Coverinfo
Bruce performed the song only once:
Bruce has never performed "Freddie's dead" in full, but the song was performed with an all-star cast on 01 Mar 1994 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY, during the 36th Grammy Awards ceremony, as part of a medley in honor of Curtis Mayfield. A Curtis Mayfield medley with various artists and Bruce presenting Curtis with a special "Legend" Grammy award. With Steve Cropper, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Vernon Reid, Steve Winwood, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Narada Michael Walden, Don Was, and others. Bruce sings lead on "
Gypsy Woman" and takes the first line of "
People Get Ready". Mayfield and The Impressions (including Jerry Butler) are onstage for "
Amen".
Songinfo
"
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 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.
Bruce on the artist
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942, Chicago, IL–December 26, 1999, Roswell, GA) was an African-American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Mayfield is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American music. Curtis Mayfield was a two time inductee into the GrammyHall of fame and winner of the Grammy Legend Award and lifetimes Achievement Award which was personally presented by Bruce in 1995
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01.03.94 Grammy Awards, after "The Curtis Mayfield Medley"
"Curtis, on behalf of all the musicians gathered here on stage and in the audience, we wanna thank you for the lasting soul and the deep beauty of the music that you´ve made… you´ve been an inspiration to all of us and it´s an honor to be up here with you tonight and I´m glad to present you with the Grammy Legend Award, we love you…"
" There's a beautifully socially–conscious soul of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, "We're a Winner," keep on pushin'. Just great, great records that just filled the airwaves at a time when you couldn't have needed them more. You just couldn't have needed them more. "A Woman's Got Soul," what a beautiful, beautiful record to women. "It's All Right." It was the sound track of the Civil Rights Movement. And it was here, amongst these great African–American artists, that I learned my craft. You learned how to write. You learned how to arrange. You learned what mattered and what didn't. You learned what a great production sounds like. You learned how to lead a band. You learned how to front a band. "
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Bruce also covered a song (Gypsy Woman) on a compilation album of various artists:
Celebrating the music of Curtis Mayfield. While many tribute albums are recorded after an artist has passed, this album was completed five years before Mayfield's death : released 1994. (
A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield )
Lyrics
Hey, hey
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ah, ha
Freddie's dead
That's what I said
Let the man rap a plan, said he'd see him home
But his hope was a rope, and he should've known
It's hard to understand, there was love in this man
I'm sure all would agree that his misery was his woman and things
Now Freddie's dead
That's what I said
Everybody's misused him
Ripped him off and abused him
Another junkie plan
Pushin' dope for the man
A terrible blow, but that's how it go
A-Freddie's on the corner now
If you wanna be a junkie, wow
Remember Freddie's dead
We're all built up with progress
But sometimes I must confess
We can deal with rockets and dreams
But reality, what does it mean
Ain't nothin' said
'Cause Freddie's dead
Hey, hey
Love, love
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ha, ha
Yeah, yeah
Freddie's dead
[Instrumental]
All I want is some peace of mind
With a little love I'm tryin' to find
This could be such a beautiful world
With a wonderful girl
Oh, I need a woman child
Don't wanna be like Freddie now
'Cause Freddie's dead
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
If you don't try
You're gonna die
Why can't we brothers protect one another
No one's serious and it makes me furious
Don't be misled
Just think of Fred
Everybody's misused him
Ripped him up and abused him
Another junkie plan
Pushin' dope for the man
A-Freddie's on the corner now
If you wanna be a junkie, why
Remember Freddie's dead
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Freddie's dead
Hey, hey
Ha, ha
Love, love
Ha, ha
Hoo, hoo
Hey, hey
Love, love
Hey, hey
[fades out]