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.
Give Me Your Love
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
I want you so, babe
Can't even get mad at you
You really swing
And I feel so good it's true
You're such a gun
Make my lungs sigh
Breathin' in the air
Through lovin' you
I really know, child
Just how much I care
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Preparing for tomorrow
You do what you have to do
I'll share the weight
Whatever fate
Plans to bring to you
Don't worry 'bout no attitude
You just be yourself
I could live with you
In solitude
And need no one else
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me your love
Give me, give me
At its heart, Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love" is a straightforward love song. The refrain repeats the central plea of the track, as Mayfield implores his lover to give him her love. However, there are subtler aspects of the lyrics that make this more than just a simple love song. By stating that he "can't even get mad at you," Mayfield seems to be acknowledging that there are aspects of his partner that might be frustrating, but that his love for her transcends these irritations. He also paints a picture of a supportive relationship, as he tells his partner that he'll "share the weight / Whatever fate / Plans to bring to you." Perhaps most importantly, the lyric "Through lovin' you / I really know, child / Just how much I care" indicates that love isn't just a feeling, it's a teacher that helps us learn about ourselves and the world.
Mayfield's vocals are another key part of the song's appeal. The subtle inflections and emotional connection in his voice convey the depth of his love for the unnamed subject of the song. The backing music is relatively sparse - just a simple guitar riff and drumbeat - but it provides a solid foundation for Mayfield's vocals. This approach puts the focus squarely on Mayfield's performance and the evocative power of the song's lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me your love
I desire your affection
Give me your love
I want your love
Give me your love
I need your love
Give me your love
I crave your love
Give me your love
I long for your love
I want you so, babe
I desire you deeply, my love
Can't even get mad at you
I can't bring myself to be angry with you
What a thing
What a wonderful thing it is
You really swing
You have a great sense of rhythm and style
And I feel so good it's true
Being with you makes me feel really happy and satisfied
You're such a gun
You are amazing, impressive
Make my lungs sigh
You take my breath away
Breathin' in the air
Taking in your scent
Through lovin' you
By loving you
I really know, child
I understand with great certainty
Just how much I care
The depth of my concern for you is revealed
Preparing for tomorrow
Getting ready for the next day
You do what you have to do
You do what is necessary
I'll share the weight
I will help carry the burden
Whatever fate
No matter what destiny brings
Plans to bring to you
Things that happen to you
Don't worry 'bout no attitude
You don't need to be concerned about your behavior
You just be yourself
You should be true to who you are
I could live with you
I would be happy living with you
In solitude
Alone with you
And need no one else
You are enough for me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAY KEVIN LOGAN, PERRI ARNETTE REID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@schmatever
Curtis shall always remain as one of the best black artists ever for various reasons: 1. Owned all his recordings unlike many black artists of that time. 2. Was at the forefront of civil rights movement helping black people. 3. Preached peace and love between black and white even after his own poverty, deprived upbringing. 4. Produced, wrote, performed music and vocals of all his music. An unbelievable phenomenon. Thank you God for allowing me to see him twice in London live. wow. RIP.
@pyenapple
He was a bit of a d*ck to women sometimes though.
@Realcolb
Just Artist***
@stanleygrayson3186
He was a great artist PERIOD.
@stanleygrayson3186
Just like Dr.King he wanted unity between the races but how of "THEM FOLKS" made that effort?
@coloradoblvd954
Artist!
@rjam1974
"I can live with you in solitude and need no one else..." one of the greatest lines for a love song
@reginaldweeks3738
Word up
@sandraheard768
Truth!!
@melvinwatson8065
One of the most iconic lines in musical history.....don't worry bout no attitude just be yourself .....could live with you in solitude and need no one else