# Laura Branigan & "Killing Me Softly With His Song"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 25, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108 "2011-05-25T03:08:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/1 "2011-05-25T03:08:10Z")
I am a big fan of the late singer Laura Branigan, and I thought I had all her [albums](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Branigan_discography) but I came across this while doing a search for the Roberta Flack song “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Numerous sites saying. “LAURA BRANIGAN KILLING ME SOFTLY LYRICS”
Did she ever record that song? Maybe it was “B-Side” or released only in certain countries or maybe it was just a song she performed once live in a concert?
thanks
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/2 "2011-05-25T03:58:45Z")
Probably posted by someone who had no clue who originally did the song.
Years back in the days of Napster, I used to run across mp3s that had the wrong artist listed with a song, and there were thousands of copies of that mp3 with the wrong artist in the filename. In that case, all it took was someone with the wrong name and it became viral.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/3 "2011-05-25T04:33:26Z")
> [@jasonh300](#):
>
> Probably posted by someone who had no clue who originally did the song.
>
> Years back in the days of Napster, I used to run across mp3s that had the wrong artist listed with a song, and there were thousands of copies of that mp3 with the wrong artist in the filename. In that case, all it took was someone with the wrong name and it became viral.
Yep!
Weird Al Yankovic has been plagued by morons crediting to him every bit of driven churned out by a morning drivetime DJ. And of course [a song by Happy Rhodes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ziLXJQPpF0) was credited as a _duet_ between Kate Bush and Annie Lennox.
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/4 "2011-05-25T16:16:03Z")
I thought as much, thanks
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/5 "2011-05-25T17:12:30Z")
I’ll never forget the time my ex-Boss told me to print out the lyris for “Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You” and got all snarky because I rinted out Dolly Parton’s.
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### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/6 "2011-05-25T18:30:41Z")
I can see misidentifying the singer of a song in MP3 format if the incorrectly credited singer and the real singer sound somewhat alike (e.g., crediting Neil Young instead of America for “Horse With No Name”). However, Laura Branigan sounded nothing like either Roberta Flack or Lauryn Hill who covered the song when she was with the Fugees. Maybe this was some bootleg recording from a concert that made its way to the internet.
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### Author:  [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/7 "2011-05-25T20:40:34Z")
> [@jasonh300](#):
>
> Probably posted by someone who had no clue who originally did the song.
>
> Years back in the days of Napster, I used to run across mp3s that had the wrong artist listed with a song, and there were thousands of copies of that mp3 with the wrong artist in the filename. In that case, all it took was someone with the wrong name and it became viral.
This.
I used to find all sorts of 80s songs attributed to Depeche Mode, who never covered “Tainted Love” to my knowledge.
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### Author:  [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/8 "2011-05-25T20:52:22Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> I am a big fan of the late singer Laura Branigan, and I thought I had all her [albums](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Branigan_discography) but I came across this while doing a search for the Roberta Flack song “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Numerous sites saying. “LAURA BRANIGAN KILLING ME SOFTLY LYRICS”
Wow. Until I read your OP I had no idea she was dead. That’s so sad. I wore out my cassette of _Self Control_ in high school.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/9 "2011-05-25T20:55:22Z")
Find the Lori Lieberman version. IMO, it’s not only the first recording of the song, but also the best.
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### Author:  [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigan-killing-me-softly-with-his-song/583108/10 "2011-05-26T11:06:05Z")
Well, I had no idea that “I’m No Angel” was Greg Allmann and not Bruce Springsteen until I tried to download it onto my iPod. And an internet search reveals that I’m not the only one.