The 1972 Curtis Mayfield soundtrack album for the film Super Fly is titled Super Fly.
Released by Curtom Records on July 11, 1972, Super Fly served as both a film soundtrack and Mayfield’s third studio album. The movie, directed by Gordon Parks Jr. and starring Ron O’Neal as Youngblood Priest, was a landmark blaxploitation crime drama.
Mayfield’s music did more than accompany the action. While the film depicted the drug trade, the songs criticized addiction, exploitation, poverty, and the romanticizing of criminal lifestyles. That socially conscious perspective helped distinguish the soundtrack from a simple collection of background cues.
The album became a major commercial success, reaching No. 1 on both the U.S. pop albums chart and the Black Albums chart. Two million-selling singles drove its popularity: “Freddie’s Dead,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Superfly,” which reached No. 8. The soundtrack ultimately became one of Mayfield’s most influential solo works.