Super Fly (soundtrack)  

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Superfly is an album by American soul/funk artist Curtis Mayfield, the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film of the same name. It was released in July of 1972 on Curtom Records. Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul/funk, Superfly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (#2 R&B, #4 Pop) and the title track (#5 R&B, #8 Pop). "Superfly" is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.

Superfly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the Super Fly film holds rather ambiguous - some will say sympathetic - views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical.

Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.

In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Superfly the 63rd greatest album of all time. Track number two, "Pusherman", has been selected among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Track listing

All selections written and produced by Curtis Mayfield.

1. "Little Child Runnin' Wild" – 5:23
2. "Pusherman"– 4:50
3. "Freddie's Dead" – 5:27
4. "Junkie Chase" [instrumental] – 1:36
5. "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)" – 4:14
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

Deluxe 25th Anniversary Collection

On November 11, 1997 Rhino Records released a 25th Anniversary collection of the Superfly album with a bonus disc of demo versions of songs, radio spots and interviews.

1. "Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly)" – 3:20
2. "Superfly" (Mayfield) – 3:08
3. "Ghetto Child (demo version)" (Mayfield) – 3:18
4. "Pusherman" (Mayfield) – 6:10
5. "Freddie's Dead" (Mayfield) – 4:48
6. "Junkie Chase (instrumental)" (Mayfield) – 4:18
7. "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)" (Mayfield) – 4:36
8. "Militant March {From "Score"}" (Mayfield) – 0:54
9. "Eddie You Should Know Better" (Mayfield) – 2:17
10. "Radio Spot #1" (Mayfield) – 0:28
11. "The Underground (demo version)" (Mayfield) – 3:13
12. "Check Out Your Mind" (Mayfield) – 4:06
13. "Radio Spot #2" (Mayfield) – 0:28
14. "Curtis Mayfield (interview)" – 7:02

1999 Re-Issue

In 1999 Rhino Records re-leased Superfly again but with only two bonus tracks.

1. "Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly)" – 3:20
2. "Superfly" (Mayfield) – 3:08

2001 Re-Issue

On December 11, 2001 the British record label Charly Records re-released the album with several bonus tracks, similar to the 25th Anniversary release by Rhino in 1997.

1. "Ghetto Child [demo version]" (Mayfield) – 3:18
2. "Pusherman [mix]" (Mayfield – 6:10
3. "Freddie's Dead [Instrumental Version]" (Mayfield – 4:48
4. "Junkie Chase [instrumental]" (Mayfield) – 4:17
5. "Militant March {From "Score"}" (Mayfield) – 0:54
6. "Eddie You Should Know Better [instrumental version]" (Mayfield) – 2:16
7. "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song) [instrumental version]" (Mayfield) – 4:36
8. "Superfly [Single Mix]" (Mayfield) – 3:10
9. "Freddie's Dead [Single Mix]" (Mayfield) – 3:19
10. "Radio Spot #1" (Mayfield) – 0:27
11. "The Underground [demo version]" (Mayfield) – 3:12
12. "Check Out Your Mind [instrumental]" (Mayfield) – 4:05
13. "Radio Spot #2" (Mayfield) – 0:23

Personnel

• Curtis Mayfield - Composer, Vocals, Producer
• Roger Anfinsen - Engineer

Tributes

In 2004, the West Coast hip hop star Snoop Dogg teamed up with Hi-Tek and Bootsy Collins on the album R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece to do a cover of "No Thing on Me" titled "No Thang on Me".

Trivia

Popular British late-night radio host James Whale's theme tune is the "Junkie Chase" instrumental, played at the start of every show.