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.
Another Fool In Love
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So strange that it may seem
My love for you I know
Yet people tell me
I'm a fool, a fool for loving you
And I love you so
When everyone I know
Has at least loved one or two
They've either been in love
Or either thinking of being fools, too
I'm not ashamed
I'm not ashamed of my love for you
Even though I've been accused of loving
And loving and having trusting ...
I'm to be the biggest fool
Fool, fool, fool
Another fool
It's alright
Everything now seems so clear to me
See, no matter what they say
I'll love you anyway
Another fool, you got it
Another fool, baby
Another fool
Fool, fool, fool
It's they way I choose
To be a love fool
Another fool, babe
Another fool
'Cause I love you
I love you
I love you
I'm another, babe
Hey-hey-hey
...
The lyrics to Curtis Mayfield's "Another Fool In Love" are a declaration of devotion that has withstood criticism and doubt from others. The singer acknowledges that despite the naysayers, they are still undeniably in love with someone. They are aware that many people have experienced heartbreak or troublesome relationships, but they don't let that discourage their feelings. They're unafraid of being accused of being foolish or naive because their love is worth it.
The repeated refrain of "Another fool, you got it / Another fool, baby / Another fool / Fool, fool, fool" emphasizes the people who have doubted the singer's love and labeled them as foolish. The singer, however, confidently chooses to be a "love fool" because their feelings are genuine and powerful. The final, triumphant repetition of "I love you" affirms that the singer has made the right decision in sticking to their love.
Overall, the lyrics to "Another Fool In Love" express a steadfast dedication to love even in the face of criticism and uncertainty. The singer proclaims their love proudly and refuses to let others' opinions affect their heart.
Line by Line Meaning
So strange that it may seem
Although it may seem odd, I am in love with you.
My love for you I know
I am aware of my deep feelings for you.
Yet people tell me
Despite my awareness of my love for you, others have voiced their opinions about my feelings.
I'm a fool, a fool for loving you
They consider me to be foolish for loving you so deeply.
And I love you so
Regardless, I still love you immensely.
How, how can I be such a fool
I myself question how I can be considered foolish for loving you when others have loved and been foolish for love too.
When everyone I know
I have observed that many people I know have experienced the same foolishness for love as I have.
Has at least loved one or two
Nearly everyone has had a relationship or two in which they were foolishly in love.
They've either been in love
These people have either experienced love themselves.
Or either thinking of being fools, too
Or have contemplated being foolish for love in the future.
I'm not ashamed
I am not embarrassed or ashamed of my love for you.
I'm not ashamed of my love for you
I stand by my feelings for you, even if others do not understand them.
Even though I've been accused of loving
Despite facing criticism and ridicule for my feelings.
And loving and having trusting ...
And for being overly trusting in love.
I'm to be the biggest fool
I accept that I may appear foolish, but I am willing to take that risk for love.
Fool, fool, fool
I recognize and acknowledge my foolishness for love.
Another fool
I accept that I am just another person who has been foolish for love.
It's alright
I have come to accept and make peace with the fact that others may view me as foolish for loving you.
Everything now seems so clear to me
I have gained clarity about my feelings and am content with my decision to love you.
See, no matter what they say
Regardless of what others may say or think about my love for you,
I'll love you anyway
I will continue to love you wholeheartedly.
Another fool, you got it
I am fully aware that I am just one of many who have foolishly fallen in love.
It's they way I choose
I have made a conscious decision to be a fool for love.
To be a love fool
I have embraced my foolishness for love and am willing to risk being hurt for the sake of love.
Another fool, babe
I accept, and perhaps even embrace, this moniker of being just another foolish person in love.
'Cause I love you
I love you so deeply, that I am willing to endure the ridicule of others.
I love you
My love for you is sincere and enduring.
I'm another, babe
I am just another person foolishly in love with you.
Hey-hey-hey
An expressive exclamation of affirmation for my love for you.
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.