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Curtis Mayfield

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Jan 21, 2021
Category: Soul

Joe Biden’s crew smartly played “Keep on Pushing” at the announcement of Kamala Harris as his running mate. But who remembers 1972? In that year, Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack to “Superfly” was everywhere — this was the rare hit movie with a soundtrack that was an even bigger hit. But that was his least achievement. A crusading songwriter for black equality, black pride and black power, he wrote the civil rights songbook. You perhaps recall “People Get Ready” and Martin Luther King Jr’s favorite anthem, “Keep On Pushing.” Versatile? He delivered love songs that inspired. Mavis Staples got it just right: “His love songs made you fall in love, and his message songs made you want to go out and do something good for the world.”

He was soul music’s Prince of Optimism — and he sometimes got depressed.

When that happened, he went to the movies.

Why?

“Movies are dreams,” he said. “And dreams are what we live on.”

In his songs, he delivered dreams:

Hush now child and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you by and by
Just move on up towards your destination
Though you may find from time to time complications

Bite your lip and take a trip
Though there may be wet road ahead
And you cannot slip so what you wanna do
Just move on up for peace you’ll find
Into the steeple of beautiful people where there’s only one kind

So hush now child and don’t you cry
Your folks might understand you by and by
move on up and keep on wishing
Remember your dream is your only scheme so keep on pushing

Take nothing less than the second best
Do not obey for most people say ’cause you can past the test
Move on up for a greater day
have the faith, you put your mind to it, you can surely do it
Move on up, move on up

The bongos and horns cut a groove so deep you could ski in it. Makes you want to get up and move — or get out the vote.

“Superfly” was a flashy street movie. But Mayfield didn’t glorify the street. “You wanna be a junkie — why? Remember Freddy’s dead.” [To buy the overpriced CD of “The Best of Curtis Mayfield” from Amazon, click here. For the appropriately priced MP3 download, click here.]

And the title song? Same lesson.

The aim of his role
Was to move a lot of blow
Ask him his dream
What does it mean?
He wouldn’t know
“Can’t be like the rest”
Is the most he’ll confess
But the time’s running out
And there’s no happiness

Mayfield’s credo: “We’re all human beings, so we can get angry and bitter or mad, but for me it doesn’t last long. I’d rather be humble and cry tears of joy than to take on the stress and burdens of being dogged out and negative.”

His affirmative message, over and over, is summarized in “We Got to Have Peace.”

And the people in the neighborhood,
Who would if they only could,
Meet and shake the other’s hand,
Work together for the good of the land.

Give us all an equal chance,
It could be such a sweet romance.
And the soldiers who are dead and gone,
If only we could bring back one,

He’d say “We’ve got to have peace”
To keep the world alive
And war to cease

In 1990, stage lighting equipment fell on Mayfield at an outdoor concert and he was paralyzed from the neck down. After a long recovery, he recorded one final album — on his back, singing a line at a time, because that’s all the air he could get into his lungs. There is no mention of this on the album.

A beautiful spirit.

BONUS VIDEO:

‘People Get Ready’

‘Back to Living Again’ (with Aretha Franklin)