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
"Give Me Your Love" is a soulful love song by Curtis Mayfield that conveys the desire for a love that is deep and fulfilling. In the first verse, Mayfield sings about how much he wants his lover and how he can't even be mad at them because of it. He admires their ability to make him feel so good and says that through loving them he's realized just how much he cares. The chorus repeats the request for love, emphasizing just how important it is to him.
In the second verse, Mayfield assures his partner that he'll be there for them no matter what the future holds. He promises to share the weight and support them through difficult times. He tells them not to worry about any negative attitudes they may have because he loves them for who they are. He feels that he could live the rest of his life with just them as his companion and still feel complete.
Overall, "Give Me Your Love" is a song about the power of love and how it can transform someone's life. Mayfield sings with passion and sincerity, conveying the depth of his feelings for his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me your love
The singer is requesting the love of their partner.
I want you so, babe
The singer expresses their deep desire for their partner.
Can't even get mad at you
Despite any issues in the relationship, the singer cannot stay mad at their partner.
What a thing
The singer is amazed by the power of love.
You really swing
The singer is impressed and delighted by their partner's appealing character
And I feel so good it's true
Being loved by their partner makes the singer feel happy and fulfilled.
You're such a gun
The singer values their partner's importance and influence in their life.
Make my lungs sigh
The singer feels an overwhelming sense of joy because of their love for their partner.
Breathin' in the air
The singer breathes in the overflowing love they feel for their partner.
Through lovin' you
The singer has discovered a deeper understanding of what it means to love someone.
I really know, child
The singer has gained insight on the intensity of their love for their partner.
Just how much I care
The singer realizes how much they truly care for their partner.
Preparing for tomorrow
The singer is willing to prepare for the future with their partner.
You do what you have to do
The singer is willing to support their partner regardless of the choices they make.
I'll share the weight
The singer is willing to help ease the burdens of their partner.
Whatever fate
The singer understands that the future is uncertain and is willing to face it with their partner.
Plans to bring to you
The singer wants to share everything that life has to offer with their partner.
Don't worry 'bout no attitude
The singer tells their partner not to worry about any negative behaviors or moods they may have.
You just be yourself
The singer loves their partner for who they truly are and wants them to stay genuine.
I could live with you
The singer is willing to spend their entire life with their partner.
In solitude
The singer is content being alone with their partner.
And need no one else
The singer feels complete and doesn't need anyone else as long as they have their partner.
Give me, give me
The singer repeats their plea for their partner's love
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