The History of Theme From Shaft

An excerpt from American Songwriter - 

The Groundbreaking Story Behind the “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac Hayes

By Hal Horowitz

“Theme From Shaft”

Written by Isaac Hayes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTU_9T5ufzY&t=12s

Right on. Can ya dig it? Shut your mouth… 

Sound like the early ‘70s? You’re daaaamn right! Those by-now iconic words are some of the few, mostly spoken, lyrics to Isaac Hayes’ 1971 No. 1-charting title track to the motion picture considered one of the first and best examples of the “Blaxploitation” genre. 

Specifically named “Theme From Shaft,” the song was as groundbreaking as the film, winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, making Hayes the first Black composer to triumph in that category. It also grabbed two Grammys, for Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Original Score.

Why Isaac Hayes?

Hayes was a hot property in the early ‘70s, especially in the Black community. He had recorded four solo albums since 1967. Hot Buttered Soul (1969) was the most successful; it topped the R&B chart and rose to No. 8 on the Billboard 200, showing that Hayes’ made-for-the-bedroom slow-jams could cross over to a more mainstream audience. 

Parks showed Hayes footage of the gritty opening scene of his film, where private detective John Shaft emerges from a Manhattan subway and weaves in and out of traffic like he owns New York City. Parks told Hayes he wanted “a driving, savage beat, so we’re right with him all the time.” 

Hayes responded with the propulsive 16th-note hi-hat opening that leads into arguably the most definitive and demonstrative use of distorted wah-wah guitar in soul music. But he paused writing the rest of the theme until he’d composed the remainder of the film’s score. “Theme From Shaft” was completed after Hayes had gained a better appreciation for who this guy confidently crisscrossing the crowded city streets really was.  

Then What?

https://americansongwriter.com/the-groundbreaking-story-behind-the-theme-from-shaft-by-isaac-hayes/