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.
Here But I'm Gone
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
With my feet all bare
Rolling my blunt in a cigar wrap
Live an adolescent mind
Never do take the time
Waiting for my high, quiet as it's kept
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
Mama told me I was best
Argue and punch in the chest
Son, now be strong, let me take you home
I'd see in her eyes so sincere
Screaming, what got me here
Standing in the world with my mind all blown
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
I do nothing but waste all my time
Leaving the world behind
Smoking my crack just to keep me high
Around the boys I play my part rough
Keep myself tough enough
Never to cry, don't really wanna die
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
How did I get so far gone?
Where do I belong?
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
If I took the time to replace
What my mind erased
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
The lyrics to Curtis Mayfield's "Here But I'm Gone" describe the feeling of being lost and disconnected from oneself and one's surroundings. The singer asks how they got so far gone and wonders where they belong, and where they went wrong. They acknowledge that they have wasted time and erased parts of their mind, yet still feel present yet absent, like they are here but gone.
The second verse paints a picture of the singer in a rocking chair, rolling a blunt, with an adolescent mind that is always waiting for their next high. The singer's mother tells them to be strong and takes them home, but the singer is consumed by the question of how they got to this point. The third verse describes the singer's self-destructive behavior, smoking crack to keep them high and playing a tough role among their peers.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of alienation and confusion, with the singer feeling lost and disconnected from themselves and the world around them. The repeated refrain of "How did I get so far gone?" and "If I took the time to replace what my mind erased" underscore the feeling that the singer is trying to regain something that they have lost, but don't know how to go about it.
Line by Line Meaning
How did I get so far gone?
Feeling lost and disconnected, wondering how my life took this turn.
Where do I belong?
Questioning my place in the world and not feeling like I fit in anywhere.
And where in the world did I ever go wrong?
Confused about the choices I made and how they led me down this path.
If I took the time to replace
Thinking about the possibility of changing my ways and improving my life.
What my mind erased
Reconsidering things that I've forgotten or ignored in the past.
I still feel as if I'm here but I'm gone
Even if I do make changes, I still feel disconnected from myself and the world around me.
Perched up in a rocking-chair
Paints a picture of the singer sitting and reflecting inside, seemingly cut off from the world outside.
With my feet all bare
The vulnerability of being barefoot contrasts with the toughness previously mentioned, hinting at a more complex inner life.
Rolling my blunt in a cigar wrap
Using drugs to shut out the world and numb away the pain.
Live an adolescent mind
Stagnating in a state of arrested development, avoiding the responsibilities and maturity that come with adulthood.
Never do take the time
Continuing to avoid confronting the issues holding me back and preventing any real change.
Waiting for my high, quiet as it's kept
Desperately craving the escape of drugs and keeping that desire a secret, hiding from the reality of my life.
Mama told me I was best
The singer's mother represents a voice of unconditional love and support, but has not been enough to keep them on track.
Argue and punch in the chest
Rebelling against authority figures and lashing out violently, perhaps as a way to assert control over their own life.
Son, now be strong, let me take you home
The mother attempts to intervene and help the singer, but it's unclear whether it's too little too late.
I'd see in her eyes so sincere
Recognizing the love and concern in his mother's eyes, making it clear that she truly cares about his well-being.
Screaming, what got me here
Frustrated with how things have turned out and searching for answers, but not necessarily finding them.
Standing in the world with my mind all blown
Feeling overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted by the struggles of life, struggling to cope with everything that's happening.
I do nothing but waste all my time
Acknowledging that there's been a lot of wasted potential and energy spent that could have been used more productively.
Leaving the world behind
Shutting out the world and withdrawing from society, feeling like they don't have a place in it.
Smoking my crack just to keep me high
Resorting to self-destructive behavior and drugs to avoid reality and escape the pain of existence.
Around the boys I play my part rough
Putting up a front and projecting a tough exterior for the sake of others, hiding vulnerability and insecurity underneath.
Keep myself tough enough
Striving to maintain the image of toughness to protect oneself from being hurt.
Never to cry, don't really wanna die
Resisting vulnerability and refusing to show emotions, fearing and avoiding the thought of death.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD, IVAN MATIAS, ANDREA MARTIN, MARQUEZE M. ETHRIDGE, RICO WADE, PATRICK BROWN, RAYMON MURRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tomigunn777
Thank you Curtis for letting me play guitar on this track. That was a milestone in my life. R.I.P.
bolder2009
Wow. You did a wonderful job on this timeless recording. 👏
Jon Charles
Must have been a wonderful experience, working with this true legend. Beautiful track...
John Mentzos
👍🏽
WOP3RD
I love this song....
Jeffrey Robinson
Mad respect......u killed.....
iflyTony
This is music not just for listening, it's for FEELING. That's exactly what the younger generation seems to be missing, introspection.
Amos Kippi Bordowitz
Don't underestimate them. They are the most aware generation we've ever had. If anyone can save this world - it's them. They will outgrow the crap.
Nathaniel Eagle
@Amos Kippi Bordowitz I pray that we as a world do...😢🙏🏿💚
Brad Hill
What a man of strength Curtis was...Recorded this album paralyzed and laying on his back...Imagine that mental, spiritual, and physical strength....Remarkable artist, and man...