Matt Berninger names his favourite ‘song about a song’
The National have been a staple of the indie scene for over two decades now, and unlike many of their peers from the turn of the millennium, they have continued to compel, with many stellar releases to their name. Whilst every member is a vital cog in the machine, it is certain that without the deep crooning of frontman Matt Berninger, The National would not be as distinctive as they are.
Fusing an Ian Curtis baritone with a mid-western outlook, Berninger has been instrumental in The National’s creative output. A masterful vocalist and lyricist, it says everything that the great David Letterman once said: “I wish I could be Matt Berninger because nobody’s cooler than Matt Berninger.”
Given that Matt Berninger is one of the most influential musicians of the contemporary era and that his work encompasses various forms, he is regularly asked about his influences. Sitting down with The Line of Best Fit in 2020, he listed his nine favourite tracks, offering profound insight into his artistry. Amongst them was the hit 1973 version of ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ by Roberta Flack. A soulful number, Flack won two Grammy Awards, the song is so affecting that The National leader named it his favourite ‘song about a song’.
He said: “I’ve said this a lot, my parents didn’t have a very big record collection, but the ones they had they played over and over again, and this was one of them.”
Noting the emotionally heavy angle of Flack’s hit, Berninger continued: “There are so many incredibly devastating, emotionally raw songs all over that record – and some fun songs – but ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ specifically; it was the single, the title track and everything. It’s about going to see a show and falling in love with somebody on stage singing songs. This incredibly beautiful, otherworldly woman was falling in love with some nerd playing the guitar just because of the words and lyrics.”
Explaining how the song about a song format influenced him as a musician, Berninger concluded: “There’s a lot of songs that I really love that are songs about songs, and this is maybe my favourite one. I keep thinking that it must have done something to my wiring as a kid – how to meet women and how to get them to fall in love with you – because I can’t play the piano or the guitar, but writing love songs is my favourite thing to do. To the point where I’m like, ‘I need to figure out how to write something other than a love song’.”
Listen to ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ below.
