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.
Let's Not Forget
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
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We have not lost the war, by far
Still work to be done and as the old hymn says
"We all can overcome"
Let's not forget the sunrise in the sky
The love and wonders why, you don't do or die
But at best you try
Do what you do when you're feeling free
You can be what you want to be
Open your mind and you can see
Baby, let's not forget this love is all we need
Kiss me once and maybe kiss me twice
Sweetens the spice of life my child
Just give me a smile
It is your big world to make it all worthwhile
Let's not forget advice on love today
I'm really not so wise this way
So what do you say, two loving human beings
Just trying to make a way
Do what you do when you're feeling free, my baby
You can be what you want to be, right now
Open your mind and you can see, alright
Baby, let's not forget this love is all we need
My baby, my baby, my baby
Do what you do when you're feeling free
You can be what you want to be
Open your mind and you can see
Baby, let's not forget this love is all we need
Do what you do when you're feeling free, my baby
You can be what you want to be, right now
Open your mind and you can see, alright
Baby, let's not forget this love is all we need
Do what you do when you're feeling free, my baby
You can be what you want to be, right now
Curtis Mayfield's "Let's Not Forget" is a song about resilience, hope and love, particularly in trying times. Mayfield sings about how despite difficult periods, one should not lose hope, but continue to work hard and live life to the fullest. He urges listeners to not let life "pass you by" and to embrace opportunities to freely express oneself and grow into the person they aspire to become.
Mayfield's reference to the old hymn that "we all can overcome" highlights the power of shared human struggles and our ability to triumph over them. The song also speaks to the importance of love and how it can sweeten the spice of life, particularly when two people are willing to work together to make things work.
Overall, "Let's Not Forget" serves as a rallying cry for perseverance during challenging times, and a reminder that love and hope can help us overcome any obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's not forget though trying times there are
Even though life may be hard at times, we must remember that we have not lost and we still have the power to overcome our struggles.
We have not lost the war, by far
We still have a lot of fight left in us and we have not yet been defeated.
Still work to be done and as the old hymn says
There is still much to be accomplished, and we must keep pushing towards our goals, just as the hymn suggests.
"We all can overcome"
With hard work and determination, we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way.
Let's not forget the sunrise in the sky
We must remember the beauty in the world, like the rising sun, even during tough times.
The love and wonders why, you don't do or die
We should focus on love and wonder, instead of dwelling on the negative, and not give up or lose hope.
But at best you try
Even if we don't succeed, we should always strive to do our best.
Don't let life pass you by
We should live life to the fullest, and not let opportunities pass us by.
Do what you do when you're feeling free
We should follow our passions and do what makes us happy when we have the freedom to do so.
You can be what you want to be
We have the power to shape our own lives and become whatever we desire.
Open your mind and you can see
By being open-minded, we can see the possibilities and opportunities that are available to us.
Baby, let's not forget this love is all we need
At the end of the day, love is the most important thing we have, and we should never forget that.
Kiss me once and maybe kiss me twice
Small things like a kiss can sweeten our lives and make us happy.
Sweetens the spice of life my child
Just like spices can enhance a dish, little things like a kiss can make life even better.
Just give me a smile
Simple gestures, like a smile, can brighten someone's day and make them feel loved.
It is your big world to make it all worthwhile
We have the power to shape our own world, and we should strive to make it a better place.
Let's not forget advice on love today
We should always keep love in our hearts and seek advice from others on how to keep it alive.
I'm really not so wise this way
Even if we don't know all the answers when it comes to love, we should still seek guidance and try our best.
So what do you say, two loving human beings
We should work together, as two people in love, to make our relationship thrive and grow.
Do what you do when you're feeling free, my baby
We should follow our passions and do what makes us happy when we have the freedom to do so.
You can be what you want to be, right now
We don't have to wait to become who we want to be - we can start right now and shape our lives as we see fit.
My baby, my baby, my baby
A term of affection for a loved one.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARNOLD HENNINGS, ARNOLD W HENNINGS, CURTIS L MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind