KILLING ME SOFTLY - HARMONICA

Chris plays this song on his Suzuki chromatic harmonica SC-56 / 14 holes - 56 notes, in the key of C, and plays the song according to the original notes.

We feel honoured to dedicate this song to our YouTube friends:
dksharma (sharmakdevendra) -- Sarla Ji (jasbongy) -- Roeleke (JustSpecialForYou) - Vic (YEOLDECHARRO).

NEW:
Mayka recorded my performance with two cameras, so she edited our video with a new video- and soundtechnique. She also used chroma key technique to edit the video.
We hope you will enjoy the video and our music.

Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel.

Roberta Flack version
Lori Lieberman was the first to record Fox and Gimbel's song, in 1971, but it became a bigger hit when covered by Roberta Flack in 1973. Her version won three Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female Performer and it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks.

The Fugees version
Hip hop group The Fugees covered the song in 1996 on their album The Score, with Lauryn Hill singing the lead vocals. Their version became a massive hit reaching number two on the U.S. airplay chart, and had similar success in the UK, reaching number one and selling over a million copies, becoming 1996's best selling single in the country. The single was so successful that the track was 'deleted' and thus no longer supplied to retailers whilst the track was still in the Top 20 so that attention could be drawn to the next single 'Ready or not'. Propelled by the success of the Fugees track, the version by Flack was remixed in 1996 and topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The Fugees version of the song is on the game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3. In 2008, it was ranked number 25 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

Other versions
Other major artists to cover the song include Aretha Franklin, Carol King, Herb Alpert, Engelbert Humperdinck, Frank Sinatra, Tori Amos, Alison Moyet, Eva Cassidy, Perry Como, The Jackson 5, Mina, Anne Murray, Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, Alicia Keys, Jaco Pastorius, The Plain White T's, The Youngblood Brass Band, Shirley Bassey, John Holt and Usha Uthup.

In 1975, an instrumental version of "Killing Me Softly" served as the main musical theme of the film The Drowning Pool, starring Paul Newman. Charles Fox received credit as composer and conductor.

R&B artist Al B. Sure was the next to cover the song in 1988 on his debut album In Effect Mode... and experienced some success with it. He was voted the top new Male R&B solo artist in 1989.

A live instrumental version was recorded by Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers in 1998.

Popular culture
The song was prominently featured in the 2002 film About a Boy in which the boy of the title, Marcus, is ridiculed by classmates for singing the song, a favourite of his mother's, at his school talent show because of its feminine associations and its romantic, emotional lyrics.

In 2006 the song became a popular football chant with Irish football club Shelbourne F.C. with the lyrics changed to "Dillon Me Softly with His Song" regarding former defender Sean Dillon. The chant has since followed Dillon to his new club Dundee United F.C..

Lyrics

Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly, with his song

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him, and 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
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly, with his song

I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he found my letters, and read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish, but he just kept right on

Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly, with his song