Freddie's Dead
| "Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Curtis Mayfield | ||||
| from the album Super Fly | ||||
| B-side | "Underground" | |||
| Released | July 1972 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Soul/Funk | |||
| Length |
3:17 (single edit) | |||
| Label |
Curtom/Buddah CR-1975 | |||
| Writer(s) | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Producer(s) | Curtis Mayfield | |||
| Curtis Mayfield singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Freddie's Dead" is a song by Curtis Mayfield. It was the first single from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film Super Fly. The single was released before the Super Fly album, and in fact before the film itself was in theaters. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S. Pop Chart and #2 on the R&B chart.
The song laments the death of Fat Freddie, a character in the film who is run over by a car.
Like most of the music from the Super Fly album, "Freddie's Dead" appears in the film only in an instrumental arrangement, without any lyrics. The song's music is featured prominently in the film's opening sequence and also recurs at several other points. Because of this usage the song was subtitled "Theme from Superfly" on its single release (but not on the album). It is not to be confused with "Superfly", a different song and the second single released from the Super Fly album. The arrangement is driven by a strong bass line, wah wah guitars, and a melancholy string orchestration.
The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Rhythm & Blues Song but lost to "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone".[1] "Freddie's Dead" was ruled ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Song because its lyrics are not sung in the film Super Fly.[2]
Cover versions
"Freddie's Dead" has been covered by performers including E.U., MFSB, Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers and The Derek Trucks Band.
The band Fishbone covered "Freddie's Dead" for the lead track on their 1988 album Truth and Soul.
The Brazilian rap group Racionais MC's sampled "Freddie's Dead" to "Mano na porta do bar" ("Man at the Bar Door").
Donell Jones sampled "Freddie's Dead" to "When I Was Down"
References and parodies
- Master P recorded "Kenny's Dead", a parody of Mayfield's song for the television show South Park, featuring the character Kenny McCormick, for Chef Aid: The South Park Album.[3]
- Lorne sings the song in the episode "The Magic Bullet" of the TV series Angel, as a reference to the possible death of Fred.[citation needed]
- In the Sanford and Son episode "Libra Rising All Over Lamont", Fred Sanford is lying in bed very ill from eating 8-day old collard greens and after checking his temperature he turns on the radio, and the song "Freddie's Dead" is playing. Fred then promptly turns the radio off thinking the song was an omen.[citation needed]
- It is on the Old School Friday soundtrack that accompanied the movie, Friday.
References
- ↑ "Grammy Awards 1973". Awards & Shows. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
- ↑ "‘Godfather,’ ‘Super Fly’ Music Not Nominated For Oscar". The Toledo Blade. AP. 1973-03-07. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
- ↑ Behymer, Josh (20 March 2005). "Kennys Dead Song???". Film Tracks. Retrieved 4 June 2009.