Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, fu… Read Full Bio ↴Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, funk and rhythm and blues, singer-songwriter and guitarist from Chicago, Illinois.

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.

Power to the People
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We want the power for the people
That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear

We as the young wish to say in this song
God bless great America
We give thanks to the old for acheiving their goal

It is now up to us and we know we must build up a trust

And we want the power for the people
That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear

Power for the people
Power for the people
Power for the people

Hardening crimes is a part of the times nd it's rough for some people to live
Disease can move fast but it don't have to last
It is now the nation's turn for all to be concerned
We can be freer still, it is the people's will

And bring back the power for the people
That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear

Power for the people
Power for the people
Power for the people
Power for the people

Power for the people
Power

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Power to the People" by Curtis Mayfield are a call for the redistribution of power in America. Mayfield's goals are to help those who are sick and hungry who are unable to protect themselves, and to provide security for those who live in fear. The song begins with a simple demand for power for the people, which is seen as the primary need in a country where many people are struggling. Mayfield saw how people were struggling economically and politically, and he believed that America could do better.

Mayfield sings that the young people of America have a role to play in building up their country. They must give thanks to their forebears for achieving their goals, but they must also recognize that it is now up to them to build a brighter future. The young have a golden opportunity to create a better society and to truly help those who are in need. Mayfield believes that the country can be freer, and that it is up to the people to make this a reality.

"Power to the People" is a call for action, for people to take control of their situations and to work together to create a better world. It is about the need for solidarity and mutual support, and the importance of having a strong community to help you when you are in need. For Mayfield, the song is a message of hope and a call to arms, a rallying cry for those who care enough to work for change.

Line by Line Meaning

We want the power for the people
We desire to have the power in the hands of each and every citizen

That's all we ask in our country dear
This is the sole request we have, dear countrymen

The sick and the hungry are unable
Those who are ill or famished lack the capacity to help themselves

Protect them and those who may live in fear
Shield them and others who may live with trepidation

We as the young wish to say in this song
We, the young generation address this issue through song

God bless great America
God bless the United States of America

We give thanks to the old for acheiving their goal
We express gratitude to the previous generation for achieving their aims

It is now up to us and we know we must build up a trust
It is our turn now, and we are aware of the requirement to build a trustworthy environment

Hardening crimes is a part of the times nd it's rough for some people to live
The increasing incidence of harsh crimes is a reflection of the current times and adversely affects some citizens' livelihoods

Disease can move fast but it don't have to last
Diseases can spread quickly, but they do not have to be long-lasting

It is now the nation's turn for all to be concerned
It is the country's turn to put efforts to gain awareness and care for everyone

We can be freer still, it is the people's will
It is possible to be more liberated still; this is what the people want

And bring back the power for the people
And restore control to the population

Power for the people
Control for the citizens

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

S. D.

3y↑6

IMO These incredibly strong, poignant, and socially relevant lyrics here are both a call to action and a prayer! 🙏🏽
We want the power for the people
That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear
We as the young wish to say in this song
God bless great America
We give thanks to the old for acheiving their goal It is now up to us
and we know we must build up a trust
And we want the power for the people
That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear
Power for the people (x3)
Hardening crimes is a part of the times it's rough for some people to live
Disease can move fast but it don't have to last It is now the nation's turn for all to be concerned
We can be freer still, it is the people's will
And bring back the power for the people That's all we ask in our country dear
The sick and the hungry are unable
Protect them and those who may live in fear
Power for the people... (repeat)

All comments from YouTube:

RHINO

3y↑10

PEOPLE NEVER GIVE UP, a compilation of Curtis Mayfield's most impactful protest and civil rights-themed songs curated by Curtis’ son Cheaa and wife Altheida Mayfield, is available now. Curtis’ music is a clarion call to action to build a more equal society, and get your groove on at the same time. Listen here https://Rhino.lnk.to/PeopleNeverGiveUpNAYT

Joshua Fusilier

I love this 💗

B-Town CHILL

✊🏿💪🏿
✌🏿👌🏿
🎵🔊🎼🔊🎶

Kathleen MacPeek

song4night

3y↑7

Curtis Mayfield is to me the greatest singer/songwriter black America produced, he's beyond Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Prince, etc.

James Monroe

3y↑4

One of the greatest Soul/R&B singers who ever lived-singing one of his never-duplicated tracks-STILL revelant today after all these years-Curtis,wish we STILL had you around-You could help us cope!!!