Musical Montage: Curtis Mayfield “Superfly”
Superfly, the song, is so iconic and awesome that most people forget it’s the theme song for a movie of the same name. Super Fly came out in 1972 and followed the adventures of Youngblood Priest (Ron O’Neil) who attempts to do one more massive coke deal before he leaves the drug business for good with his girlfriend and fights off corrupt cops and rival drug dealers. Soul legend Curtis Mayfield wrote and produced the entire soundtrack and the album actually outgrossed the movie. Superfly, the song, hit #5 R&B charts and #8 on the Pop charts when it came out and the other big single from the soundtrack, Freddie’s Dead, hit #2 on the R&B charts and #4 on the pop charts. You’ve probably heard it but the funk is below if you want to check it out.
