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.
Something To Believe In
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Which one would you choose, my brothers
If there was no day or night
Which would you prefer to be right
How long have you hated your white teacher
Who told you, you love your black preacher
Do you respect your brother's woman friend
People must prove to the people
A better day is coming for you and for me
With just a little bit more education
And love for our nation, would make a better society
Now some of us would rather cuss and make a fuss
Than to bring about a little trust
But we shall overcome our beliefs someday
If you'll only listen to what I have to say
And how long have you hated your white teacher
Who told you, you love your black preacher
Can you respect your brother's woman friend
And share with black folks, not of kin
I said, now people must prove to the people
A better day is coming for you and for me
With just a little bit more education
And love for our nation, would make a better society
And if you had a choice of colors
Which one would you choose, my brothers
If there was no day or night
Which would you prefer to be right
If you had a choice of colors
Which one would you choose my brothers
"Something To Believe In" by Curtis Mayfield is a song about racial unity, education, and love. The song begins by asking the listener which color they would choose if they had a choice between them. This question is symbolic of skin color and the racial divide in society. Mayfield is urging his brothers to come together and see past their race.
The next verse addresses the listeners' feelings towards their white teacher and black preacher. Mayfield is questioning whether they love or hate them and urging them to respect each other. The verse also asks whether the listeners share with black people, not of kin. Mayfield is urging his listeners to see everyone as their family, regardless of their race.
The chorus emphasizes that people must prove to each other that a better day is coming. This can only be achieved through education and love for one's country. The final verse emphasizes that people should not cuss and make a fuss; instead, they should listen to each other and try to form trusting relationships. Mayfield reiterates that a better society can be created if everyone comes together.
Line by Line Meaning
If you had a choice of colors
If you were given the power to choose any color, what would it be? This question is aimed at exploring the concept of diversity and choice
Which one would you choose, my brothers
As brothers belonging to the same race, which color would you prefer, and would it really make a difference in your relationship?
If there was no day or night
If time ceased to exist as we know it, with no difference between day and night, what would you choose? This question correlates with the earlier question about color choice, as both of these aim to highlight the concept of choice in our lives.
Which would you prefer to be right
Even if we had the power to choose between day and night, which of the two would we choose to be right. This question stresses the importance of standing by our choices and decisions.
How long have you hated your white teacher
Have you ever held resentment for a teacher who was of a different race? This question is aimed to uncover any lingering bias.
Who told you, you love your black preacher
It's a common practice to associate ourselves with people belonging to our race, but if someone outside your race encourages your admiration of someone from your own race, does it change your perspective?
Do you respect your brother's woman friend
Do you hold respect for your brother's woman friend despite the fact that she belongs to a different race?
And share with black folks, not of kin
Do you find it difficult to share things with people of a different race who do not belong to your family? This suggests the existence of unconscious bias.
People must prove to the people
As a society, we must constantly strive to better ourselves, making life better for everyone.
A better day is coming for you and for me
Tomorrow's a new day filled with the hope that people will overcome their prejudices and will start accepting each other regardless of their race, due to the positive changes they brought about today.
With just a little bit more education
Education creates awareness and understanding about different cultures and races. It widens our perspective, and helps us embrace diversity.
And love for our nation, would make a better society
Loving our nation and taking pride in our culture and diversity are the keys to creating and sustaining a better society.
Now some of us would rather cuss and make a fuss
Some people prefer to react impulsively and negatively rather than coming to a peaceful resolution.
Than to bring about a little trust
Creating trust amongst members of different races and cultures goes a long way in creating a peaceful co-existence.
But we shall overcome our beliefs someday
We hope to overcome our biases one day and work towards a society free of prejudice and discrimination.
If you'll only listen to what I have to say
The artist here advocates for a respectful and open-minded listening of his message: to be more accepting and understanding towards other races to have a better society.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind