Song · Curtis Mayfield
“Superfly” by Curtis Mayfield
Released 1974
“Superfly” by Curtis Mayfield appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2020 and 2022. It was first released in 1974. Its best result is #594 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #8,538 indie & aaa song of all time.
The title track from Curtis Mayfield's 1972 soundtrack to Superfly plays the film out over its closing credits, and it's street-level funk with a wink. Mayfield wrote it himself, words and music, singing the praises of the movie's main character, a guy getting by on cunning and sheer will. The album's second single after "Freddie's Dead (Theme from Superfly)", it peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 while the soul chart had it at No. 5.
Then there's that intro. Joseph "Lucky" Scott's bassline and "Master" Henry Gibson's rototom break have been lifted over and over: they turn up in the Beastie Boys' "Egg Man", in the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Intro" on Ready to Die, and in Nelly's "Tilt Ya Head Back". Mayfield raided it himself for "Superfly 1990", his duet with Ice-T for The Return of Superfly.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2012 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 594 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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