Put that Thing Away - "No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)"

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“I know your mind, you want it funky, but you don’t have to be no junkie.” Kind of odd lyrics for a song subtitled “Cocaine Song,” coming from a soundtrack to a movie about a cocaine dealer. But according to Curtis Mayfield’s 2nd wife, Altheida, the 2X Rock and Roll Hall of Famer “saw Super Fly as an advertisement for cocaine” and wanted to show that “This isn’t pretty.” Having grown up around drugs, Mayfield had seen first-hand the dangers of drug abuse, and ended up making a masterpiece that warned of those dangers, while the movie took a more lenient approach. In fact, Super Fly, the album, outsold Super Fly, the movie. “No Thing on Me (Cocaine Song)” celebrates not being a junkie, while understanding how easy it can be to fall into the pusherman’s web. The singer stresses that his life is a natural high, that he isn’t giving his money to The Man (although, The Man will gladly take your money and send you along your merry way, knowing you’ll be back again tomorrow.) The album itself was certified Gold in the United States just three months after its release, and like “No Thing on Me,” took a stand and spoke for the victims in the inner-city. Hopefully, those that bought the album took notice. Link is to the studio album version: