"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.
| "Superfly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Curtis Mayfield | ||||
| from the album Superfly | ||||
| B-side | "Love to Keep You in My Mind" | |||
| Released | October 1972 | |||
| Genre | Cinematic soul[3] | |||
| Length | 3:08 (single edit) 3:53 (album version) | |||
| Label | Curtom/Buddah CR-1978 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Producer(s) | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield singles chronology | ||||
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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]
Chart history
Later uses
"Superfly" was sampled at the end of the 1973 break-in record, "Super Fly Meets Shaft" (US #31).
“Superfly” was used as a character name in both the manga and animated series ‘JoJo's Bizarre Adventure’ | Manga chapter 398 ‘Let's Live on a Transmission Tower, Part 1’ | Anime series episode 31 ‘July 15th (Thurs), Part 1’.
The song appeared in the 1994 film Crooklyn, the 2009 film Madea Goes to Jail, the 2012 film Dark Shadows, and the 2019 supernatural horror film The Curse of La Llorona.
Covers
"Superfly" was sampled in the 1973 break-in record, "Super Fly Meets Shaft" (US #31).
The song was sampled by hip hop group Outkast on their 1998 album Aquemini on the track "Return of the 'G'".
The song was covered by Canadian soul and R&B band jacksoul on their 2006 album mySOUL.