While there are countless legendary soundtracks in cinema history, it is a rare feat for one to outperform the film it is featured in. That is exactly what happened with this 1972 crime drama, whose soundtrack famously out-grossed the movie itself.
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the 101 greatest movie soundtracks of all time, compiling a list of cinema’s finest scores. Ranked among classics such as Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction at No. 7 and John Badham's 1977 film Saturday Night Fever at No. 5, Gordon Parks Jr. secured the No. 6 spot with Super Fly.
Released in the U.S. on August 4, 1972, Super Fly was a massive box office hit. Upon its release, the film grossed over $30 million against a budget of only $500,000, famously knocking Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather out of the No. 1 box office spot and quickly becoming one of the most profitable independent films of its era.
Actors Julius Harris and Ron O'Neal in a scene from the Warner Bros. movie "Super Fly" circa 1972.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Super Fly follows "Youngblood" Priest, a highly intelligent drug dealer in New York City on a quest for one final score to secure his retirement and escape the streets. The film's unparalleled success was largely attributed to its revolutionary portrayal of a Black protagonist breaking out of traditional Hollywood stereotypes, as well as its electrifying soundtrack, completely created by R&B star Curtis Mayfield.
Mayfield was originally hired to have his band, The Impressions, cameo in a nightclub scene. However, after reading through the script, he was commissioned by Parks Jr. to score the entire project. The R&B star went on to write, perform and produce a nine-track album that was released a few weeks before Super Fly premiered, serving as excellent advertising for the film.
The album was a massive success, with two tracks, "Freddie's Dead" and "Superfly," reaching the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The record itself peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard LP chart for four consecutive weeks, marking the first and only time Mayfield achieved that feat with a solo project.
Aside from its chart dominance, the soundtrack also experienced significant commercial success. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 2 million copies in the globally. Its top-ten singles also each sold over 1 million copies, notably outselling the ticket sales of the film it was advertising.
Over five decades after its release, Mayfield's groundbreaking soundtrack remains relevant. The album is widely praised as a masterpiece of 1970s soul and funk, credited with helping to pioneer the "concept album" and considered one of the greatest works in music history.
Related: 1970 Classic Film, Originally Rejecting ’60s Rock Band, Ranked Among ‘Best Movie Soundtracks’ of All Time
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