“He really surprised me. I didn’t faint but I came pretty close because I mean, this was a big thing. The conversation went like this (imitates Eastwood’s voice): ‘I’d like to use your song in this movie I’m doing. It’s called Play Misty for Me. It’s about a disc jockey, and it has a lot of music in it. I’d use it in the only part of the movie where there’s absolute love.’
“I said OK. We discussed the money. Of course, I was shocked. I gulped and said OK. He said, ‘Anything else?’ And I said, ‘I want to do it over again. It’s too slow.’ He said, ‘No, it’s not.'”
Flack later recorded “This Side of Forever,” which played over the closing credits of Eastwood’s Sudden Impact (1983).
A Career of Timeless Hits
After Quiet Fire (1971) and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972), Flack recorded Killing Me Softly (1973). The title track, originally recorded by Lori Lieberman, became one of Flack’s most enduring songs.
In 1975, she released Feel Like Makin’ Love. Its title track made her the first female vocalist since the 1940s to top the charts for three consecutive years. In 1977, Blue Lights in the Basement featured another hit duet with Hathaway, “The Closer I Get to You,” which peaked at No. 2. Hathaway tragically died by suicide in 1979, on a day he and Flack were scheduled to record together.
