Their song "Runnin' from the Devil" inspired the Van Halen song "Runnin' With the Devil".
The group disbanded again in 1970. After again reforming with a line-up including Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, trombonist Marvin Pierce, and keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, the Players had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westbound label in 1971 with "Pain" which reached the Billboard R&B Top 40. Detroit vocalist Dale Allen shared co-lead vocals on some of the early Westbound material, although not credited on the albums "Pain" and "Pleasure".
The band’s first big hit was "Funky Worm", which hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts and made the pop Top 15 in May 1973. The band signed with Mercury Records in 1974. By this time, their lineup had changed again, with keyboardist Billy Beck instead of Morrison and Jimmy "Diamond" Williams on drums instead of Webster. On later album releases, they added second guitarist/vocalist Clarence 'Chet' Willis and conga player Robert "Rumba" Jones to the lineup. Bonner sang lead vocals on most of the band's hits.
The band had seven Top 40 hits between 1973 and 1976, including "Fire" (#1 on both the R&B and pop charts for two weeks and one week respectively in February 1975) and "Love Rollercoaster" (#1 on both the R&B and pop charts for 1 week in January 1976). The group's last big hit was "Who'd She Coo" a #1 R&B hit in August 1976.
The band became widely known not only for their sound, which has been sampled and copied by countless R&B and hip-hop artists since, but for their sexually provocative album covers, including the cover of 1974's Ecstasy, which featured a man and a woman in a pose of arousal wearing chains and leather, and 1975's Honey, which featured a nude woman holding an overflowing jar of honey and dropping some into her mouth with a ladle.
There is an urban legend that has it that a scream on "Love Rollercoaster" that came during the break after the second verse was the sound of someone being murdered in the studio while the track was being recorded. It is widely believed to be the scream of a female model (the nude woman Ester Cordet featured on the image for the Honey album) after being stabbed with a knife by the band's manager. She was complaining that the honey and fibre glass she was sitting on reacted when mixed causing permanent damage to her legs during the image photography, ending her modelling career. She then approached the manager seeking compensation during the recording of "Love Rollercoaster" only to be stabbed and attacked.
The Ohio Players then left the scream in as a sick tribute.[1] The band did not discredit this rumor at the time, because, as one band member put it later, "that makes you sell more records." This is just an urban legend however, as are any other disturbing explanations, including a person murdered outside the recording studio (although recording studios are soundproof and the scream would not have been heard), a band member murdering his girlfriend or a cleaning woman in the recording studio, or a real scream taken from a 911 call or a Psychiatric ward.
Clarence Satchell died in January 1996 after he had a brain aneurysm. Ralph Middlebrooks died in November 1997.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the bands heavily influenced by the Ohio Players, covering "Love Rollercoaster" for the film Beavis and Butt-head Do America. In the UK, there was a chain of music and DVD stores named after one of their hit songs, "Fopp". "Fopp" was also covered by Soundgarden for an EP called Fopp.
Love Rollercoaster
Ohio Players Lyrics
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Rollercoaster yeah oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster yeah oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster (wow wow wow) oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster (lovin' you it's been a while) oohh oohh oohh
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
I want to ride (baby ride)
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
Learning to ride (awawaw)
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster (lovin' you has been crazy) oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love (let me ride)
Rollercoaster (one more time) oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster (wow) oohh oohh oohh
Rollercoaster of love
Rollercoaster oohh oohh oohh
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
I want to ride yeah (awawaw)
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
Learnin' to ride (learnin' to ride baby)
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
I want to ride yeah
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
I want to ride yeah
Love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
Love's a rollercoaster
(Love is rollercoaster) your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
"Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players is an upbeat and energetic song that compares love to the thrill of a rollercoaster ride. The song begins with the repeated phrase "Rollercoaster of love," which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The lyrics go on to describe love as a crazy, wild and exciting ride that the singer wants to experience over and over again. The chorus repeats the phrase "Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby. I want to ride," to emphasize the singer's desire for this exciting ride that brings both joy and fear.
The verses of the song describe the ups and downs of this love rollercoaster as it may have been a while since the singer has ridden it. According to the lyrics, loving the person has been crazy and thrilling, but it has also been a while since he has taken that wild ride. The repeated "oohh oohh oohh" towards the end of each line adds to the playful and whimsical vibe of the song while emphasizing the excitement of being on a rollercoaster.
Overall, the song's message is simple and straightforward: love is like a thrilling rollercoaster ride with its surprising twists and turns, but the singer wants to ride it over and over again.
Line by Line Meaning
Rollercoaster of love (say what?)
Love is an emotional ride, just like a rollercoaster. Can you dig it?
Rollercoaster yeah oohh oohh oohh
The ups and downs of love are just like the thrilling twists and turns of a rollercoaster.
Your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
Comparing someone's love to a thrilling rollercoaster ride because it's a wild and exciting journey.
I want to ride (baby ride)
The singer is ready and willing to experience the highs and lows of this thrilling love.
Learning to ride (awawaw)
Navigating through love is like learning how to ride a rollercoaster. You may fall or get hurt, but the thrill is worth it.
Rollercoaster (lovin' you has been crazy) oohh oohh oohh
The singer acknowledges that love is a crazy ride, just like a rollercoaster, but they're willing to take the risk.
Let me ride
The singer is asking for their partner to give them another chance at experiencing the ups and downs of love.
One more time
The singer is asking for another opportunity to ride the rollercoaster of love with their partner.
Love's a rollercoaster
The singer is acknowledging that love is full of ups and downs, just like a thrilling rollercoaster ride.
(Love is rollercoaster) your love is like a rollercoaster baby, baby
Love in general can be compared to a rollercoaster, but this individual's love is especially thrilling and exciting.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Clarence Satchell, James L. Williams, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Marvin Pierce, Ralph Middlebrooks, Willie Beck
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind