"Super Fly Meets Shaft" is a break-in record co-written by

Dickie Goodman Richard Dorian Goodman (April 19, 1934 – November 6, 1989), known as Dickie Goodman, was an American music and record producer born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for inventing and using the technique of the "break-in", an early precur ...

and recorded by

John & Ernest John & Ernest were an American novelty song ensemble, composed of Jéan Free and Ernest Smith. They scored a hit single in 1973 with the record "Super Fly Meets Shaft", which hit #31 on the Top 40. The record consisted of lines from popular songs ...

. It consists of lines from popular R&B/soul

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

s of the day, which tell a story about the main characters from the films '' Super Fly'' (1972) and ''

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around wh ...

'' (1971). "Super Fly Meets Shaft" became an American hit in the spring of 1973, reaching #31 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100.''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

Background

Among the songs sampled in the record is

Billy Paul Paul Williams (December 1, 1934 – April 24, 2016), known professionally as Billy Paul, was a Grammy Award-winning American soul singer, known for his 1972 No. 1 single "Me and Mrs. Jones", as well as the 1973 album and single '' War of the Go ...

's "

Me and Mrs. Jones "Me and Mrs. Jones" is a 1972 soul song written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert, and originally recorded by Billy Paul. It describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. In the song, the two meet in sec ...

", with three excerpts. Others include: * "S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight)" - Winfield Parker * " I Gotcha" -

Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...

* "

Papa Was a Rollin' Stone "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by The Temptations was issued later the same year. This lat ...

" -

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

* "

Keeper of the Castle ''Keeper of the Castle'' is an album by R&B group the Four Tops, released in 1972. The title track peaked at No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Critical reception Robert Christgau wrote that with "superschlockers" Steve Barri, Dennis Lambert, and ...

" -

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the F ...

* " I'll Be Around" - The Spinners * "

I Got Ants in My Pants "I Got Ants in My Pants (and I Want to Dance)" is a funk song by James Brown. Recorded in 1971 and released as a two-part single in November 1972 or January 1973,Weinger, Harry (2003). ''Motherlode'' D booklet New York: Universal Records. it charte ...

" - James Brown * "

Theme from Shaft "Theme from ''Shaft''", written and recorded by Isaac Hayes in 1971, is the soul and funk-styled theme song to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film '' Shaft''. The theme was released as a single (shortened and edited from the longer album version) two ...

" -

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

* " Back Stabbers" -

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor h ...

* "

Could It Be I'm Falling in Love "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" is a 1972 song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). It was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were ...

" - The Spinners * "

Love Train "Love Train" is a hit single by the O'Jays, written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1972, it reached No. 1 on both the R&B Singles and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February and March 1973 respectively, and No. 9 on the UK Singles ...

" -

* "

Freddie's Dead "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 before the film was in theaters. The song peaked at # ...

" -

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

* " Daddy's Home" -

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jacks ...

* " Superfly" -

Chart history

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{YouTube, SMtyP2mtF5k, John & Ernest - Super Fly Meets Shaft Songs about fictional male characters 1973 songs 1973 singles Novelty songs Fiction set in 1973