The First time Ever I Saw Your Face - wikipedia The First time Ever I Saw Your Face For other uses, see The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2013 ) `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' Single by Roberta Flack from the album First Take Released March 7, 1972 ( 1972 - 03 - 07 ) Recorded 1969 Genre Soul vocal jazz Length 5 : 22 4 : 15 ( 1972 radio edit ) Label Atlantic 2864 Songwriter ( s ) Ewan MacColl Producer ( s ) Joel Dorn Roberta Flack singles chronology `` Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow '' ( 1972 ) `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' ( 1972 ) `` Where Is the Love '' ( 1972 ) `` Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow '' ( 1972 ) `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' ( 1972 ) `` Where Is the Love '' ( 1972 ) `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' Roberta Flack 's `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' from First Take Problems playing this file ? See media help. `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer / songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife, to sing. At the time, the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. Seeger sang the song when the duo performed in folk clubs around Britain. During the 1960s, it was recorded by various folk singers and became a major international hit for Roberta Flack in 1972, winning the Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song of the year for 1972. Contents 1 History 2 Roberta Flack version 3 Other recorded versions 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History There are two differing accounts of the origin of the song. MacColl said that he wrote the song for Seeger after she asked him to pen a song for a play she was in. He wrote the song and taught it to Seeger over the telephone. Seeger said that MacColl, with whom she had begun an affair in 1957, used to send her tapes to listen to whilst they were apart and that the song was on one of them. The song entered the pop mainstream when it was released by the Kingston Trio on their 1962 hit album New Frontier and in subsequent years by other pop folk groups such as Peter, Paul and Mary, The Brothers Four, and the Chad Mitchell Trio, and by Gordon Lightfoot on his 1966 debut album Lightfoot ! MacColl made no secret of the fact that he disliked all of the cover versions of the song. His daughter - in - law wrote : `` He hated all of them. He had a special section in his record collection for them, entitled ' The Chamber of Horrors '. He said that the Elvis version was like Romeo at the bottom of the Post Office Tower singing up to Juliet. And the other versions, he thought, were travesties : bludgeoning, histrionic, and lacking in grace. '' Roberta Flack version The song was popularised by Roberta Flack in 1972 in a version that became a breakout hit for the singer. The song first appeared on Flack 's 1969 album First Take. Her rendition was much slower than the original, as an early solo recording by Seeger ran two and a half minutes long whereas Flack 's is more than twice that length. Flack 's slower and more sensual version was used by Clint Eastwood in his 1971 directorial film debut, Play Misty for Me, during a lovemaking scene. With the new exposure, Atlantic Records cut the song down to four minutes and released it to radio. It became a very successful single in the United States where it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and easy listening charts in April 1972 for six week runs on each list. It reached # 14 on the UK Singles Chart. In Canada, it was No. 1 for three weeks in the RPM magazine charts. In 2014, two films featured the song : Flack 's version was heard twice in the superhero film X-Men : Days of Future Past, set largely in 1973, while a `` cover '' of it was performed by one of the protagonists in The Inbetweeners 2 for comic effect. In 2015, Flack 's version was used as the outro in episode 88 of the television series Mad Men. In 2016, Flack 's version was featured in the finale episode of the HBO series The Night Of. In 2016, Flack 's version was played in the background of Episode 3, in the FX Cable TV Miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson : American Crime Story. Other recorded versions Aaron Neville Acker Bilk ( instrumental ) Alfie Boe Alison Moyet Amanda Palmer Andy Williams Ann Hampton Callaway Appendix Out Bert Jansch Bobby Vinton Bob Monkhouse Bonnie Dobson Bradley Joseph Brian Kennedy Carla Cook Céline Dion The Chi - Lites Chie Ayado Christy Moore Chris Walker Cindytalk Coldcut and Joanna Law Conner Reeves David Cook Diana Ross Don McLean Edward Woodward Easther Bennett Elvis Presley Emily Barker Engelbert Humperdinck Fatman Scoop The Flaming Lips and Erykah Badu The Flaming Lips and Amanda Palmer George Michael Gordon Lightfoot Gregorian Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne Harry Connick, Jr. Isaac Hayes Jeffrey Gaines Jeffrey Osborne Jennifer Hudson Joe and Eddie Johnny Cash Johnny Mathis Jonathan & Charlotte Jools Holland Jordan Rudess José Carreras Josh Krajcik Journey South Judy Collins June Tabor Kathy Hampson 's New Elastic Band Kate Ceberano Kate Havnevik Kitty White Lauryn Hill Lea Michele ( Glee Cast ) Leona Lewis Marcia Griffiths Marianne Faithfull Maria Taylor Mary Travers Mathilde Santing Matt Cardle Mel Tormé Michael Kaeshammer Michael Sweet Nana Mouskouri Natasha Marsh Nils Lofgren Nu : Tone Offa Rex Ol ' Dirty Bastard Paul Mounsey Paul Potts Peter, Paul and Mary Peter Blakeley Petula Clark Pig Orchestra Rachel Z Ray Conniff Regine Velasquez Richard Marx Sarah McQuaid Satori Scooter ( band ) Shirley Bassey The Smothers Brothers Stereophonics Steven Houghton Sylvia McNair Tally Koren Tamera Foster The Temptations Timmy Thomas Toots Thielemans Val Doonican Vanessa Williams Vern Gosdin Vikki Carr Wayne Newton Way Out West We Five See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles of 1972 List of number - one adult contemporary singles of 1972 ( U.S. ) List of number - one singles in Australia during the 1970s List of number - one singles of 1972 ( Canada ) References Jump up ^ Billboard Year - End Hot 100 singles of 1972 Jump up ^ Quarrington, Paul ; Doyle, Roddy ( 2010 ). Cigar Box Banjo. Greystone Books. p. 89. ISBN 9781553656296. Retrieved August 21, 2011. Jump up ^ Picardie, Justine ( 1995 ). `` The first time ever I saw your face ''. In De Lisle, Tim. Lives of the great songs. London : Penguin. pp. 122 -- 26. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14024957 - 6. Jump up ^ Brocken, Michael ( 2003 ), The British Folk Revival, 1944 -- 2002, Ashgate, p. 38, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7546 - 3282 - 5 : quoting MacColl 's daughter - in - law, Justine Picardie. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 - 2001. Record Research. p. 93. External links Superseventies.com - with quotes from Roberta Flack and information on the song 's background Roberta Flack Studio albums First Take ( 1969 ) Chapter Two ( 1970 ) Quiet Fire ( 1971 ) Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway ( 1972 ) Killing Me Softly ( 1973 ) Feel Like Makin ' Love ( 1975 ) Blue Lights in the Basement ( 1977 ) Roberta Flack ( 1978 ) Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway ( 1980 ) I 'm the One ( 1982 ) Born to Love ( 1983 ) Oasis ( 1988 ) Set the Night to Music ( 1991 ) Roberta ( 1994 ) The Christmas Album ( 1997 ) Holiday ( 2003 ) Live albums Live & More ( 1980 ) At Her Best -- Live ( 2008 ) Soundtrack albums Bustin ' Loose ( 1981 ) Compilation albums The Best of Roberta Flack ( 1981 ) Greatest Hits ( 1984 ) Softly with These Songs : The Best of Roberta Flack ( 1993 ) The Very Best of Roberta Flack ( 2006 ) Singles `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' `` Where Is the Love '' `` Killing Me Softly with His Song '' `` Feel Like Makin ' Love ( Roberta Flack song ) '' `` The Closer I Get to You '' `` If Ever I See You Again '' `` Making Love '' `` Tonight, I Celebrate My Love '' `` Oasis '' `` Uh - Uh Ooh - Ooh Look Out ( Here It Comes ) '' Related articles Discography Donny Hathaway Billboard Year - End number one singles ( 1960 -- 1979 ) 1960 : `` Theme from A Summer Place '' -- Percy Faith 1961 : `` Tossin ' and Turnin ' '' -- Bobby Lewis 1962 : `` Stranger on the Shore '' -- Mr. Acker Bilk 1963 : `` Sugar Shack '' -- Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs 1964 : `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' -- The Beatles 1965 : `` Wooly Bully '' -- Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs 1966 : `` Ballad of the Green Berets '' -- S / Sgt. Barry Sadler 1967 : `` To Sir, with Love '' -- Lulu 1968 : `` Hey Jude '' -- The Beatles 1969 : `` Sugar, Sugar '' -- The Archies 1970 : `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' -- Simon & Garfunkel 1971 : `` Joy to the World '' -- Three Dog Night 1972 : `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' -- Roberta Flack 1973 : `` Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree '' -- Tony Orlando and Dawn 1974 : `` The Way We Were '' -- Barbra Streisand 1975 : `` Love Will Keep Us Together '' -- Captain & Tennille 1976 : `` Silly Love Songs '' -- Wings 1977 : `` Tonight 's the Night ( Gonna Be Alright ) '' -- Rod Stewart 1978 : `` Shadow Dancing '' -- Andy Gibb 1979 : `` My Sharona '' -- The Knack Complete list ( 1946 -- 1959 ) ( 1960 -- 1979 ) ( 1980 -- 1999 ) ( 2000 -- 2019 ) Grammy Award for Record of the Year ( 1970s ) `` Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In '' by The 5th Dimension ( Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamont McLemore, Ron Townson ) produced by Bones Howe ( 1970 ) `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' by Simon & Garfunkel ( Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon ) produced by Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon & Roy Halee ( 1971 ) `` It 's Too Late '' by Carole King produced by Lou Adler ( 1972 ) `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' by Roberta Flack produced by Joel Dorn ( 1973 ) `` Killing Me Softly with His Song '' by Roberta Flack produced by Joel Dorn ( 1974 ) `` I Honestly Love You '' by Olivia Newton - John produced by John Farrar ( 1975 ) `` Love Will Keep Us Together '' by Captain & Tennille ( Daryl Dragon, Toni Tennille ) produced by Daryl Dragon ( 1976 ) `` This Masquerade '' by George Benson produced by Tommy LiPuma ( 1977 ) `` Hotel California '' by Eagles ( Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Joe Walsh ) produced by Bill Szymczyk ( 1978 ) `` Just the Way You Are '' by Billy Joel produced by Phil Ramone ( 1979 ) Complete list ( 1960s ) ( 1970s ) ( 1980s ) ( 1990s ) ( 2000s ) ( 2010s ) Grammy Award for Song of the Year ( 1970s ) 1970 Joe South - `` Games People Play '' 1971 Paul Simon - `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' 1972 Carole King - `` You 've Got a Friend '' 1973 Ewan MacColl - `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox - `` Killing Me Softly with His Song '' Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch - `` The Way We Were '' 1976 Stephen Sondheim - `` Send in the Clowns '' 1977 Bruce Johnston - `` I Write the Songs '' 1978 Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams - `` Evergreen ( Love Theme from A Star Is Born ) '' and Joe Brooks - `` You Light Up My Life '' 1979 Billy Joel - `` Just the Way You Are '' Complete list ( 1960s ) ( 1970s ) ( 1980s ) ( 1990s ) ( 2000s ) ( 2010s ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_First_Time_Ever_I_Saw_Your_Face&oldid=799534244 '' Categories : 1957 songs 1972 singles 2000 singles Songs written by Ewan MacColl Roberta Flack songs Celine Dion songs The Kingston Trio songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs We Five songs Andy Williams songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Number - one singles in Australia RPM Top Singles number - one singles Grammy Award for Song of the Year Grammy Award for Record of the Year A&M Records singles Pop ballads Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from November 2016 Articles needing additional references from January 2013 All articles needing additional references Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français ไทย Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 8 September 2017, at 08 : 49. 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Question: who wrote the song the first time i ever saw your face
Answer: Ewan MacColl