would the awards be nearly as meaningful without a slate of accomplished women on hand to present them. And on Wednesday (Feb. 26), the list of names for both were announced ahead of the 2025 ceremony. Among the performers […]

No, j-hope fans, you aren’t dreaming — he really is releasing a new solo project. On Wednesday (Feb. 26), the BTS star announced a new single titled “Sweet Dreams,” featuring Miguel.  Arriving March 7, the duet will find j-hope and the “Sure Thing” musician’s voices blending over a soulful R&B-pop track as they sing about […]

Apple Original Films announced that the documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on May 30. In addition, the “lyrical, bold exploration” of the U2 singer’s one-man show of the same name based on his 2022 memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs One Story, will also be the first feature-length film available on […]

Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com.
Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States.

Or, reach out on Bluesky.

Let’s open the latest mailbag.

Dear Gary,

With “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, it joins the list of songs that have incorporated people’s names in chart-topping titles. The song is, of course, a tribute to the late Luther Vandross, who never topped the chart as a billed artist, although his voice has been heard on multiple No. 1s dating back nearly a half-century.

No. 1 songs with proper names in their titles continue a trend that began soon after the Hot 100 started in 1958. Here’s a (long) look at them below (including one famous group name, in a 2016 hit), while realizing that there’s room for interpretation; Faith is a name, but George Michael didn’t mean it that way in his 1987 hit. Thankfully, others are as obvious as can be: “Venus was her name!”

Thanks,

My name … Jesper TanSubang Jaya, Malaysia

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“Tom Dooley,” The Kingston Trio (1958)

“Stagger Lee,” Lloyd Price (1959)

“Venus,” Frankie Avalon (1959)

“Running Bear,” Johnny Preston (1960)

“Cathy’s Clown,” The Everly Brothers (1960)

“Mr. Custer,” Larry Verne (1960)

“Michael,” The Highwaymen (1961)

“Hit the Road Jack,” Ray Charles and His Orchestra with the Raelettes (1961)

“Runaround Sue,” Dion (1961)

“Big Bad John,” Jimmy Dean (1961)

“Johnny Angel,” Shelley Fabares (1962)

“Sheila,” Tommy Roe (1962)

“Sherry,” The 4 Seasons (1962)

“Hey Paula,” Paul and Paula (1963)

“Dominique,” The Singing Nun (1963)

“Hello, Dolly!,” Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (1964)

“Ringo,” Lorne Greene (1964)

”Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” Herman’s Hermits (1965)

“Help Me, Rhonda,” The Beach Boys (1965)

”I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” Herman’s Hermits (1965)

“Hang On Sloopy,” The McCoys (1965)

“Ruby Tuesday,” The Rolling Stones (1967)

“Ode to Billie Joe,” Bobbie Gentry (1967)

“Judy in Disguise (With Glasses),” John Fred and the Playboys (1968)

“Mrs. Robinson,” Simon & Garfunkel (1968)

“Hey Jude,” The Beatles (1968)

“Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet,” Henry Mancini (1969)

“Venus,” Shocking Blue (1970)

“Cracklin’ Rosie,” Neil Diamond (1970)

”Me and Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin (1971)

“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” Paul & Linda McCartney (1971)

“Maggie May,” Rod Stewart (1971)

“Theme From Shaft,” Isaac Hayes (1971)

“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” Looking Glass (1972)

“Ben,” Michael Jackson (1972)

“Me and Mrs. Jones,” Billy Paul (1972)

“Frankenstein,” The Edgar Winter Group (1973)

“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” Jim Croce (1973)

“Brother Louie,” Stories (1973)

“Delta Dawn,” Helen Reddy (1973)

“Angie,” The Rolling Stones (1973)

“Bennie and the Jets,” Elton John (1974)

“Billy, Don’t Be a Hero,” Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (1974)

“Annie’s Song,” John Denver (1974)

“Angie Baby,” Helen Reddy (1974)

“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Elton John (1975)

“Mandy,” Barry Manilow (1975)

“Lady Marmalade,” Labelle (1975)

“A Fifth of Beethoven,” Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (1976)

“Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder (1977)

“MacArthur Park,” Donna Summer (1978)

“Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes (1981)

“Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield (1981)

“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” Christopher Cross (1981)

“Jack and Diane,” John Cougar (1982)

“Mickey,” Toni Basil (1982)

“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson (1983)

“Come On Eileen,” Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1983)

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” John Parr (1985)

“Oh Sheila,” Ready for the World (1985)

“Sara,” Starship (1986)

“Rock Me Amadeus,” Falco (1986)

“Venus,” Bananarama (1986)

“Amanda,” Boston (1986)

“Jacob’s Ladder,” Huey Lewis & the News (1987)

“Dirty Diana,” Michael Jackson (1988)

“A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme),” Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (1993)

“Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio (1996)

“Maria Maria,” Santana feat. The Product G&B (2000)

“Ms. Jackson,” OutKast (2001)

“Lady Marmalade,” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & P!nk (2001)

“Hey There Delilah,” Plain White T’s (2007)

“Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera (2011)

“Black Beatles,” Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane (2016)

“The Scotts,” The Scotts, Travis Scott & Kid Cudi (2020)

“Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” Lil Nas X (2021)

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast (2022)

“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake feat. 21 Savage (2022)

“Kill Bill,” SZA (2023)

“Luther,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA (2025)

Thanks, Jesper!

Oddly enough for a tribute song with such a title, as fellow longtime “Ask Billboard” contributor Pablo Nelson notes, the name Luther isn’t said in “Luther” (nor is Bill in SZA’s “Kill Bill”).

Meanwhile, five Hot 100 No. 1s other than Lil Nas X’s above include the word “name” in their names:

“Stop! In the Name of Love,” The Supremes (1965)

“A Horse With No Name,” America (1972)

“You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi (1986)

“Say My Name,” Destiny’s Child (2000)

“What’s My Name?,” Rihanna feat. Drake (2010)

It shouldn’t be a surprise that so many songs with names in their titles have topped the Hot 100. After all, everyone hears their name in “Happy Birthday to You,” which is listed first in Guinness World Records’ recap of the most frequently sung songs in English.

As for Luther Vandross, he and Richard Marx shared the 2004 Grammy Award for co-writing “Dance With My Father.” In a 2012 visit to Billboard, Marx mused about meeting Vandross at the American Music Awards in 1990, while they were both touring. “You meet somebody and … ‘I could hang with this guy,’” he recalled of his early impressions of the R&B legend. “Then when we both came off the road, we went to dinner and he offered to sing background vocals on my record I was making” — 1991’s Rush Street, whose lead single, “Keep Coming Back,” with prominent runs by Vandross, hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

“I said at the dinner, ‘Dude, that’s like if I was having dinner with Michael Jordan and I said, ‘You know … me and my buddies play pick-up basketball in the park on Sundays,’ and Michael Jordan said, ‘Do you need somebody for your team?’ ”

Ultimately, “He was just my pal,” Marx said of Vandross, who passed in 2005. “We spent a lot more time watching movies, going to dinner, just driving around. I was in love with his voice, as everybody was, but I just miss him. He was the funniest guy — hilarious. I just miss my friend. My memories of Luther are, 99%: We were bros.”

Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer — a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single — by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor Roberta Flack, who died on Feb. 24 at age 88, by looking at the singer’s second of three No. 1 hits as a recording artist: the instant standard “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” (In case you missed it, here’s a look at her first No. 1, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”)

Roberta Flack could have brought a book or a magazine to read on an American Airlines flight from L.A. back home to New York in 1972. She could have watched the in-flight movie or even taken a nap. Let’s all be grateful that she instead chose to listen to the in-flight audio program, which included a pretty pop/folk ballad recorded by a then-20-year-old singer named Lori Lieberman.

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Flack scanned the list of audio selections and learned that the composition, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. Gimbel was then best-known for writing English-language lyrics to such global hits as “The Girl From Ipanema” and “I Will Wait for You”; Fox for creating the sunshine pop musical backgrounds on the hit ABC show Love, American Style.

“The title, of course, smacked me in the face,” Flack later said. “I immediately pulled out some scratch paper, made musical staves [and then] play[ed] the song at least eight to 10 times jotting down the melody that I heard. When I landed, I immediately called Quincy [Jones] at his house and asked him how to meet Charles Fox. Two days later I had the music.”

By most accounts, the song was inspired by Lieberman seeing Don McLean perform at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles in November 1971. McLean’s “American Pie” entered the Billboard Hot 100 that month (on its way to No. 1 in January 1972), but Lieberman was more taken by another song in the set, the haunting ballad “Empty Chairs.” The singer jotted some notes and impressions on a napkin. She later described the experience, and how deeply it affected her, to Gimbel, with whom she was working at the time. (Gimbel and Fox had signed her to a five-year production, recording and publishing deal.)

Lieberman’s description reminded Gimbel of a phrase that was already in his idea notebook: “to kill us softly with some blues.” The phrase had appeared five years earlier in a novel by Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar and Gimbel thought it had possibilities. Gimbel drew from Lieberman’s account, crafted the lyrics, and passed them on to Fox, who set them to faintly melancholy music.

Lieberman did not receive a co-writing credit on the song. There is even a dispute over whether, and to what degree, the song was inspired by McLean’s performance. When Dan MacIntosh of Songfacts asked Fox in 2010 about the McLean origin story, Fox said: “I think it’s called an urban legend. It really didn’t happen that way.”

Lieberman had a falling out with Gimbel (who died in 2018) and Fox (who is still living at 84). This backstage drama is intriguing, but mostly irrelevant to the story of Flack’s recording, which quickly became one of the biggest and best (and most celebrated) singles of its era.

Jones, who died less than four months ago, played a key role in this story a second time. In September 1972, Flack was opening for Jones at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Flack was red-hot at the time, having landed million-sellers that year with the classic ballad “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and the ebullient “Where Is the Love,” a silky duet with Donny Hathaway.

When the audience at the Greek kept cheering, Jones advised her to go back out and sing one more song. “Well, I have this new song I’ve been working on,” Flack replied. “After I finished [‘Killing Me Softly’], the audience would not stop screaming. And Quincy said, ‘Ro, don’t sing that daggone song no more until you record it.’”

As usual, Jones’ instincts were correct. Flack recorded the song on Nov. 17, 1972 at Atlantic Studios in New York. Flack arranged the track, Joel Dorn produced it and Gene Paul engineered. Flack also played piano on the track, while Hathaway contributed harmony vocals. The other musicians were Eric Gale (guitars), Ron Carter (bass), Grady Tate (drums); and Ralph MacDonald (congas, percussion, tambourine).

Flack completely transformed the song. Lieberman’s version of the song, produced by Gimbel and Fox and arranged and conducted by Fox, is pretty, but rather bland. Her version plays like a very good demo, which is essentially what it was.

Flack boldly restructured the song. Her recording has a cold open on the chorus “Strummin’ my pain…” Lieberman’s version opens with a long, moody piano solo (which sounds like it could have been featured in Love Story, one of the biggest movies of the era). Then she sings the first verse, only hitting the “Strummin’ my pain” chorus at the 0:51 mark.

Flack also transformed the song from a pop/folk tune to one that drew from a wide range of American music forms – pop, soul and jazz. A 25-second section, which doesn’t appear at all in the Lieberman version, borrows from the scatting tradition. Lieberman’s version ends with a 40-second instrumental outro. In Flack’s version, she is singing until the final note. And Flack sings the song with more passion, bringing out all the drama of the key line, “I felt he found my letters/ and Read Each One Out Loud!”

Flack’s transformation of this song was as complete as Aretha Franklin’s reinvention of Otis Redding’s “Respect” or Ike & Tina Turner’s re-imagining of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” All three remakes show the power of interpretation – just as Lieberman’s largely unsung involvement in the song’s creation shows the importance of inspiration.

“Killing Me Softly” runs 4:46, longer than any other No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 in 1973. But it doesn’t seem long or padded as it seamlessly moves from section to section.

Fox has suggested that Flack’s version was more successful than Lieberman’s because Flack’s “version was faster and she gave it a strong backbeat that wasn’t in the original.”  According to Flack: “My classical background made it possible for me to try a number of things with [the song’s arrangement]. I changed parts of the chord structure and chose to end on a major chord. [The song] wasn’t written that way.”

Flack’s version was released as a single on Jan. 22, 1973, with a version of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman” (drawn from her 1970 album Chapter Two) on the B-side.

It was the top new entry on the Hot 100 (at No. 54) on the chart dated Jan. 27. It reached No. 1 on Feb. 24, displacing Elton John’s first Hot 100 No. 1, “Crocodile Rock.” “Killing Me Softly” reached the top spot in just five weeks, the fastest climb since Sly & the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” also reached No. 1 in its fifth week in December 1971. “Killing Me Softly” held tight in the top spot for four weeks before being bumped to No. 2 by The O’Jays’ exuberant “Love Train.”

But “Killing Me Softly” wasn’t done yet. It returned to the top spot for a fifth and final week before being dislodged for a second time by Vicki Lawrence’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” Flack’s five-week run at No. 1 was the longest by any single in 1973.

Flack was a perfectionist, which came into play here in at least two ways. Flack rehearsed the song with her band in the Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, but she wasn’t satisfied with the background vocals on the various mixes. An executive at Flack’s label, Atlantic Records, assured her it would be a hit song no matter which mix was released. She refused to be rushed, recalling later that she “wanted to be satisfied with that record more than anything else.”

Also, Flack didn’t release an album with “Killing Me Softly” until Aug. 1, 1973, more than six months after the single’s release. That delay must have been agonizing for Atlantic executives. The album, with the shortened title Killing Me Softly, reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in September 1973. It would almost certainly have been a No. 1 album if it had been released while the single was being played every hour on the hour on every pop, soul and adult contemporary radio station in the land.

Flack followed “Killing Me Softly With His Song” with a slow and somber Janis Ian ballad, “Jesse.” It stalled at No. 30 on the Hot 100.

At the Grammy Awards on March 2, 1974, Flack became the first artist to win record of the year two years running, after taking home the award in 1973 for “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” When Diana Ross announced her as the 1974 winner, a dazed Flack put her hand over her mouth. When she spoke, she simply said, “I’d like to thank the world.” (Since 1974, just two other artists have won back-to-back Grammys for record of the year: U2 triumphed in 2001-02 with “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On,” while Billie Eilish scored in 2020-21 with “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted.”)

Flack won a second Grammy for “Killing Me Softly” – best pop vocal performance, female. (She probably should have won a third, best arrangement accompanying vocalists, but she wasn’t even nominated for that one.) The recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Killing Me Softly was also nominated for album of the year (losing to Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions). It marked the first time in Grammy history that Black lead artists won album of the year and record of the year in the same year. Gimbel and Fox won song of the year for writing the song.

Flack re-recorded the song with Peabo Bryson on their 1980 double live album Live & More (its title borrowed from Donna Summer’s 1978 collection).

Many other artists have recorded the song over the years, including Johnny Mathis, on his 1973 album Killing Me Softly With Her Song; Al B. Sure!, on his 1988 album In Effect Mode; and Luther Vandross, on his hit 1994 collection Songs.

Fugees recorded an updated, but still faithful and deeply respectful version of “Killing Me Softly” (they shortened the title) on their second album, The Score, in 1996. Group member Pras made the suggestion to cover the song, which showcased Lauryn Hill on lead vocals.

The song reached No. 1 on both the Pop Airplay and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts and No. 2 on Radio Songs. It likely would have been one of the year’s biggest Hot 100 hits were it not for rules at the time disqualifying songs not given an official single release. The track won a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a duo/group and an MTV Video Music Award for best R&B video. Flack and Fugees teamed to perform the song on the MTV Movie Awards on June 8, 1996.

Flack’s original track was remixed in 1996 by Jonathan Peters, with Flack adding some new vocal flourishes; this version topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart in September 1996.

Flack returned to the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 for a third and final time in 1974 with the silky “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” But let’s save that story for the next Forever No. 1 installment.