Roberta Flack, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Reading Time: 3 min read

In the 38^th edition of COVERS (2023), Roberta Flack delivers a compelling rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” originally performed by Bonnie Dobson.

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”A” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”]h, it’s time to get cozy and totally cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers, as opposed to the original/most famous performer. It is open to both established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the 38^th edition of COVERS (2023), 🎙 Roberta Flack delivers a compelling rendition of 🎵“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, originally performed by 🎙 Bonnie Dobson.[/otw_shortcode_dropcap]

“The first time, ever I saw your face / I thought the sun rose in your eyes …” Those memorable lyrics hail from the epic classic, 🎵 “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. While iconic, 🏆 Grammy-winning musician 🎙 Roberta Flack is renowned for her definitive take, that definitive take is indeed a cover 🤯. Shocking, right? “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” predated the ‘Flack treatment’ by 12 years 🤯. British singer, songwriter, and playwright 🎼 ✍ Ewan MacColl penned it in 1957, whereas Flack recorded it as the sixth track on her 1969 album, 💿 First Take. So, while MacColl wrote the song, who first released it? That would be Bonnie Dobson in 1961.

“And the first time, ever I kissed your mouth

I felt the earth move in my hands

Like the trembling heart

Of a captive bird.”

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” marked one of six top-10 hits for Roberta Flack. That’s impressive. Even more impressive is the fact that the record spent six weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first of three number one hits. Adding to the accolades, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was certified gold by the RIAA, while parent album, First Take, has been certified platinum 💪. Oh, and how about the Grammys? Flack took home the highly coveted Record of The Year at the 15^th Annual GRAMMY Awards, a ceremony where she’d win two of her four trophies. So, what makes this one of the best records of the 1970s and, honestly, all-time? It’s Flack’s pure performance, which is truly hypnotic and mesmerizing in its quality. More often than not, she takes a calm, cool, and collected approach. Still, she understands when to dig in more – up the ante. Beyond impeccable, sophisticated singing, the arrangement and production (🎛 Joel Dorn) are utterly sublime. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” always sounds organic, embracing being non troppo (not too much). It benefits from subtlety, with its piano (🎹 Flack), guitar (🎸 John Pizzarelli), and light, tasteful drumming (🥁 Ray Lucas), string bass (🎙 Ron Carter), and the glorious, glorious, strings 🎻. So much more could be said about the sheer elegance, and stupendous-ness of 🎵 “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. Ultimately, the music speaks for itself, and DEFINITELY speaks volumes.