Recording

Move On Up
Curtis Mayfield

Independently chosen for3 of our lists. Here is what each of them said.

Released

1970

Label

Curtom

On

Soul, The Waxonia Desk — One Subject, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred

Updated

2026-08-29

1. 09

   Ranked No. 9 in Soul

   Nine minutes of unbroken forward motion, congas and a horn line that never lets up. Mayfield's optimism is the harder thing to write, and this is the most durable example of it.

2. ·

   Picked by The Waxonia Desk — One Subject

   Nine minutes of forward motion that works on a dancefloor and on daytime radio, which is a rare combination — and it is the long version that earns the claim, not the edit.

3. ·

   Picked by The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred

   Nine minutes of unbroken forward motion. Optimism is the harder thing to write and this is the most durable example anyone has managed.