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On This Day in 1996, The Fugees Soared to #1 With a Song That ‘Exposed’ a New Generation to a Classic (And Almost Featured Competely Different Lyrics)

The Fugees released ‘Killing Me Softly’ in 1996, but if the original songwriters had not stepped in, it would have had different lyrics.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

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It has been 30 years to the day since The Fugees released “Killing Me Softly”. The track was a reimagining of a timeless classic, made popular in the early 70s by Roberta Flack. Interestingly, the Fugees’ version almost featured completely different lyrics.

The original track is titled “Killing Me Softly with His Song“, composed and written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. Additionally, singer-songwriter Lori Lieberman said she collaborated with the two. She claimed that she was inspired to write the song after attending a Don McLean concert. However, Fox and Gimbel have disputed her involvement and ultimately denied her songwriting credits. After Lieberman’s version failed to........

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