Roberta Flack's 10 best songs remembered, from 'Killing Me Softly' to 'Where is the Love'

Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
·2-min read

With a voice both smoky and silken, Roberta Flack carved a distinguished impression.

The singer behind timeless ballads "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "The Closer I Get to You," died Monday at the age of 88. She had battled ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, since 2022.

From her 1969 debut album, "First Take," through a 2012 collection of Beatles covers, "Let it Be: Roberta," Flack, whether solo or with a stylistically likeminded partner, remained steadfast in her art.

Roberta Flack performs onstage at the ASCAP Pied Piper award celebration in honor of Quincy Jones on April 22, 2008 in New York City.
Roberta Flack performs onstage at the ASCAP Pied Piper award celebration in honor of Quincy Jones on April 22, 2008 in New York City.

Along with frequent collaborator Donny Hathaway, a fellow soul great whom she met when they were students at Howard University in Washington D.C., Flack was a regular chart presence in the '70s. The pair released two albums together: "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway" in 1972 and "Robert Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway" in 1980, which contained posthumous vocals from Hathaway, who died in 1979.

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Their shared hits included covers of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin’ Feeling," as well as "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You."

Obituary: Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of hit 'Killing Me Softly,' dies at 88

But Flack's blend of R&B, soul and gospel didn't peak in the '70s. Her '80s output earned massive radio play for "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a ballad with Peabo Bryson that became a ubiquitous presence at weddings, and in 1991, Flack became a regular presence on MTV with the woozily pretty "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest.

Though she retired from singing after her 2022 diagnosis, here are 10 of Flack's most notable hits.

Top Roberta Flack songs, including Donny Hathaway duets and 'The First Time'

  1. "Killing Me Softly with His Song," 1973

  2. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," 1969

  3. "Set the Night to Music" (with Maxi Priest), 1991

  4. "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," 1983

  5. "Where is the Love" (with Donny Hathaway), 1972

  6. "The Closer I Get to You" (with Donny Hathaway), 1978

  7. "Feel Like Makin' Love," 1974

  8. "If Ever I See You Again," 1978

  9. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King cover, with Donny Hathaway), 1971

  10. "Making Love," 1982

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roberta Flack songs: 'Killing Me Softly,' 'First Time,' more top tunes

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