Roberta Flack – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 1972

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – Single by Roberta Flack from the album First Take
B-side “Trade Winds”
Released March 7, 1972
Recorded February 1969
Label Atlantic 2864
Songwriter Ewan MacColl
Producer Joel Dorn
Charted No.1 in US and No.14 in UK, No.1 in Canada, No.1 in Australia

“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. At the time, the couple were lovers, although MacColl was still married to Joan Littlewood. Seeger sang the song when the duo performed in folk clubs around Britain.

This won the Grammy awards in 1973 for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, beating out Don McLean’s “American Pie” in both categories.

Many artists have covered this, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Mel Torme, Isaac Hayes, and Gordon Lightfoot.

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was played as the wake-up music on flight day 9 to the astronauts aboard Apollo 17 on their last day in Lunar orbit (Friday, December 15, 1972) before returning to Earth, thus ending the last human explorations of the Moon. The use of the song was most likely a reference to the “face” of the Moon below the spacecraft.