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.
Hard Times
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People all around me and they're all in fear
They don't seem to want me but they won't admit
I must be some kind of creature up here having fits
From my party house, I'm afraid to come outside
Although I'm filled with love I'm afraid they'll hurt my pride
So I play the part I feel they want of me
Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
From my party house I feel like meetin' others
Familiar faces, creed and race, a brother
But to my surprise I find a man corrupt
Although he be my brother, he wants to hold me up
Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
In this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
Havin' hard times, in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
Curtis Mayfield's "Hard Times" is a poignant commentary on the difficulties of living in an urban center. The cold, unfeeling stares of strangers and the ever-present threat of violence make the singer feel uncomfortable and out of place in this city. These feelings are compounded by the fact that, despite his attempts to fit in and be part of a community, he remains an outsider. He is afraid to leave his home, lest he be subjected to further ostracization or even physical harm.
The second half of the song introduces another layer of complexity to the already difficult situation. The singer longs to connect with others and find a sense of belonging, but the people he encounters are often corrupt or self-interested, wanting to use him for their own gain. In this environment, it's hard to know who to trust or where to turn for support.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold, cold eyes upon me they stare
I feel unwelcome and judged by the people around me.
People all around me and they're all in fear
Everyone else is also fearful and uneasy in this environment.
They don't seem to want me but they won't admit
Others may not accept me, but they won't say it openly.
I must be some kind of creature up here having fits
I feel like an outcast, different and misunderstood by those around me.
From my party house, I'm afraid to come outside
I am scared to leave my safe place and face the harsh world outside.
Although I'm filled with love I'm afraid they'll hurt my pride
Despite feeling love towards others, I fear being vulnerable and getting hurt emotionally.
So I play the part I feel they want of me
I try to fit in and act the way I think others want me to, to avoid rejection.
And I pull the shades so I won't see them seein' me
To further protect myself from judgment, I hide away and avoid being seen by others.
From my party house I feel like meetin' others
Despite my fear, I still desire human connection and companionship.
Familiar faces, creed and race, a brother
I hope to find people who share common ground with me and accept me as a family member.
But to my surprise I find a man corrupt
Unfortunately, even amongst those who share similarities, there may still be individuals who are deceitful.
Although he be my brother, he wants to hold me up
Even someone who I thought was family is trying to bring me down and take advantage of me.
Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Living in this place is difficult and challenging for me.
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
I am struggling to find love and acceptance in an unwelcoming environment.
In this crazy town
The place I am in is chaotic and difficult to navigate.
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
The lack of love and acceptance is making my experience even more challenging.
Havin' hard times, in this crazy town
The difficulty of my situation is compounded by the craziness of the environment around me.
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found
The absence of love and acceptance continues to be a source of struggle and pain for me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leland Thomoson III
Love the album covers so American...
White people are driving around on a nice day and a nice car and a nice bubble,,,
I bet you those black people are all lined up for the soup kitchen in the line is so long it goes all the way into the road Route 1.lol
It's the soup kitchen at the Salvation Army!
Did you send them a $10 certificate to the Salvation Army???
You know ,,,the Christian Army!
What's wrong with America--- it's way too secular +
Hate
PC ( not ...personal computerZ )
[ small firm named MITS made the first personal computer, the Altair. This computer, which used Intel Corporation's 8080 microprocessor, was developed in 1974. Though the Altair was popular among computer hobbyists, its commercial appeal was limited. Computers: Fact or Fiction?
= fiction ]
C next 1...
KhufuCrypto
Rest In Perfection.... only people that can make Hard Times sound so good.
Idris Pettway
Lyrics so pure so honest so fly so funky so Curtis!
Sylvania Anderson
His songs always tell it like it is
BoogieDaWizard
Influenced Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix. When it comes to that combination of influence, talent, writing, production, live performance, hits... even the business-side. Hard to name 5 rock and roll artists greater than Curtis Mayfield. The legend's legend!
Natalia Tasso
I've been in complete love and obsession with the Baby Huey version, even though I was aware that Curtis wrote and produced it but MAN what sort of version is this? This is a masterpiece on its greater level
Linda Bishop
I agree the baby H version is blinding also !
MASTRJO
Yea this is amazing. The first time I heard this song was on "Wake Up", the live album with John Legend and the Roots. But this Curtis Mayfield version beats everything :D
MrDarkElement
@MASTRJO Curtis wrote thus song and you need to here The Back To The World album which was released while I was in Vietnam. We People Who Are Darker Than Blue....Miss Black America the cut that inspired me to bring Miss Black America and her court to Cam Rahn Bay.
Alessandro Davi
Still prefer baby huey to do the job..
Trip Lucid
Right. It is a masterpiece