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.
Just Want To Be With You
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I really, really think you're something special
Wanna try hard to show
Make it sweet, sweet, sweet wherever we go
Just to know love is true
Heaven blessed truth in you
I just want to be with you
Just to have you baby, by my side
Love would be the only rule
You're gonna see, baby, how hard I can try
None will ever do so well
Like a load of farming, fairy tale
Oh no, baby, baby
I just want you to know
When I first saw you, baby, I fell to the floor
Dreaming you in my head
Understanding love with nothing you can say
I need you baby, you know I do
Taking every part of you
Want to be with you
Love the way you tell my friends you're true
Want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
I just want to be with you
The lyrics of Curtis Mayfield's song "Just Want To Be With You" exude pure unadulterated love and devotion to a special someone. The lyrics speak of a deep emotional longing to be with this person, to be by their side always, and to show them how much they mean to them. The song opens with the singer telling the object of his affection that he thinks they are something special, and that he wants to try hard to show them how much he cares wherever they go. The chorus repeats the sentiment of wanting to be with this person, to love and cherish them with a heartfelt declaration of how true and blessed their love is.
The second verse is even more romantic than the first. The singer says that he fell to the floor when he first saw this person, and that he has been dreaming of them ever since. The lyrics indicate a deep and abiding love that has been simmering for some time, and now the singer just wants to be with this person always. He wants to take every part of them and love them unconditionally. The song gives the impression of a love that is pure, unselfish, and all-consuming.
Overall, Curtis Mayfield's "Just Want To Be With You" is a beautiful love song that captures the deep emotional longing and desire to be with a special someone, to cherish and love them always. The lyrics are evocative, romantic, and soulful, and the song is an enduring classic that continues to inspire and resonate with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want you to know
I want to express my feelings to you
That I really, really think you're something special
I believe you are unique and important to me
Wanna try hard to show
I am willing to put in effort to demonstrate my feelings
Make it sweet, sweet, sweet wherever we go
Let's make our time together enjoyable and memorable
Just to know love is true
Experiencing genuine love is important to me
Heaven blessed truth in you
You possess qualities that are heavenly and true to love
I just want to be with you
Being with you is my desire
Just to have you baby, by my side
Being physically close with you is what I want
Love would be the only rule
Our relationship is based on love and that's all we need
You're gonna see, baby, how hard I can try
I will demonstrate my commitment and effort to make you happy
None will ever do so well
No one else can compare to you
Like a load of farming, fairy tale
Our love story would be just like a beautiful fairy tale
Oh no, baby, baby
Expressions of affection and concern
When I first saw you, baby, I fell to the floor
I was completely taken by your charm and beauty
Dreaming you in my head
Thinking and fantasizing about being with you
Understanding love with nothing you can say
The love between us is beyond words and explanation
I need you baby, you know I do
You are important to me and I can't do without you
Taking every part of you
Embracing and accepting all aspects of you
Love the way you tell my friends you're true
I admire how you express your commitment and loyalty to me in front of my friends
Want to be with you
My desire is to spend time with you
I just want to be with you
My sole wish is to be close to you
I just want to be with you
All I want is to be with you
I just want to be with you
Being with you is my heart's desire
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind