“Too slow”: Why didn’t Roberta Flack want Clint Eastwood to use her song?
There are very few people who have been working in film for as long as Clint Eastwood has. It seems that ever since they worked out how pictures could move on screens, Clint Eastwood has been following shortly behind with captivating performances, great films, and exciting insight into Hollywood.
Equally pioneering in their field is Roberta Flack. Since her breakout hit in 1972, Flack has been a definitive voice in R&B. There are many artists who excel in a specific genre, but artists who are able to create a whole new movement within an established sound belong to an incredibly exclusive club. Flack was a proud member, having taken classic songs and applied her own spin, in turn creating a new subgenre of music called Quiet Storm.
Roberta Flack sadly passed away recently at the age of 88. A statement filed by her representatives said, “We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025.”
They continued, “She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.” While the news of her passing is sad, her music lives on, and one of her classic songs that will remain timeless resulted from an unlikely collaboration with Clint Eastwood.
It’s not often that we see the careers of pioneering artists overlap, but Eastwood and Flack did work together briefly on the film Play Misty For Me. Eastwood’s use of her song ‘First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ gave a lot of exposure to the track and to Flack, both of which were unknown at the time. The song became so popular that it not only propelled Flack to fame but also saw her win a Grammy for the track in 1973.
Despite Eastwood’s use of the song being a huge turning point for Flack, she was initially hesitant to use it at the risk of it contrasting too much with the theme of the movie. Play Misty For Me was a psychological thriller that was violent and left audiences at the edge of their seats. Flack’s song was quite slow and serene, which, on the face of it, wouldn’t fit with the overall tone of the track.
“I thought it was too slow,” said Roberta Flack when discussing her reservations about using the song, “He was sure it wasn’t. He was right – and I was pleasantly surprised.”
The success of the film and the song are a testament to both Flack and Eastwood. Flack’s delivery on the track is packed with emotion, which creates a beautiful backdrop that could be used for quite a vulnerable and stressful film. Equally, Eastwood’s vision to use the song, even though it might be somewhat of a contrast, also highlights how good he was at having an overriding vision for the films he was working on. His longevity in the film industry is no accident, as he has excellent vision and confidence in his ideas, which means that movies like Play Misty for Me come to fruition and collaborations like his with Flack come together.
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