Parasocial relationships are often explored through the lens of celebrities and social media influencers, but well before our current era of online connection, Lori Lieberman captured this feeling of being deeply perceived by a stranger in her original version of the song “Killing Me Softly,” which released in 1972. Roberta Flack released a cover of the song in 1973. Flack discovered the song on a plane and said she listened to it about five times before the plane landed.
In this episode of Cover Story, Stephanie Shonekan sits down with recording engineer Nat Kuhn to discuss the Roberta Flack and Fugees versions of “Killing Me Softly.” The Fugees version, released in 1996, brings in a hip-hop sound and that ever-recognizable sitar that immediately takes people back to the ‘90s -- or whenever they first discovered the classic song, maybe for the first time.
And, like always, Stephanie and Nat choose which cover reigns, and why.
“I think the other thing that (the song) speaks to is what it feels like to encounter somebody that gets you and how you reconcile that encounter with, ‘They don’t know me.’”Nat Kuhn
This is a show about the music we love. But the conversations uncover intimate stories about our own personal connections with the songs. Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan reconnects us with great music and the diverse perspectives, histories, and identities of the artists and the fans who enjoy that music.
Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan is produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay, Nat Kuhn and Stephanie Shonekan. This season was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
This podcast is a collaboration between KBIA and Vox Magazine, with funding from the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities, MU’s College of Arts & Science, and the Missouri School of Journalism.
You can follow the podcast and other special projects on Twitter at @VoxMag, and @KBIA, and on Instagram at @voxmagazine and @kbianews.
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 1 was produced by Janet Saidi, Kristofor Husted, Fernando Narro, Rehman Tungekar, and Ryan Famuliner, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season One was edited by Rehman Tungekar and Ryan Famuliner.
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 2 was produced by Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay, and Stephanie Shonekan. Season Two was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
