Grammys Revisited: Who Should Have Won Record of the Year at the 1973 Ceremonies?

On Grammy Night in 1973, Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” took home the award for Record of the Year. It would mark the first of two straight years that a Flack song would take that honor. “Killing Me Softly With His Song” would turn the trick the next time around.

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“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is undoubtedly a classic record. But was it the deserving winner that evening? We examine all the nominees and render our retrospective judgment.

“Song Sung Blue” by Neil Diamond

“Song Sung Blue” is the perfect, light-hearted song to lift your mood. Diamond specialized in just such concoctions at that point in his career. He based the melody around a piece by Mozart, although you’d never guess at that high-minded association when you listen to the track. The production, which, you’ll remember, is important in this category, is pretty by-the-books, with orchestration sneaking into the picture now and then.

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack

Ewan MacColl wrote this song. He never much liked the many cover versions that folks did of the song. Flack knew the song from her pre-fame days and remembered it once her recording career kicked into gear. What sets this version apart is the tantalizingly slow pace. That brings to the fore all the passionate feelings expressed in the lyrics, especially when Flack caresses the notes with such tenderness.

“American Pie” by Don McLean

Because you’ll never be able to hear McLean’s wondrous creation for the first time again, you can take for granted what a crafty feat he achieved. Whatever you think about the choices he made in terms of the cultural signposts he included (and how he chose to mask them), the fact that he was able to pull it all together is endlessly impressive. And the recording’s jumps from quiet contemplation to folksy rambling are well rendered.

“Without You” by Harry Nilsson

Badfinger’s Pete Ham and Tom Evans wrote the song, and the British group recorded it in 1970. But they couldn’t have possibly been prepared for what Harry Nilsson was about to do with it in his version. The massive vocal leap that Nilsson takes when he tears into the refrain for the second time stands as one of the era’s defining musical moments. Give credit to ace producer Richard Perry for knowing what to add and when to simply let Harry cook.

“Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan fooled a lot of folks into thinking he was Paul McCartney with his breakout hit. Part of that is the vocal similarity. But it also came down to the yearning melodicism that he brings to the song. As his narrator endures a series of crushing defeats that would make even Job sympathize, the bouncy tune keeps things from becoming too maudlin. As a result, the song stings and soothes all at once.

What’s the Verdict?

This is a very strong batch. If we’re going to throw out one right off the bat, it would have to be “Song Sung Blue”, which just doesn’t cut as deep as the others. “Alone Again (Naturally)” is devastatingly effective as a song but a bit pedestrian as a recording.

In other years, we could get on board with the languid beauty of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. And “American Pie” makes for as great a runner-up as you might imagine. But we must go with “Without You”, as Harry Nilsson’s chill-inducing performance insists that it be so.

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