By Victor Trammell

Photo credits: Atlantic Records

Released via Atlantic Records, soul singer and songwriter Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love” was the lead single on Flack’s fifth solo album with the same title.

The single was released on June 10, 1974, Album of the Year reported. The full-length project was released on March 1, 1975. Flack’s runaway hit single was penned by singer-songwriter Eugene McDaniels. However, music production on the song was handled by Flack herself. She is also listed in the official credits under the pseudonym Rubina Flake.

In addition to that, Flack was the primary producer on her entire project, which she was also credited for.

This was a rare feat – as most women in the music business during Flack’s day did not customarily produce their own records. If they did, official credit was not given to them. However, trailblazers, such as Flack never fit well into molds for musical mediocrity – whether the issue is business independence or creative control.

Lauryn Hill, a New Jersey-born songstress who rose to prominence in the 1990s, earned her keep in the music business as a producer. Nonetheless, Flack’s example set the original standard even if Hill’s triumphs are more well-known.

Hill’s musical inspiration from her predecessor was made evident by her vocal performance for “Killing Me Softly.” This single was released when Hill was formerly a member of a Caribbean-inspired supergroup called The Fugees. It is a rendition of Flack’s original 1973 song, which derived from an album of hers with the same title.

Flack’s song “Feel Like Makin’ Love” inspired a number of notable renditions, which were released after her 1974 prototype hit first set the trend. Jazz music soloists and other R&B solo artists (including singer D’Angelo on his 2000 album title Voodoo) remade their own versions of Flack’s golden-era composition of classic soul.

Her single’s performance on the mainstream U.S. music charts, tangible record sales, and praise from music critics was classified as a major staple of Flack’s overall career success. Sheer numbers proved it. For a week, the song stood at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles list. This was Flack’s third single to reach number one.

She was the first woman to top the music charts on three consecutive occasions since 1940. On the Hot Soul Singles chart, “Feel Like Makin’ Love” spent five weeks at the top. It remained at the top of the Adult Contemporary charts in both Canada and the United States for two weeks. Flack’s smash was also nominated for three Grammy Awards.

Honorable mentions for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance were the three categories in which Flack’s song was certified.