Superfly - Curtis Mayfield (1972)

"Superfly" was a song by American soul and funk musician Curtis Mayfield, the title track from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film, "Super Fly". It was the second single released from the album, and reached #8 on the Billboard Pop chart and #5 on the R&B chart. The song's lyrics celebrate the craftiness and determination of the film's main character, and plays over the film's closing credits. "Super Fly" was a 1972 Blaxploitation movie directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., starring Ron O'Neal as Youngblood Priest, a black cocaine dealer who is trying to quit the underworld drug business. "Super Fly" has the dubious distinction of being one of the few films ever to have been out-grossed by its soundtrack. The bassline and the rototom percussion break from the song's introduction (performed by Joseph 'Lucky' Scott and 'Master' Henry Gibson, respectively) have repeatedly been sampled in songs by many artists, including Beastie Boys, The Notorious B.I.G., and Nelly. Mayfield himself sampled the original song in "Superfly 1990", a duet he recorded with rapper Ice-T. "Super Fly" was the third studio album by Mayfield, released in July 1972 on Curtom Records. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul and funk music, the album was a nearly-immediate hit. "Super Fly", along with Marvin Gaye's 1971 release "What's Going On", was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially-aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the "Super Fly" film holds rather ambiguous views on drug dealers, whereas Mayfield's position is far more critical. Like "What's Going On", the "Super Fly" album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several other film soundtracks over the course of the decade. In 2003, VH1 named "Super Fly" the 63rd greatest album of all time, and in 2003, the album was ranked number 69 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 -- December 26, 1999) was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to "Super Fly", he is also known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. Mayfield is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically-conscious African-American music. He was also a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums. Mayfield was a winner of both the Grammy Legend Award (in 1994) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (in 1995), and was a double inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of The Impressions in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. This channel is dedicated to all the great 'old school' R&B music I grew up with, the stuff that originally made me tap my feet and want to be a DJ. Funk, soul, disco, R&B, dance, hip-hop, pop . . . 60s, 70s, 80s . . . whatever you call it, it's all 'Old School' and it's all here!

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[pmccarthy001]

I'll be 50 in a couple months, so much of what you post is quite nostalgic for me... thank you. I don't believe I ever saw the film Superfly. What does he mean "Trying to get 'over'?" Does he mean trying to transition to a legal business, as opposed to drug dealing? Was Superfly produced partially in light of the great success of Shaft?

[djbuddyloveoldschool]

@pmccarthy001 Go to Wikipedia and type in "Super Fly (film)" . . . The director of "Super Fly", Gordon Parks Jr., is the son of Gordon Parks Sr., the famous "Life" magazine photographer and the director of "Shaft" . . .

;~}

[microminiskirt]

I REMEMBER THIS SONG IN 1972 ALONG WITH PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE AND BILLY PAUL? "mE AND MRS. JONES.

[bigrodneyakatrey]

i got this 12 inch. my fave record ever. man curtis mayfield set it off, i first learned of this album from 2pac strictly for my niggaz album

[Therealshitnigga]

damn... thats a good listen. whos number 1 bitches.