<P> According to Lori Lieberman , who performed the original recording in 1971 , the song was born of a poem she wrote after experiencing a strong reaction to the Don McLean song `` Empty Chairs '' , writing some poetic ideas on a napkin at the Troubadour Club after seeing McLean perform the song , then related this information to Gimbel , who took her feelings and put them into words . Then Gimbel passed the words to Fox , who set them to music . </P>
<P> According to Lori Lieberman , who performed the original recording in 1971 , the song was born of a poem she wrote after experiencing a strong reaction to the Don McLean song `` Empty Chairs '' , writing some poetic ideas on a napkin at the Troubadour Club after seeing McLean perform the song , then related this information to Gimbel , who took her feelings and put them into words . Then Gimbel passed the words to Fox , who set them to music . </P>
who 's the original singer of killing me softly
who 's the original singer of killing me softly
Lori Lieberman
Lori Lieberman