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Super Fly (soundtrack)

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Super Fly
Soundtrack album studio album by
Curtis Mayfield
ReleasedJuly 11, 1972
RecordedDecember 1971 – May 1972
Studio
Genre
Length36:58
LabelCurtom
ProducerCurtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield chronology
Roots
(1971) 		Super Fly
(1972) 		Back to the World
(1973)
Alternative cover
Deluxe 25th anniversary edition cover
Deluxe 25th anniversary edition cover
Singles from Super Fly
  1. "Freddie's Dead"
    Released: July 1972
  2. "Superfly"
    Released: October 1972

Super Fly is the third studio album by American soul musician Curtis Mayfield, released on July 11, 1972, by Curtom Records as the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film of the same name. The album was Mayfield's first full soundtrack, and his third solo effort since leaving the Impressions.[5] Super Fly was a commercial success, peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Top 200[6] and selling over 500,000 copies[7] in the United States, with an estimated 1.5 million sold in total.[8] Super Fly outsold the film it accompanied,[9] with performance bolstered by Hot 100 top 10 singles "Freddie's Dead" and title track "Superfly".[6]

The critical and commercial success of Super Fly led to its nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Nino Rota's The Godfather (1971).[10] Super Fly remains one of only three blaxploitation soundtracks to be nominated for a Grammy, alongside Isaac Hayes Jr.'s Shaft (1971)[11] and the Norman Whitfield/Rose Royce collaboration Car Wash (1977).[12] Due to the soundtrack's success, Mayfield was tapped to produce several film soundtracks over the course of the decade in collaboration with high-profile soul artists such as Gladys Knight & The Pips[a], The Staples Singers[b], and Aretha Franklin[c].[5]

Super Fly was one of the first soul concept albums. It was noted for its stark lyrics about poverty and drug abuse[13][14], which were informed both by Mayfield's disagreements with the film's neutral treatment of drugs and drug dealers and his personal experiences growing up around the dangers of both.[15][non-primary source needed] The album is frequently sampled and interpolated by modern artists[16][17][18] , and represents "one of the high watermarks of arguably the most fertile and creative era in soul music’s history".[19] For its lyrical messaging and influence on both contemporary soul and the nascent genres of hip-hop and rap, the album is often cited as one of the best albums of all time.[20][21][22][23]

Background

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Mayfield had previously contributed two songs to Krakatoa, East of Java, which marked his first foray into soundtrack work. Following his departure from The Impressions in 1970 and his first solo releases Curtis (1970) and Roots (1971), Mayfield's next soundtrack project began with a suggestion from Gordon Parks Jr. Parks – son of Shaft director Gordon Parks[24] – was working on Super Fly as his directorial debut and asked Mayfield and his backing band to cameo in a scene as a nightclub act in the background. Parks wanted a full song to play in the scene, which led to the beginning of soundtrack sessions.[5]

Production and release

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The recording session for the song "Pusherman" took place at Bell Sound Studios in New York, followed by a months-long hiatus while Mayfield focused on other projects (writing The Impressions' Times Have Changed and working on his own album, Back to the World). The instrumentals for the remaining songs were produced in a three-day session at a former RCA studio in Chicago,[15][non-primary source needed] which involved an in-studio band of as many as 40 performers. Regarding the recording environment, Guitarist Craig McMullen states, "The advantage of it is, if you have a full orchestra, when you place your licks, you don't have to worry about your licks bumping. You can hear everything that's going to go down." [5]

The album was primarily written by Mayfield from a basement apartment in Chicago while undergoing a trial separation from his wife and children. Mayfield drew on his own experience to relate to the film and so inform his songwriting, telling Rolling Stone "I didn't have to leave my neighborhood to understand what Super Fly was about."[5] Mayfield was at odds with how the pitfalls of drug use were addressed by the film - per his second wife, Altheida Mayfield, "Curtis thought ‘Super Fly’ was a commercial to sell cocaine and he wanted to turn that around. That was his main purpose there, to say ‘This is nothing pretty.’". This informed the album's lyrics, which were centered on the ills of a culture that the film depicted on more ambiguous terms.[15]

Super Fly was originally released in 1972 on Curtom Records in both LP and eight-track[25] formats, three weeks prior to the release of the accompanying film,[26] with additional distribution handled throughout Europe and Asia by Buddah Records[citation needed].The release was complicated by a dispute with arranger Johnny Pate over songwriting credit on the song "Think", which would mark the end of Mayfield and Pate's working relationship.[5] On November 11, 1997, Rhino Records released a 25th Anniversary collection of the album with a bonus disc of demo versions of songs, radio spots, and interviews with Mayfield discussing his writing process,[27] and a 1999 reissue of the album included new mixes of "Freddie's Dead" and "Superfly" as bonus tracks.[28]

Sales and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[29]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[30]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStarStar[31]
Pitchfork9.1/10[32]
QStarStarStarStarStar[33]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004)StarStarStarStarStar[34]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2002)StarStarStarStarStar[35]

Super Fly was RIAA certified Gold within three months of release for reaching 500,000 in album sales in the U.S.[7], with some outlets reporting global sales of 1.5 million.[8] The album released to universal acclaim, with Rolling Stone's Bob Donat calling it "not only a superior, imaginative soundtrack, but fine funky music as well and the best of Curtis Mayfield's four albums made since he left the Impressions".[36] Rock critic Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album an A− and lauded Mayfield's songwriting, writing that "these songs speak for (and to) the ghetto's victims rather than its achievers (cf. 'The Other Side of Town', on Curtis), transmitting bleak lyrics through uncompromisingly vivacious music."[37] Robin Katz of Disc praised the album stating to not mistake it as a "big bad blaring instrumental LP. This is Curtis Mayfield combining a fine musical message with gentle vocals but powerful lyrics" and "[N]ine tracks on the album and what never fails to amaze me is how Mayfield balances his instrumental work and lyrics without overdoing either. It is a touchy situation, but Mayfield handles it brilliantly."[38]The album itself as well as songs "Freddie's Dead" and "Junkie Chase" received nominations at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards, with the former also performed at the ceremony.[10]

In the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2002), writer Colin Larkin gave the album a five-star rating.[37] A 2002 review of the 1997 re-release from BBC Music praised the soundtrack for its wealth of "acutely observed, incisively written, and gently phrased observations on black life in the early 1970s."[13] In a 2004 review of the album, Rolling Stone gave Super Fly five out of five stars and cited it as Mayfield's "creative breakthrough".[34] Charles Taylor of The Boston Phoenix deems "Superfly," "Pusherman" and "Freddie's Dead" to "remain [Mayfield's] paramount achievement, as hard and pitiless as any music ever to make the charts."[39] John Bush of AllMusic praised the album's lyrical substance and sound, calling it a "melange of deep, dark grooves, trademarked wah-wah guitar, and stinging brass".[29] On its significance, Bush concluded by stating "Super Fly ignited an entire genre of music, the blaxploitation soundtrack, and influenced everyone from soul singers to television-music composers for decades to come. It stands alongside Saturday Night Fever and Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols as one of the most vivid touchstones of '70s pop music.".[29]

In a positive retrospective review for Pitchfork, Mychal Smith notes the political relevance of Super Fly's messages to early 70's U.S. politics, in particular the issues facing the black population:"[...]Super Fly perfectly encapsulates the post-Civil Rights/early Black Power feel of black America struggling to survive the social and political consequences of the nation's conservative backlash. [...]The lyrics were as much [Mayfield's] personal reflection on ghetto life as they were based on the characters of the film."[40]

Legacy

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The album is ranked number 986 in All-Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd edition, 2000).[41] In 2003, VH1 named Super Fly the 63rd greatest album of all time.[23] The title track was selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[42] In 2003, the album was ranked number 69 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[20] 72 in a 2012 revised list,[21] and 76 in a 2020 revised list.[22] In 2011, NME ranked Super Fly as the 13th best film soundtrack of all time.[43] In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[44]

Super Fly was a formative work in the development of the hip hop and rap genres, and has been cited as an influence and sampled by the likes of Beastie Boys,[45] The Notorious B.I.G.,[46] Erykah Badu,[47] Snoop Dogg,[18] Eminem,[48] Chance the Rapper,[16] and Beyoncé.[17] The singer Bilal names it among his 25 favorite albums, explaining that, "I just think that's one of the best movie soundtrack albums ever...[J]ust listen to the soundtrack and you already know the whole movie. It's just killer the way he did that."[49] Mychal Smith notes the impact Super Fly had on the genre of blaxploitation soundtracks in particular, noting Mayfield had "inspired imitations [...] such as Bobby Womack’s "Across 110th Street", James Brown’s Black Caesar, and Willie Hutch’s The Mack."[40]

Track listing

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Original LP

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All songs are written by Curtis Mayfield.[50]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Little Child Runnin' Wild"5:23
2."Pusherman"5:04
3."Freddie's Dead"5:27
4."Junkie Chase" (instrumental)1:36
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Give Me Your Love (Love Song)"4:20
6."Eddie You Should Know Better"2:16
7."No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)"4:53
8."Think" (instrumental)3:43
9."Superfly"3:55

Reissues

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1997 Rhino Deluxe 25th Anniversary Collection (Disc one) / 1999 Rhino reissue
No.TitleLength
10."Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly)" (single mix)3:20
11."Superfly" (single mix)3:08
1997 Rhino Deluxe 25th Anniversary Collection (Disc two)
No.TitleLength
1."Ghetto Child" (demo version of "Little Child Runnin' Wild")3:18
2."Pusherman" (alternate mix)6:10
3."Freddie's Dead" (instrumental version)4:48
4."Junkie Chase (Instrumental)" (full-length version)4:18
5."No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)" (instrumental version)4:36
6."Militant March"0:54
7."Eddie You Should Know Better" (instrumental version)2:17
8."Radio Spot #1"0:28
9."The Underground" (demo)3:13
10."Check Out Your Mind" (instrumental version)4:06
11."Radio Spot #2"0:28
12."Curtis Mayfield interview on Superfly film and songwriting"7:02

Personnel

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Charts

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All charts are from Billboard.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Claudine (1974)
  2. ^ Let's Do It Again (1975)
  3. ^ Sparkle (1976)

References

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  1. ^ "10 Essential Psychedelic Soul Albums". April 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "Super Fly | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (May 16, 1990). "Records". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "Musical Space: Cinematic Soul". December 23, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Atria, Travis (July 11, 2022). "Curtis Mayfield's 'Super Fly' Soundtrack: 10 Things You Didn't Know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Curtis Mayfield, Superfly". Rhino. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Kirsch, Bob (March 17, 1973). "Label Formulate All-Out Soul Push". Billboard. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "'Men In Black' To 'Footloose': The Most Memorable Soundtrack Songs That Name-Check Their Movies". MTV. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "15th Annual Grammy Awards". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "14th Annual GRAMMY Awards". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  12. ^ "19th Annual GRAMMY Awards". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  13. ^ a b Boraman, Greg. Review: Super Fly. BBC Music. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  14. ^ Heller, Jason. Review: Super Fly Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. The Yale Herald. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  15. ^ a b c "Curtis Mayfield Full Biography | Curtis Mayfield". www.curtismayfield.com. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  16. ^ a b Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap, April 30, 2013, retrieved May 25, 2026
  17. ^ a b Beyoncé - B'Day Deluxe Edition, September 5, 2006, retrieved May 25, 2026
  18. ^ a b Bathtub by Snoop Dogg on Apple Music, November 23, 1993, retrieved May 25, 2026
  19. ^ Petridis, Alexis (March 30, 2020). "Curtis Mayfield: where to start in his back catalogue". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  20. ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 16, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  21. ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "2001 VH1 Cable Music Channel All Time Album Top 100". VH1. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  24. ^ "Gordon Parks, Jr. - Archives - The Gordon Parks Foundation". gordonparksfoundation.org. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  25. ^ "Artifact". thehenryford.org. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  26. ^ "Super Fly (1972) - IMDB". IMDb. May 25, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  27. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Superfly [Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition] album review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  28. ^ Bush, John. "Superfly [Rhino] album review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  29. ^ a b c Bush, John. Review: Super Fly. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  30. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  31. ^ Hilburn, Robert. Review: Super Fly. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-08-05. The 1997 reissue of Super Fly was rated three out of four stars by critic Robert Hilburn. However, Hilburn concludes the review by explaining that the original would have been rated four stars, barring the additions of the reissue, stating "Yet there isn't enough additional material to justify, for most listeners, a second disc, causing what would be a four-star single-disc package to be docked a star".
  32. ^ Smith, Mychal. Review: Super Fly. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  33. ^ Columnist. "Review: Super Fly Archived 2009-12-01 at the Wayback Machine". Q: 128. September 1994.
  34. ^ a b Hoard, Christian. "Review: Super Fly". Rolling Stone: 523–524. November 2, 2004.
  35. ^ {cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20170914015911/http://www.acclaimedmusic.net:80/Current/A255.htm%7Ctitle = Acclaimed Music}
  36. ^ Donat, Bob. Review: Super Fly[dead link]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  37. ^ a b "Acclaimed Music - Superfly". acclaimedmusic.net. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  38. ^ Katz 1972.
  39. ^ Taylor, Charles (March 7, 1996). "Troubled man: How Curtis Mayfield was led from the light of optimism". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Smith, Mychal. "Curtis Mayfield: Super Fly". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  41. ^ "Rocklist". Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  42. ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  43. ^ "NME's Top 50 Film Soundtracks". NME. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  44. ^ Andrews, Travis M. (March 20, 2019). "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  45. ^ "The records behind Beastie Boys' sample masterpiece Paul's Boutique — The Vinyl Factory". thevinylfactory.com. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  46. ^ Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. | Album | AllMusic, retrieved May 25, 2026
  47. ^ New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) - Erykah... | AllMusic, retrieved May 25, 2026
  48. ^ I'm Shady by Eminem on Apple Music, February 23, 1999, retrieved May 25, 2026
  49. ^ Simmons, Ted (February 26, 2013). "Bilal's 25 Favorite Albums". Complex. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  50. ^ Super Fly (Vinyl opening flap). Curtis Mayfield. Chicago, IL, United States: Curtom. 1972. CRS 8014-ST.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  51. ^ Michael A. Gonzalez, "Waxpoetics #38", page 89
  52. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. November 4, 1972. Archived from the original on October 31, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  53. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. January 13, 1973. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2026.

Further reading

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