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.
Fool for You
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's been mean to me
I've got a heart full of stone
And I hate the misery
Then you came along
Into my life
Destroying my mind
Mounting up the toil and strife
I'm a fool for you
I'm a fool for you
I'm a fool for you
Guess I'll always be
And I claim it famously
'Cause I'm a fool for you
It's a doggone shame
Knowin' you don't love me
You go on and use me
So continuously
I don't know why
I love you like I do
When you're breaking my heart
And you know it's true
But I'm a fool for you
I'm a fool for you
I'm a fool for you
I'm a fool for you
Doggin' me every day
But child, I'm here to stay
'Cause I'm a fool for you
You don't want me to stay
But I'm a fool for you
Do me wrong now every day
Child, I'm a fool for you
Ah ha ha hoo
I'm a fool for you, ah ha ha hoo
Child, I'm a fool for you
Hoo hoo hoo hoo
I'm a fool for you, ah ha ha ha hoo
The lyrics of Curtis Mayfield's song "Fool for You" express the dilemma of a person who loves someone deeply despite being treated badly by them. The singer admits to having a heart full of stone and detesting misery, but all of that changes when this person enters their life. The new love interest causes nothing but trouble, pain, and heartache, yet the singer can't help but remain devoted to them. Despite all of the mistreatment, the singer claims to be a "fool for you", and will continue to be so "famously". They acknowledge that it's a "doggone shame" that the person they're in love with doesn't reciprocate their feelings, instead choosing to use and hurt them continuously. However, the singer is unwilling to leave, claiming that they're here to stay because they're a "fool for you".
The song is a poignant depiction of an unhealthy, one-sided relationship where one person is giving everything and receiving nothing in return. The singer is aware of the pain and damage being caused by their decision to stay with this person, but remains unable to tear themselves away from the love they have for them. It's a sad commentary on the human condition, as many people are often blinded by love and incapable of seeing the harm that their devotion can inflict upon themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Never liked nobody
I have never truly cared for anyone in a romantic sense.
That's been mean to me
I have no interest in those who treat me poorly.
I've got a heart full of stone
My heart has been hardened by past traumas and disappointments.
And I hate the misery
I do not enjoy feeling hopeless and unhappy.
Then you came along
You entered my life unexpectedly.
Into my life
You appeared in my world.
Destroying my mind
You have completely shaken my mental state.
Mounting up the toil and strife
You have added to the difficulties I already faced.
But I'm a fool for you
Despite everything, I cannot help but love you.
Guess I'll always be
It seems likely that I will never stop feeling this way.
And I claim it famously
I openly admit my love for you.
'Cause I'm a fool for you
I cannot explain why, but I am strongly drawn to you.
It's a doggone shame
It is unfortunate and distressing.
Knowin' you don't love me
I understand that you do not share my feelings.
You go on and use me
You take advantage of my devotion.
So continuously
This happens repeatedly.
I don't know why
I cannot explain the reasons behind my emotions.
I love you like I do
Despite all of the pain, my love for you remains strong.
When you're breaking my heart
You are causing me immense emotional pain.
And you know it's true
You are aware of the effect your actions have on me.
Doggin' me every day
You continuously mistreat me.
But child, I'm here to stay
Despite the harm you cause, I cannot leave you.
'Cause I'm a fool for you
Once again, my irrational love for you leads me to stay.
You don't want me to stay
You do not truly desire my presence in your life.
Do me wrong now every day
You actively cause me pain each day.
Ah ha ha hoo
An expression of sadness and despair.
Hoo hoo hoo hoo
A continuation of the expression of sadness and despair.
Lyrics ยฉ Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
153168st
My Mom's ABSOLUTE favorite song by Curtis Mayfield. She loves it so much - she cries๐
willcat
This wasn't a minor hit. It was a Top 5 national Billboard R&B hit, peaking at # 3, and just missed the Top 20 on the Pop side, peaking at # 22. It was a pretty big hit for The Impressions.
Melody Mobley
I'm a "fool" for Curtis Mayfield. I really miss him. That voice!!!!
SBM_IN_ATL
Curtis Mayfield - Emperor of Soul - Rest in Soul
Gail Gruenburg
This one kills me every time, Curtis was so talented!
Sandi Johnson
Me too.
rocknrollhoochiekoo1
So I spoke to Curtis Mayfield and he said that he doesn't care if people get to listen to his incredible music for free. He said that where he is at, royalties don't mean a thing and the world would be a better place if songs like this were heard all over.
BARBRAH WOULD
rocknrollhoochiekoo1
you* are amazing! that's got to be THE most spiritual observation I've ever heard... I'm a fool for such analysis'
aquadragonfly1
From the horns to the vocals, I can't get enough of this song.
A soulful melody that evokes strong memories of my youth. A priceless treasure.
RIP, Mr. Curtis Mayfield.
John923T
Great song, strong Horn arrangement, the drums keep the beat going through it's moves and curves yet still staying on the flow of the song. I loved this song, it is a testimonial to love and the hurt it causes each of us.
Who of us has not been a "fool for love" ??? Curtis sang an let showed us the pain of life & love on this song. "Guess I'll always be and I claim it famously" totally Curtis on this wonderful lyric.
Great post Curtis Mayfield life is with us for all time in the music he left us
Peace 2 ya