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Soul Serenade: Bobby Womack and Peace, “Across 110th Street”

Ken Shane November 18, 2010 7

Soul Serenade

Bobby WomackI rarely get sick, but this week I’ve got it all. So please forgive me if I keep this short.

Across 110th Street is a 1972 blaxploitation that was filmed on the streets of Harlem. It stars Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Quinn, and Tony Franciosa. The film is a fun watch, but real pleasure is to be found in the soundtrack, specifically in the title song which was written by Bobby Womack and film composer J.J. Johnson. The song was clearly inspired by Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” but it certainly has an awesome groove, and an attitude tough enough to allow it to stand on its own.

The single “Across 110th Street”, credited to Bobby Womack and Peace, reached #19 on Billboard’s Top Black Singles chart, and #56 on the pop chart. The song so powerfully evokes the world of urban street crime that it was featured again in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown, and more recently in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster in 2007.

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About the author: Ken Shane View all posts by
Ken Shane, newly arrived in Jamestown, RI, is the New Music Editor for Popdose, and a freelance writer. He is far and away the oldest Popdose writer, in fact, he may be the oldest writer period. Ken wants you to know that he generally does not share his colleagues love for the music of the '80s, and he does not forgive them for loving it.

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  • http://thesixonefournine.com/ judd6149

    That opening credits shot with the smiling grill of that Caddy with those sweet “ooooooooohhhhs” comin at you was fantastic.

  • http://twitter.com/danalmont Dan Almont

    I sat next to Tony Franciosa on a subway up to a Yankee game about 5 years ago. He had a very pretty girlfriend who was very nice, chatting up a lot of people about the Yankees.

    I told someone at work and he said “who is Tony Franciosa?”

    I couldn’t think of any particular role or movie, so I said he’s a guy that was in about 10 crime movies in the 70s and always seemed to wear a 3/4 length brown leather coat with wide lapels.

  • http://twitter.com/danalmont Dan Almont

    I sat next to Tony Franciosa on a subway up to a Yankee game about 5 years ago. He had a very pretty girlfriend who was very nice, chatting up a lot of people about the Yankees.

    I told someone at work and he said “who is Tony Franciosa?”

    I couldn’t think of any particular role or movie, so I said he’s a guy that was in about 10 crime movies in the 70s and always seemed to wear a 3/4 length brown leather coat with wide lapels.

  • http://www.kenshane.com kshane

    I always liked him as an actor. I remember him primarily for a tv series called Valentine’s Day back in the mid-’60s, and a whole host of film and tv performances that I enjoyed. He always had a loose, easygoing charm that I admired.

  • http://home.comcast.net/~rsbrandt Anonymous

    Believe it or not, Franciosa was up for an Oscar for Best Actor way early in his career, reprising his stage role as the much-put-upon brother of a heroin addict in “A Hatful of Rain.” Puts him right up there with Stuart Whitman.

  • http://twitter.com/deltaslide deltaslide

    See Greil Marcus “Mystery Train” (one of the best books about music ever wriiten-period!) for an excellent digression into blaxploitation-specifically “Across 110th Street.” Great stuff…

  • Anonymous

    He and Los Lobos recorded an amazing version of this a few years ago on their album “The Ride,” combining it with their song “Wicked Rain.” Great song, great album…