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.
You Better Stop
Curtis Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brother, you know you're wrong
Think of the tears and fears
You bring to your folks back home
They'd say, where did he go wrong, my Lord?
We planned and worked hard from the very start
Tried to make him better than all the rest
Eddie is everybody's friend
But sometimes you wonder now and then
The only time he'll choose you
When there's something to lose through
His personal loss
And the friend pays the cost all the time
Must be something that's freezin' his mind
That has made him, through greed so very blind
And I don't think he's gonna make it this time
In Curtis Mayfield's song "Eddie You Should Know Better", the singer is calling out Eddie for his misguided actions and negligence towards his family and community. The lyrics express disappointment and sadness towards the fact that Eddie is involved in activities that bring harm not only to him but also to those who care for him.
The first verse clearly addresses Eddie, acknowledging that he is aware of what he is doing wrong, and the consequences that come along with it. It also stresses on the fact that what Eddie is doing is causing pain and suffering to his loved ones back home. The line "where did he go wrong, my Lord?" signifies a feeling of helplessness and despair, as if the singer is questioning why someone he once knew to be good has gone astray.
The second verse talks about how Eddie was raised and the expectations that his family had for him. They put in a lot of effort to make him a good and successful person, but ultimately Eddie, through his actions, proved to be a disappointment. The line "his personal loss and the friend pays the cost all the time" emphasizes the fact that Eddie's recklessness is contagious, and he is dragging people down with him. The final line in the chorus "I don't think he's gonna make it this time" suggests that this is not Eddie's first instance of making mistakes and disappointing those around him; a feeling of hopelessness pervades the song.
Overall, "Eddie You Should Know Better" is a powerful commentary on the consequences of poor decision-making, both for the individual and for those who care for them. It is a song of sadness, resignation, and disappointment.
Line by Line Meaning
Eddie, you should know better
You, Eddie, should have better judgment and morals
Brother, you know you're wrong
As a fellow African American, you have a responsibility to do the right thing and you're not doing it
Think of the tears and fears
Consider the emotional distress you cause to those who love and care for you back home
You bring to your folks back home
The consequences of your actions affect not only you but also your family and community
They'd say, where did he go wrong, my Lord?
Those who care for you will question how you became so misguided and lost
We planned and worked hard from the very start
We, as a community, invested time and resources to nurture and support Eddie's growth and development
Tried to make him better than all the rest
We aimed to empower Eddie to be his best self and surpass any limitations or obstacles he faced
But the brother proved to be so much less
However, Eddie has fallen short of our expectations and potential
Eddie is everybody's friend
Eddie is known for being friendly and charismatic with everyone
But sometimes you wonder now and then
Sometimes people question Eddie's intentions and sincerity
The only time he'll choose you
Eddie only shows loyalty or support when it benefits him
When there's something to lose through
He will only take action when there is a risk of personal loss
His personal loss
Eddie's self-interests and ego get in the way of doing what's right
And the friend pays the cost all the time
Those who trust and support Eddie often suffer the consequences of his actions or decisions
Must be something that's freezin' his mind
There must be something causing Eddie to act with such selfishness or irresponsibility
That has made him, through greed so very blind
Perhaps Eddie's obsession with riches or success has blinded him to the impact of his actions on others
And I don't think he's gonna make it this time
It's unlikely that Eddie will escape the consequences of his behavior this time around
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind