Curtis Lee Mayfield saw plenty of the dark side of life growing up in Chicago’s crime-ridden Cabrini Housing Projects. But rather than follow his peer’s path that led to destruction, addictions and violence that bubbled through the area in the late 1950s, he used his guitar playing and songwriting chops to fight for justice.
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Mayfield first stepped into musicianship at age 7 when he discovered a guitar in a closet of the small apartment he shared with his mother and seven siblings. As he began to pluck out tunes, he called on inspiration from the music that permeated his life, including Chicago Blues and the Travelling Soul Spiritualists’ Church of his grandmother. But the multi-instrumentalist Mayfield, who died on December 26, 1999, was no mimic, as he proved by carving his own iconic musical path.
Unlike other artists who wrote music about Civil Rights and oppression, he didn’t fill his songs with profanity and anger. Mayfield wrote and played songs in a way that stressed his viewpoints but was styled so that they were palatable for a wide range of listeners.
The songs he wrote were so powerful yet heartfelt that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Barack Obama and others used songs written by Mayfield—notably “Keep on Pushing,” “People Get Ready,” and “We’re A Winner”—as anthems for their crusades.
His best-known songs filled the airwaves before his death, triggered by several causes after a stage accident. Yet many don’t realize he also wrote equally popular songs for other artists. We told you about several in an earlier piece. Here are some others that became earworms for listeners and got heavy radio play:
1. “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)” originally called “He Will Break Your Heart” — Tony Orlando and Dawn
By Jerry Butler, Calvin Carter and Curtis Mayfield
The original title of the soul song written by Mayfield, Jerry Butler and Calvin Carter was “He Will Break Your Heart.” The song tells the story of a man who is despondent because his girlfriend leaves him for another man. The song is filled with warnings about bad relationship endings and conveys feelings of jealousy, lack of pride and heartbreak.
He uses all the great quotations
Says the things I wish I could say
But he’s had so many rehearsals
To him, it’s just another play.
Jerry Butler released the song as a single in 1960. It peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent seven non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart. Other artists, including Margie Singleton, Lulu, The Righteous Brothers and Freddie Scott, covered the song.
So how did Tony Orlando and Dawn (whose names are Tela Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson) find and record the song? The trio was with actress Faye Dunaway and her husband, Peter Wolf, the lead singer of The J. Geils Band, waiting for an event. To pass the time, they sang 1960s R&B tunes, including “He Will Break Your Heart.” Dunaway and Geils suggested the trio record the song.
Orlando got the OK from Mayfield, and he and Dawn went on to record it. For three weeks, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. It also hit No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart and was certified Gold.
2. “Let’s Do It Again” – The Staple Singers
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield originally wrote “Let’s Do It Again” for the gospel, soul and R&B group The Staple Singers. The love song blends soul and R&B sounds and uses 1970s language to capture the essence of love in 1975, when the song was released, the peak of the disco era.
Nice to nice to know ya let’s do it again
How we did it on a one-night stand
Girl I wanna be more than a friend, to you
Nice to nice to know ya let’s do it again
How we did it on a one-night stand
Girl I wanna be more than a friend, to you
It was like food for all of my senses.
The feel-good song became one of the Staple Singers’ major hits reaching the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming an almost instant classic. Some might wonder why a gospel group would sing about a one-night stand, but critics quickly point out that this song is more about establishing a sincere personal relationship than casual sex.
3. “Something He Can Feel” — Aretha Franklin and En Vogue
Written By Curtis Mayfield
The love ballad “Something He Can Feel” was written by Curtis Mayfield in the Chicago-Philadelphia soul style for the 1976 movie Sparkle. The Sister & the Sisters (Lonette McKee, Irene Cara and Dwan Smith) originally sang the song for the movie.
The Mayfield composition tells the story of young love’s triumph over poverty that can make dreams come true.
Many say that I’m too young
To let you know just where I’m coming from, yeah
But you will see it’s just a matter of time
My love will surely make you mine.
The Sister & the Sisters vocals were replaced by those of Aretha Franklin and the Kitty Haywood Singers for the film’s soundtrack. Franklin’s 1976 recording went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, her only top 40 hit in the 1970s.
En Vogue’s 1992 recording of the song was on their “Funky Divas” album. It went to No. 4 on the charts for 16 weeks and No. 1 on the R&B charts.
Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns
