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.
No Thing On Me-
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in my opinion I have found that
People are the same everywhere
They have the same fears
Shed similar tears
Die in so many years
The oppressed seem to have suffered the most
In every continent - coast to coast
We break it all down
In hopes that you might understand
Don't make no profit for The Man
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
There's somethin' kinda funny
How The Man take your money
He's shrewd as he can be
In such a way you'll never see
It's a terrible thing inside
When your natural high has died
The weaker turn to dope
And put all aside their hope
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
Twinkling twinkling grains
They do all sorts of things
While your inner mind is pleased
Your conscience is only teased
More and more you feed
Until you grow another need
Playing fantasy
You have no reality
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
Sit down and take a listen
This may be something that you're missin'
I know your mind,
You want it funky
But you don't have to be no junkie
Just be glad you've got your own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The Man can't put no thing on me
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
My life's a natural high
The man can't put no thing on me
Sure is funky
Sure is funky
I ain't no junkie
I ain't no junkie
Sure is funky
Sure is funky
I ain't no junkie
I ain't no junkie
I'm so glad I've got my own
So glad that I can see
Curtis Mayfield's song "No Thing On Me" is an anti-drug anthem that speaks about the dangers of drug abuse and addiction, particularly among the oppressed and marginalized communities. Mayfield begins the song by reflecting on the commonalities of people across the world, no matter where they come from, what they look like, or what their background is. He sings that people share the same fears, shed the same tears, and die in the same way. However, Mayfield also identifies that the oppressed and marginalized groups suffer the most, in every continent and coast-to-coast. He notes that now our lives are in the hands of the pusherman, those who profit from drug addiction, and urges his listeners to make an effort to understand the dangers the pusherman represents.
Mayfield then highlights the importance of having one's own resources and pride in one's life by singing, "I'm so glad I've got my own/So glad that I can see/My life's a natural high/The man can't put no thing on me." He contrasts this with the ways The Man exploits people, particularly by taking their money through drug addiction. Mayfield highlights the terrible effects that addiction can have, including sending people into the depths of despair and hopelessness, and underscores the importance of not falling into that trap. He urges his listeners to be glad for what they have, to not let anyone take advantage of them or put them down, and to stay clean.
Overall, "No Thing On Me" is a commentary on the dangers of drugs and addiction within oppressed communities across the world. Mayfield speaks about the importance of being self-sufficient and having pride, while also warning against the dangers of addiction and dependence on "the pusherman."
Line by Line Meaning
I've met many people over the years
Through years of experience, I have encountered a multitude of individuals
And in my opinion I have found that
Based on my personal conclusion
People are the same everywhere
No matter the location, people share commonalities
They have the same fears
Anxiety-inducing worries are universal
Shed similar tears
Tears are shed for comparable reasons
Die in so many years
Our time of mortality may vary, but death is imminent for all
The oppressed seem to have suffered the most
The individuals who have experienced hardship and mistreatment seem to have had the most pain
In every continent - coast to coast
On a global scale, this suffering is widespread
Now our lives are in the hands of The Pusherman
Our fate is being controlled by the metaphorical figure referred to as The Pusherman
We break it all down
We aim to explain everything in detail
In hopes that you might understand
We desire that the listener comprehends our message
Don't make no profit for The Man
Do not contribute to the gains of those in power
I'm so glad I've got my own
I am content with what I have achieved independently
So glad that I can see
I am appreciative of the clarity I have found
My life's a natural high
The satisfaction and contentment in my life rivals any chemical induced high
The man can't put no thing on me
Those in power have no control over me
There's somethin' kinda funny
There is something that doesn't seem quite right
How The Man take your money
The corrupted system exploits citizens for monetary gain
He's shrewd as he can be
Those in power are cunning and manipulative
In such a way you'll never see
Their deception is often hidden from view
It's a terrible thing inside
A heavy and negative feeling resides within
When your natural high has died
When the satisfaction in one's life is lost
The weaker turn to dope
Those who struggle may turn to drugs as an escape
And put all aside their hope
With a lack of hope for a better future, individuals may give up
Twinkling twinkling grains
Substances that possess a shimmer and shine
They do all sorts of things
Drugs have a variety of effects
While your inner mind is pleased
Although the mind may feel content, this feeling is short-lived
Your conscience is only teased
Your sense of morality and ethics is only temporarily satisfied
More and more you feed
The more one partakes in drug use
Until you grow another need
The cycle of addiction perpetuates with the need for even more drugs
Playing fantasy
Living in a fictional reality
You have no reality
Disconnected from the real world
Sit down and take a listen
Pay attention
This may be something that you're missin'
You may be unaware of the significance of this message
I know your mind,
I understand your perspective
You want it funky
You desire an enjoyable experience
But you don't have to be no junkie
However, this can be achieved without resorting to drug addiction
Sure is funky
This is certainly enjoyable
I ain't no junkie
I am not a slave to addiction
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind