Hey folks! This is Su Alif. I’m back to write my second blog. I hope the first one was received well and those who offered their opinions are safe and sound. This time around, I’d like to take a few minutes to expand upon what I believe to be my favorite movie soundtrack of all time. The year was 1987. I was aged fourteen. I spent the weekend at my father’s place. VHS was one of the gold standards at the time. He decided to pop in a movie to watch together. The film was Superfly, directed by Gordon Parks Jr. in 1972. The soundtrack was one of the many records he owned in his ever growing collection. I discovered this treasure at least 7-8 years before eventually seeing the movie. It tells the story of Priest Youngblood, a Harlem cocaine dealer who seeks to get out of the life after securing one final score. Right from the opening scene, the music immediately sets the pace. In the 70’s , there were loads of what the media called “blaxploitation films” oozing out of the woodwork during that era. Many of them depicted a certain version of the African-American experience in the “ghetto” or inner city setting. Alot of them highlighted the blight of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, gambling , and crime as the few vehicles for black people to churn out some kind of living for themselves. The motion picture industry undoubtedly reaped the financial rewards as a result. Superfly was different. Although it exhibited the elements of blaxploitation, it certainly was far from that. Instead, it was a cautionary tale disguised as a blaxploitation piece. Composed by the late Curtis Mayfield, the soundtrack was also a cautionary tale disguised as a blaxploitation piece. At first glance of the album cover, one could very well be led to believe the record is yet another version of blaxploitation, but for all intents and purposes, that is not the case. Anchored by a very strong presence of rhythm, blues, soul, funk, and jazz, Mayfield designed each set to correlate with particular scenes in such a manner that suggests a sense of urgency and pace that compels one to hope the protagonist actually achieves his ultimate goal. "Little Child Runnin’ Wild poses food for thought in an otherwise brooding, and tense arrangement that is somehow quietly restrained: “Where is the Mayor, who makes all things fair? He lives outside of our polluted air”. “Freddie’s Dead”, arguably one of the most famous cuts on the record, eulogizes a troubled employee of Priest’s who met his demise in a tragic way. The hustle and flow of the dope game is flawlessly captured in the groovy and pulsing “Pusherman”. Hardly anyone in this particular line of work could truly get by without their better half, as “Give Me Your Love” reinforces this dynamic to a tee. “Think” is a beautifully arranged melancholic track that allows Mayfield to give Priest a moment in borrrowed time to reflect at the crossroads of his life changing decision. The title track is what I consider to be a biographic of the man who has everything to lose and gain as he does battle with the elements of the streets as well as himself in the war for the pinnacle of redemption.
If you haven’t seen this film, give it a try. Despite the fact that it hasn’t aged that well over the years visual-wise, the message inside is timeless just as the musical score is. The star of the film was portrayed by the late Ron O’Neal. A remake of this film came out back in 2018. I thought it was pretty solid, but not quite as resonating as the original. This is just my opinion. You may judge for yourself if you watch them for the first time. Well, I’m gonna wrap this one up folks. I welcome any and all thoughts on this subject. Please feel free to interject. Until next time, PEACE!
