Episode 102–The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Roberta Flack was one of those artists that the label couldn't quite pigeonhole, which meant that they couldn't find a way to make her accessible to listeners. As a result, her first two albums got some positive press, but the sales weren't especially great. It wasn't until after her second album came out that a track on the first album caught the attention of a first-time movie director by the name of Clint Eastwood. He called Flack at home and asked if he could use the song in his film, a psychological horror film about a disc jockey called Play Misty For Me. It took a little bit of convincing (about two thousand dollars' worth), and the song made it into the film. When Play Misty For Me turned into a hit, Atlantic Records finally saw the light and released a slightly shorter version of the song on a single, and it became the first of several big hits for Flack over the next few years. What most people don't realize is that Flack's recording was a cover of a song written and recorded in 1957, and covered rather faithfully several times after that. But once it hit for her, the covers began to sound more like Flack's version. And while the song finally becoming a hit made its writer a ton of money, the truth is, he's never really liked anyone else's recording other than the one his then-girlfriend made. Incidentally, here's the link to the Flaming Lips/Amanda Palmer video that I discuss during the show. It's definitely Not Safe For Work. You have been warned. For you independent types who don't use Google Podcasts or some other podcatcher software, here's the show for your listening/downloading pleasure: Click here for a transcript of this episode.