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.
When Seasons Change
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lot of scars – that kind of scare you to remember
Scufflin' times – in seeing people trying to put you down
For goodness sakes
People trying to take what you know you've found
Stranded in someone else's neighborhood
Listening to the undertone
Lord! Sure makes it a blessing to know you got your own
Can't call no names – when you got your own self to blame
Praying to Jesus – make me a little stronger
So I might live the life – a little bit longer
So many changes – going in and out of my life
How can anyone survive
When everybody's been made a sacrifice
Look all around – and see yourself so weak and so vulnerable
So you're trying to be strong – but your money ain't too long
And it's so terrible
Don't you know – if you want a good life
Best look into yourself
'Cause the world is cold – and everybody's bold
And there's no one else
Time makes you suffer – when seasons change
Can't call no names
When you got your own self to blame
Strain won't give me no – satisfaction
Taxes are taking up – a new collection
So many changes – going in and out of my life
How can anyone survive
When everybody's been made a sacrifice
Whon seasons change – and we've again surpassed September
A lot of scars – that kind of scare you to remember
Scuf flin' times – in seeing people trying to put you down
For goodness sakes
People trying to take what you know you've found
Curtis Mayfield’s “When Seasons Change” is a powerful song about life’s struggles and the changes that come with each new season. The first verse describes the scars of past experiences and the challenge of facing people who try to bring you down. Mayfield’s lyrics touch on the universal feeling of confrontation and the constant push and pull of life. The song’s chorus references how time makes you suffer when seasons change, solidifying the idea that life is a cycle of change that can be challenging to navigate.
The second verse of the song deepens its themes by exploring the idea that nobody is immune to life’s difficulties. Even a strong person can feel weak and vulnerable. The lyrical images “trying to be strong – but your money ain’t too long” and “the world is cold – and everybody’s bold” capture the tough realities that many people face daily. The second chorus reinforces the idea that everybody has to face their own struggles without relying on anyone else. The final section of the song takes a turn towards the harsh realities of economic pressures such as taxes and the struggles of daily life.
Line by Line Meaning
When seasons change – and we've again surpassed September
As the year progresses, moving beyond the month of September reminds us that things are constantly changing and moving forward.
A lot of scars – that kind of scare you to remember
Experiences that have left emotional and psychological scars can be haunting and unsettling to recall.
Scufflin' times – in seeing people trying to put you down
Difficult moments arise when you encounter others who are trying to undermine you or make you feel small.
For goodness sakes
People trying to take what you know you've found
It can be frustrating and disheartening when others seek to steal or claim ownership over the fruits of your labor and knowledge.
Stranded in someone else's neighborhood
Listening to the undertone
Lord! Sure makes it a blessing to know you got your own
Feeling out of place and hearing the subtext of unwelcomeness is a reminder of how blessed you are to have your own space and community.
Time makes you suffer – when seasons change
Can't call no names – when you got your own self to blame
As time passes and things change, it can be difficult to hold others accountable when you know you contributed to the problem yourself.
Praying to Jesus – make me a little stronger
So I might live the life – a little bit longer
Calling out to a higher power for strength and longevity is a way to cope with the uncertainties and struggles of life.
So many changes – going in and out of my life
How can anyone survive
When everybody's been made a sacrifice
With so many changes happening constantly, it can be challenging to see how anyone can make it through when everyone has to give up something in order to progress.
Look all around – and see yourself so weak and so vulnerable
So you're trying to be strong – but your money ain't too long
And it's so terrible
When you see how exposed and underprepared you are, it becomes a difficult balancing act to project strength when your financial resources are limited.
Don't you know – if you want a good life
Best look into yourself
'Cause the world is cold – and everybody's bold
And there's no one else
If you want to lead a fulfilling life, you need to focus on introspection and self-improvement, since the world is largely uncaring and people are primarily concerned with themselves.
Strain won't give me no – satisfaction
Taxes are taking up – a new collection
Being strained and taxed can leave you feeling unfulfilled and frustrated, especially when those resources seem to be taken without just cause.
Writer(s): Curtis Mayfield
Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.