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.
In Love In Love In Love
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You do so many things with that smilin' face
So in love
Every time we kiss, it's such a pleasant taste
That's why I know this feelin' good and strong
Tryin' I was, was here to get along
I want to testify you mean so much to me
Life is strange, believe me it is true
We don't always mean the things we sometimes do
Look at me, look at you
You know we're so in love
Baby, don't ask why
You're movin' my emotions
So in love
You don't have to worry
You have my devotion
This love affair is bigger than we two
Lose the faith and it will swallow you
Loving you is what I'll always feel
Never ever doin' things against our will
Nothing is, nothing required, any kind of cares
You being you and I being me
You don't worry 'bout the rest
And our love is our confession
That we're so in love
So in love
I try to do the best that a man can do
So in love
The key to our success to see each other through
So in love, so in love, so in love
Baby, don't ask why
You're movin' my emotions
So in love
So in love
The lyrics to Curtis Mayfield's "So In Love" depict a love affair that is strong and full of devotion. The first few lines describe the joy that is brought about by being in love - the smile on one's face, the pleasant taste in every kiss. Mayfield then goes on to express his gratitude for being in love, stating that "this feeling is good and strong" and that he is "trying to get along" with his partner. He then testifies to his partner's importance to him, writing that "you mean so much to me."
Mayfield then muses on the strange nature of life, admitting that people don't always mean the things they do. However, for him and his partner, their love is bigger than the two of them and he urges them not to lose faith in it, as it will "swallow" them if they do. He then reaffirms his devotion to his partner, stating that their love is "what [he'll] always feel" and "never ever doin' things against [their] will." In the end, he expresses that their love is their "confession" and they don't have to worry about anyone else.
Overall, Mayfield's lyrics to "So In Love" depict a love affair that is powerful and enduring, with both partners fully devoted to one another. The song serves as a tribute to the strength and beauty of true love.
Line by Line Meaning
So in love
Being deeply in love
You do so many things with that smilin' face
Your beautiful smile gives me joy and makes me happy
Every time we kiss, it's such a pleasant taste
Kissing you is always a delightful and enjoyable experience
That's why I know this feelin' good and strong
Because of the happiness you bring me, I am sure that my love for you is genuine and unwavering
Tryin' I was, was here to get along
In the past, I struggled to find my place, but being with you has made my life complete
I want to testify you mean so much to me
I want to declare that you are incredibly important to me
Let me write the fact, I mean it honestly
I want to express this truth in writing because I am sincere
Life is strange, believe me it is true
Life can be unpredictable and uncertain
We don't always mean the things we sometimes do
Sometimes, our actions do not reflect our true intentions
Look at me, look at you
We are together in this loving relationship
You know we're so in love
Our deep love for each other is undeniable
Baby, don't ask why
Please do not question my unwavering love for you
You're movin' my emotions
Your actions and presence are evoking strong feelings within me
You don't have to worry
You can trust me and count on my commitment to our love
You have my devotion
I am dedicated to you and our relationship
This love affair is bigger than we two
Our love transcends just you and me, it is a significant part of our lives
Lose the faith and it will swallow you
If we lose faith in our love, it will have negative consequences on us
Loving you is what I'll always feel
My love for you will never change
Never ever doin' things against our will
I will never act in a way that goes against our mutual desires
Nothing is, nothing required, any kind of cares
We don't need anything else, we don't have any worries, we have all that we need in each other
You being you and I being me
We are who we are, and we accept each other fully
You don't worry 'bout the rest
We don't care about what others have to say or think, our love is enough for us
And our love is our confession
Our mutual love for each other is an expression of our true feelings
That we're so in love
That we are deeply and passionately in love
I try to do the best that a man can do
I want to be the best partner I can be to you
The key to our success to see each other through
The secret to maintaining our relationship is to support and help each other through tough times
So in love, so in love, so in love
Reinforcing the depth of their mutual love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind