Which 1973 Roberta Flack song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks?

Roberta Flack’s 1973 recording of “Killing Me Softly with His Song” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five non-consecutive weeks. The chart success made it the longest-running No. 1 single of 1973.

The song was composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel, in collaboration with singer-songwriter Lori Lieberman, who had been inspired by hearing Don McLean perform. Lieberman’s 1972 recording did not chart, but Flack heard the song on an airplane and developed a new arrangement with a stronger rhythmic feel.

Flack’s single was released in January 1973 and became a major international hit. It also won the 1974 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The title is often associated with the Fugees’ 1996 version, led by Lauryn Hill, but that later cover is not the recording described in the question. Flack’s version opened her 1973 album Killing Me Softly.