I heard he had a style,
And so I came to see him
To listen for a while.."
DON McLEAN
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song
很多樂迷毎聽到 Roberta Flack 獨特的風格, 以磁性的歌喉演繹這一曲, 無可否認好像是為她而寫, 但背後還有它的故事呢 ....
Lori Lieberman
1951年生於美國, 在瑞士成長, 芳齡二十歲的女民歌手, 一個晚上與朋友在一間名為 "遊吟詩人 Troubador" 的酒吧作樂, 當晚遇上 Don McLean 正在場演唱一曲 "Empty Chair", Lori 被他俊朗的面孔與音樂才華吸引着, 不經意地用筆把當刻的感覺描寫在一片紙餐巾上 ....
”Strumming my pain with his fingers
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words ”
”I felt all flushed with fever
Embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he had found my letters
And read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish
But he kept just right on…”
Don McLean - Empty Chairs (for Lori Lieberman / August 2011)
I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
Moonlight use to bath the contours of your face
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
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went
Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would
Lori 返回所屬的 Capitol Record 唱片公司, 跟撰詞人 Norman Gimbel 講述當晚初見到 Don McLean 的感覺, 懇求 Norman 跟著纸餐巾上的描繪, 為她撰冩一曲。幾天後, 一篇撰上曲詞, 道出這小妮子真情流露的作品, 原曲名字 "Killing Me Softly With His Blues", 幾經 Lori 一番游說, 最後 Norman 接纳將"Blues"改為"Song", 理所當然她是此曲的原唱歌手, 1972年面世, 可惜未被業界與樂迷關注。
Killing me softly with his song (1972) - Lori Lieberman
"聽過 Roberta 和 Lori 的不同版本之後, 無可否認, 這是無可比擬的作品, 它能够令創作與演繹者成為一體。可能是 Lori 找錯時空與對像了, 我的 "Empty Chairs" 一曲, 儘管是輕唱, 豈有這樣的魅力呢?" - Don McLean
Don McLean pays tribute to Lori Lieberman
Quote:
American singer Lori Lieberman (60) gained fame with the song Killing Me Softly, which is based on a poem she wrote during a Don McLean concert. A couple of months ago she visited one of the singer's shows, at the invitation of his wife Patricia. McLean addressed her from the stage and told the audience about the coming about of Killing Me Softly, forty years earlier. "I can't tell you what this meant to me", says Lieberman.
Killing Me Softly with His Song - Lori Lieberman (2011)