Mayfield is probably best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and for the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Superfly.
Perhaps because he didn't cross over to the pop audience as heavily as Motown's stars, it may be that the scope of Curtis Mayfield's talents and contributions have yet to be fully recognized. Judged merely by his records alone, the man's legacy is enormous. As the leader of the Impressions, he recorded some of the finest soul vocal group music of the 1960s. As a solo artist in the 1970s, he helped pioneer funk and helped introduce hard-hitting urban commentary into soul music. "Gypsy Woman," "It's All Right," "People Get Ready," "Freddie's Dead," and "Superfly" are merely the most famous of his many hit records.
But Curtis Mayfield wasn't just a singer. Born in in Chicago, IL, he wrote most of his material at a time when that was not the norm for soul performers. He was among the first -- if not the very first -- to speak openly about African-American pride and community struggle in his compositions. As a songwriter and a producer, he was a key architect of Chicago Soul, penning material and working on sessions by notable Windy City soulsters like Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, Major Lance, and Billy Butler. In this sense, he can be compared to Smokey Robinson, who also managed to find time to write and produce many classics for other soul stars. Mayfield was also an excellent guitarist, and his rolling, Latin-influenced lines were highlights of the Impressions' recordings in the '60s. During the next decade, he would toughen up his guitar work and production, incorporating some of the best features of psychedelic rock and funk.
Mayfield began his career as an associate of Jerry Butler, with whom he formed the Impressions in the late '50s. After the Impressions had a big hit in 1958 with "For Your Precious Love," Butler, who had sung lead on the record, split to start a solo career. Mayfield, while keeping the Impressions together, continued to write for and tour with Butler before the Impressions got their first Top 20 hit in 1961, "Gypsy Woman."
Mayfield was heavily steeped in gospel music before he entered the pop arena, and gospel, as well as doo wop, influences would figure prominently in most of his '60s work. Mayfield wasn't a staunch traditionalist, however. He and the Impressions may have often worked the call-and-response gospel style, but his songs (romantic and otherwise) were often veiled or unveiled messages of black pride, reflecting the increased confidence and self-determination of the African-American community. Musically he was an innovator as well, using arrangements that employed the punchy, blaring horns and Latin-influenced rhythms that came to be trademark flourishes of Chicago soul. As the staff producer for the OKeh label, Mayfield was also instrumental in lending his talents to the work of other Chi-town soul singers who went on to national success. With Mayfield singing lead and playing guitar, the Impressions had 14 Top 40 hits in the 1960s (five made the Top 20 in 1964 alone), and released some above-average albums during that period as well.
Given Mayfield's prodigious talents, it was perhaps inevitable that he would eventually leave the Impressions to begin a solo career, as he did in 1970. His first few singles boasted a harder, more funk-driven sound; singles like "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go" found him confronting ghetto life with a realism that had rarely been heard on record. He really didn't hit his artistic or commercial stride as a solo artist, though, until Superfly, his soundtrack to a 1972 blaxploitation film. Drug deals, ghetto shootings, the death of young black men before their time: all were described in penetrating detail. Yet Mayfield's irrepressible falsetto vocals, uplifting melodies, and fabulous funk pop arrangements gave the oft-moralizing material a graceful strength that few others could have achieved. For all the glory of his past work, Superfly stands as his crowning achievement, not to mention a much-needed counterpoint to the sensationalistic portrayals of the film itself.
At this point Mayfield, along with Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, was the foremost exponent of a new level of compelling auteurism in soul. His failure to maintain the standards of Superfly qualifies as one of the great disappointments in the history of black popular music. Perhaps he'd simply reached his peak after a long climb, but the rest of his '70s work didn't match the musical brilliance and lyrical subtleties of Superfly, although he had a few large R&B hits in a much more conventional vein, such as "Kung Fu," "So in Love," and "Only You Babe."
Mayfield had a couple of hits in the early '80s, but the decade generally found his commercial fortunes in a steady downward spiral, despite some intermittent albums.
On August 14, 1990, he became paralyzed from the neck down when a lighting rig fell on top of him at a concert in Brooklyn, NY. In 1993, three years after the accident which caused Mayfield's paralysis, Shanachie records released the album People Get Ready: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield featuring a.o. Jerry Butler, Don Covay and Steve Cropper.
Mayfield received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
Curtis Mayfield died December 26, 1999 at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia.
If There Is A Hell Below We're All Going To Go
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jews and the crackers
Don't worry, if there's hell below, we're all gotta go
Ah
Sisters, brothers and the whities
Blacks and the crackers
Police and their backers
Hurry
People running from their worries
While the judge and the juries
Dictate the law that's partly flaw
Cat calling, love balling, fussing and cussing
Top billing now is killing
For peace no-one is willing
Kind of make you get that feeling
Everybody smoke
Use the pill and the dope
Educated fools
From uneducated schools
Pimping people is the rule
Polluted water in the pool
And Nixon talking about don't worry
He says don't worry
He says don't worry
He says don't worry
But they don't know
There can be no show
And if there's a hell below
We're all gonna go
Everybody's praying
And everybody's saying
But when come time to do
Everybody's laying
Just talking about don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
Sisters, brothers and the whities
Blacks and the crackers
Police and their backers
They're all political actors
Smoke, the pill and the dope
Educated fools
From uneducated schools
Pimping people is the rule
Polluted water in the pool
And everybody saying don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
But they don't know
There can be no show
And if there's a hell below
We're all gonna go
Lord, what we gonna do
Tell me what we gonna do
If everything I say is true?
This ain't no way it ought to be
If only all the mass could see
But they keep talkin' 'bout don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
They say don't worry
The song 'If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go' by Curtis Mayfield is a powerful and prophetic commentary on the state of society during the 1970s. In the song, Mayfield addresses the issues of racism, political corruption, drug addiction, pollution, and social injustice prevalent in America at that time. He calls on everyone to pay attention to the problems that exist in society because if nothing is done to address them, everyone will suffer the consequences.
Mayfield starts the song by addressing the various segments of society "Sisters, niggers, whities, Jews and the crackers," and says that if there's a hell below, everyone's going to go there. He emphasizes that everyone is to blame for the problems that exist because they are all part of the same society. Mayfield's use of the derogatory terms is a reflection of the language commonly used during that time to illustrate the magnitude of the problem.
In the second verse, Mayfield talks about people's obsession with material things, drugs, and the lack of education in society. He also touches on the issue of police brutality and how the political system protects it. Mayfield points out that people are more concerned about their own wants and desires than addressing the social issues affecting everyone.
Overall, the song 'If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go' serves as a warning to society to address the issues that exist or suffer the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Sisters, niggers, whities
Addressing people of all races
Jews and the crackers
Addressing people of different religions
Don't worry, if there's hell below, we're all gotta go
The problems here on Earth affect everyone and cannot be ignored
Ah
An exclamation of frustration
Sisters, brothers and the whities
Addressing people of all races and genders
Blacks and the crackers
Addressing people of different races
Police and their backers
Addressing those who support the police and their actions
They're all political actors
Suggesting that everyone is playing a role in political systems
Hurry
A call to action
People running from their worries
Many people are trying to escape their problems
While the judge and the juries
The justice system has flaws and is often biased
Dictate the law that's partly flaw
Laws are not always just and can have negative consequences
Cat calling, love balling, fussing and cussing
Society is filled with aggression and conflict
Top billing now is killing
Violence often dominates our attention
For peace no-one is willing
Despite a desire for peace, people are not willing to work towards it
Kind of make you get that feeling
The current state of the world is unsettling
Everybody smoke
Many people smoke cigarettes
Use the pill and the dope
Drug use is prevalent
Educated fools
Intelligence does not always lead to wisdom
From uneducated schools
The education system can fail to properly educate some individuals
Pimping people is the rule
Exploitation is rampant in society
Polluted water in the pool
Even our basic needs are being threatened by environmental degradation
And Nixon talking about don't worry
The government is trying to reassure the public
He says don't worry
Repeating the government's message
But they don't know
The government is ignorant to the true state of things
There can be no show
This current state of the world is a tragedy
And if there's a hell below
If things continue in this way, we are headed for disaster
We're all gonna go
Everyone will be affected by the consequences of our actions
Everybody's praying
People are hoping for a better future
And everybody's saying
But words are not enough to bring about change
But when come time to do
People are not following through with their promises
Everybody's laying
People are being complacent and not taking action
Just talking about don't worry
People are still trying to reassure themselves
Sisters, brothers and the whities
Again addressing people of all races and genders
Blacks and the crackers
Again addressing people of different races
Police and their backers
Again acknowledging those who support the police
Smoke, the pill and the dope
Drug use is still prevalent
Educated fools
Once again, intelligence does not always lead to wisdom
From uneducated schools
Once again acknowledging failures in the education system
Pimping people is the rule
The exploitation of others continues
Polluted water in the pool
Environmental degradation is still a threat
But they don't know
People are still ignorant to the true state of things
There can be no show
A tragedy is still unfolding
And if there's a hell below
Repeating the warning of the consequences of our actions
We're all gonna go
Repeating the idea that everyone will suffer the consequences
Lord, what we gonna do
Asking for guidance in a time of crisis
Tell me what we gonna do
Asking for solutions to the problems we face
If everything I say is true?
Reinforcing the idea that these issues are real and pressing
This ain't no way it ought to be
Acknowledging that the current state of things is wrong and needs to change
If only all the mass could see
If only everyone could understand the gravity of the situation
But they keep talkin' 'bout don't worry
Despite the urgency, people are still trying to reassure themselves
They say don't worry
Repeating the message of false reassurance
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@erehistruth2356
Don't let the groove distract you from the message. Nothing but truth from a legend.
@tgnomechaser
Man, you can NOT get more SOUL BROTHER than this right here. Curtis was a monster genius. What an intro. FIRE!!!
@itamarverta8077
Amen
@ButterflyQueene07
I love the intro.
@paisleyprincess7996
Curtis Mayfield was the man..his own man. He owned his music, didn't let people tell him what to do, and didn't care what people took from his message. A man who truly spoke for many
@MusicLoverPearson
+Misty Aoudia He sure was he was one of three men who owned their own masters back in the 60's and up and they were James Brown and Ray Charles those men were smart enough to have power over their music during that era.
@obve4324
+MusicLover Pearson Thank you for the knowledge, so many of our people got ripped off it's nice to know that. Ase'..
@MusicLoverPearson
Ob Ve
You are very welcome they sure did they made they knew what they wanted before they signed their recording contracts.
@jackie5046
+Misty Aoudia and everything he did is still competely relevant.
@sexyred9746
Right on the dime and his music was during the Revolution and he got his point across to all races, either you accepted it or not....