Superfly (song)

"Superfly"
Single by Curtis Mayfield
from the album Superfly
B-side"Love to Keep You in My Mind"
ReleasedOctober 1972
Genre
Cinematic soul[3]
Length3:08 (single edit)
3:53 (album version)
LabelCurtom/Buddah
CR-1978
Songwriter(s)Curtis Mayfield
Producer(s)Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield singles chronology
"Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)"
(1972) 		"Superfly"
(1972) 		"Future Shock"
(1973)

"Superfly" is a song by Curtis Mayfield, the title track from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film of the same name. It was the second single released from the album, following "Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)", and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart.[4] The lyrics celebrate the craftiness and determination of the film's main character. The song plays over the film's closing credits.

The bassline and the rototom percussion break from the song's introduction (performed by Joseph "Lucky" Scott and "Master" Henry Gibson, respectively)[5] have repeatedly been sampled in songs including Beastie Boys' "Egg Man", The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die Intro", Goldie Lookin Chain's "Pusherman" and Nelly's "Tilt Ya Head Back" featuring Christina Aguilera. Mayfield himself sampled the original song in "Superfly 1990", a duet he recorded with rapper Ice-T.[6]

  1. ^ "100 Greatest Funk Songs". Digital Dream Door. August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Reed, Ryan (November 10, 2022). "Psych-Rap: A Trippy History: Inside hip-hop's legacy of mind expansion, from acid-rock to A$AP Rocky". Tidal. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  3. ^ "Musical Space: Cinematic Soul". 23 December 2014.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 285.
  5. ^ Galloway, A. Scott (1999). In Super Fly (p. 8) [CD liner notes]. Burbank, CA: Rhino Records.
  6. ^ "Superfly". Rap Sample FAQ. Accessed October 31, 2007.