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.
Do Do Wap Is Strong Here
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been lyin', uh huh
Shot a man, hey and I stole and ran
Well, well, we tried to beat 'em
Oh, and I lost my freedom
My woman know that I'm in need
So save some of mine for me
'Cause leavin' me, you know it would hurt me
Snake pits and Lucifers burns
Can't take the strength I've earned and learned
Grease, it just ain't greasy
And nasty, baby, come so easy
Ain't no heaven, ain't no heaven, this devil level
All alone, all alone, all alone, all alone
I get stoned, I get stoned
Saw him pile, oh, in the shower
Hey, now I plan to be a bad titty sucker
And I plan to stay a black motherfucker
Stepped in depth of the same livin' hell
So I ain't too proud to die here as well
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap to find yourself creamin'
Check your fears and hope that you're dreamin'
A little space is all that I need
If these suckers just allow me to breathe
My woman's candy makin' him sick
When I cop there won't be nothin' to lick
Give her some of all the hard, hard pain
Make her achin' body call for my name
My woman know my passion of needs
So save some of mine if you please
Got to give it up, don't desert
If you leave me, babe, know you would hurt, hey
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong in here
Wakin' up to find yourself creamin'
Check your fears and hope that you're dreamin'
A little space is all that I need
If these suckers just allow me to breathe
Snake pits and Lucifers burns
Can't take the strength I've earned and learned
Stepped in depth of the same livin' hell
Ain't too proud to die here as well
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong
Do do wap, hey, hey
Do do wap strong in here, hey, hey
Do do wap, hey, hey
Do do wap, hey, hey
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong
Do do wap, hey, hey
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong
Do do wap, hey, hey
Do do wap is strong in here
Do do wap is strong
Do do wap, do do wap, do do wap
The lyrics to Curtis Mayfield's "Do Do Wap Is Strong Here" tell a story of desperation, violence, and addiction. The singer is willing to do almost anything to survive and satisfy his desires, including lying, stealing, and engaging in questionable sexual activities. He knows he's in a dangerous place, surrounded by "snake pits and Lucifer's burns," but he's trapped and can't leave. The only thing that gives him a sense of relief is drugs ("I get stoned"), and he's aware that it's a dangerous and potentially deadly habit ("Ain't too proud to die here as well"). However, he's also proud of his identity as a Black man and rejects any attempt to make him conform to society's expectations ("I plan to stay a Black motherfucker").
The chorus, "Do do wap is strong in here," is repeated throughout the song and seems to represent the allure and power of addiction. "Do do wap" may be referencing the rhythm and blues subgenre doo-wop, which was popular in the 1950s and often featured vocal harmonies and songs about love and heartbreak. In "Do Do Wap Is Strong Here," however, the phrase takes on a darker meaning, suggesting that addiction and the need to escape through drugs and sex can be just as alluring and addictive as love.
Overall, "Do Do Wap Is Strong Here" is a bleak but powerful commentary on the destructive effects of addiction and poverty, and the difficulties that come with trying to survive and maintain a sense of identity in a hostile environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, to keep from dyin', hey, hey
I have committed crimes to stay alive.
I've been lyin', uh huh
I have been dishonest to protect myself.
Shot a man, hey and I stole and ran
I have killed and stolen to survive.
Oh, and I lost my freedom
I am in jail for my past crimes.
My woman know that I'm in need
My partner knows that I require help.
So save some of mine for me
Please save some resources for me.
If you got to give it up, don't desert me
If you have to sacrifice, please don't leave me.
'Cause leavin' me, you know it would hurt me
You leaving me would cause me great pain.
Snake pits and Lucifers burns
I have endured great suffering and pain.
Can't take the strength I've earned and learned
I have developed great internal strength.
Grease, it just ain't greasy
Things do not turn out as expected.
And nasty, baby, come so easy
Doing bad things is effortless and tempting.
Ain't no heaven, ain't no heaven, this devil level
My current situation feels like hell, with no hope of goodness.
All alone, all alone, all alone, all alone
I am completely isolated and alone.
I get stoned, I get stoned
I turn to drugs to escape my reality.
Saw him pile, oh, in the shower
I witnessed someone get killed in prison.
Hey, now I plan to be a bad titty sucker
I plan to be a successful criminal.
And I plan to stay a black motherfucker
I will remain true to my roots and culture.
So I ain't too proud to die here as well
I am not afraid to die in my current situation.
Do do wap to find yourself creamin'
Music can make you feel pleasure and happiness.
Check your fears and hope that you're dreamin'
Face your fears and hope for a better future.
A little space is all that I need
I need some freedom and breathing room.
If these suckers just allow me to breathe
If others would let me be, I could survive and thrive.
My woman's candy makin' him sick
My partner's body is used by someone else, and it makes me angry.
When I cop there won't be nothin' to lick
When I get out of jail, there will be no resources left.
Give her some of all the hard, hard pain
I will make my partner feel the pain and suffering I've endured.
Make her achin' body call for my name
I want my partner to desire only me physically.
My woman know my passion of needs
My partner knows my desires and wants.
If you leave me, babe, know you would hurt, hey
If you abandon me, it will cause me great pain.
Wakin' up to find yourself creamin'
Feeling pleasure and happiness when you wake up.
Do do wap is strong in here
Music has a powerful influence in this place.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Department of Afro-American Research Arts Culture
Curtis Mayfield is a genius. Writer, composer, and singer.
B Walls
One of the GREATEST!!
Donzel Agee
P
Sylvanius Ross
Rest In Peace to Curtis 👑 Still the Coldest Coming Out the Chi Town!
theseer360
One of the least talked about all time greats!
Russell
I believe Mayfield wrote the soundtrack for a film called Short Eyes, which was set in a New York prison and whose title refers to the slang word for a pedophile.
Musically, the song features some signature Mayfield moves, such as conga drums, the wah-wah guitar and his beautiful falsetto singing. Strings, steady hand claps and a strong chorus of singers all add to the wall of sound in the last third of the song.
Lyrically, the story goes to some very dark places, depicting the character's experiences in prison.
A Mayfield classic, and certainly one of his top 10 greatest.
Thanks for the share, birdiehemplung.
redhouane boulechbak
Some Parliament/Funkadelic musicians play on the LP. Curtis's drummer Donnell Hagan is beyond amazing!!!
sirresebethea
Wow thanks for the information
Gheri Tanner
Russell, I enjoyed your well-written symposia. I am too a die hard Curtis Mayfield fan. He was extremely talented & definitely under-rated.
theseer360
Mayfield captured the "hood" in a lot of songs. He was the man, Yes this song was from Short eyes written by Pinero poet from NYC.