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.
Move on up
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your folks might understand you, by and by
Move on up, toward your destination
You may find from time to time
Complication
Bite your lip, and take a trip
Though there may be wet road ahead
So move on up for peace will find
Into the steeple of beautiful people
Where there's only one kind
So hush now, child, and don't you cry
Your folks might understand you, by and by
Move on up, and keep on wishing
Remember your dream is your only scheme
So keep on pushing
Take nothing less, than the supreme best
Do not obey rumors people say
'Cause you can pass the test
Just move on up, to a greater day
With just a little faith
If you put your mind to it you can surely do it
Just move on up
Move on up
But move on up
Oh, child, but just move on up
But move on up
Move on up
In Curtis Mayfield's song "Move On Up," the lyrics are mostly addressed to a child, offering advice and encouragement for their future. The first stanza tells the child to be patient with their parents, as eventually they will understand them. The chorus then urges the child to move forward towards their goals, despite any complications they might face along the way. The second verse advises the child to keep moving towards their dreams, and not be swayed by negativity or rumors, for they have the ability to succeed through faith and determination. The song repeats the chorus several times, each time emphasizing the importance of moving on up and not giving up on one's dreams.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics is as a message of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. The song encourages the listener to keep striving for success, and to not let setbacks or negative opinions hold them back. The repeated refrain of "Move on up" seems to suggest that progress and upward movement are keys to achieving one's goals. The steeple of beautiful people referenced in the song may represent a metaphorical peak of success or achievement.
Line by Line Meaning
Hush now, child, and don't you cry
Be quiet and stop crying
Your folks might understand you, by and by
Your parents will come to understand you eventually
Move on up, toward your destination
Move forward towards your goal or objective
You may find from time to time
Occasionally, you may experience
Complication
Complications or difficulties
Bite your lip, and take a trip
Endure pain or discomfort and persevere
Though there may be wet road ahead
Although there may be obstacles
And you cannot slip
You cannot afford to fail
So move on up for peace will find
Keep moving forward and you will find peace
Into the steeple of beautiful people
Join society's elite, successful people
Where there's only one kind
Where everyone is equal
Move on up, and keep on wishing
Keep striving towards your goal
Remember your dream is your only scheme
Your dream is your only plan
So keep on pushing
Don't give up, keep trying
Take nothing less, than the supreme best
Settle for nothing less than the best
Do not obey rumors people say
Do not be influenced by rumors or gossip
'Cause you can pass the test
Believe in yourself and you can succeed
Just move on up, to a greater day
Continue to move forward and a better day awaits
With just a little faith
With just a small amount of belief
If you put your mind to it you can surely do it
If you focus and work towards your goal, you can achieve it
Move on up
Keep moving forward
But move on up
Again, keep moving forward
Oh, child, but just move on up
Keep moving forward, child
Move on up
One last time: keep moving forward
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis L. Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind