The "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," as sung by Roberta Flack, entered the Billboard Magazine charts at No. 77 on this day in 1972. Within six weeks, it hit No. 1 and remained for six more weeks, becoming the best selling single of 1972.
Although it is listed in the "soul/vocal jazz" genre, it was originally written as a folk song by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife.
Flack's slow and sensual version was used by Clint Eastwood in his 1971 directorial film debut: "Play Misty for Me" to score a love scene featuring Eastwood and actress Donna Mills. Flack would recall how Eastwood, who had heard her version of "The First Time..." on his car radio while driving down the LA Freeway, phoned out of the blue to her Alexandria (Virginia) home: (Roberta Flack quote:)"[Eastwood said:] 'I'd like to use your song in this movie...about a disc jockey [with] a lot of music in it. I'd use it in the only part of the movie where there's absolute love.' I said okay. We discussed the money.[Eastwood would pay $2000 to use Flack's "The First Time..."] He said: 'Anything else?' And I said: 'I want to do it over again. It's too slow.' He said: "No, it's not.'"
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