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.
Body Vibes
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There ain't no jive, oh woman, huh
I'm shaking all over well, well
Oh yes, I wanna know, well, trying to take my soul
Moving in, moving you smoothly, it makes me feel so free
I want to know just want to speak
You got to feel my good body vibrations, well
(Oh, feels so proud)
You 'bout to make me loose all of my patience girl, yeah
Move me, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Just keep on movin' and groovin' me
Get down on me, "G" feel the beat and move me
(Feel the beat)
Oh yes, I wanna know, trying to take my soul
Moving in, moving you smoothly
I wanna know, just want to speak
Feel you, I feel good, a little good
All you have to do is try
I realize the body vibes will make you high
I feel a brand new sensation, some new situation
Feel about the station, feel about my patience
Body vibrations, yeah, well, well, well
Do you love her? Vibrations, vibrations yeah, oh
Move me baby, woman, keep on moving
Me girl feels so right, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Can't you feel the beat, baby
Keep on moving your feel girl, well
Can't you feel the beat, girl? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Move me, baby, keep on moving me, girl
Yeah, yeah keep on moving me
Keep on moving me, keep on moving me, baby
Woman, you move me, baby, can't you feel it, oh
Move me baby, vibrations
I think, I think I feel the beat now, vibrations
It's time to patch on, think on feet, vibrations
Vibrations, sensation, sensation
I think I got it now, c'mon vibrations
Move me, baby hey, hey, hey
I want your rating moving, I want your rating loving
A lot of patience, a lot of patience
A lot of patience In the mood, oh, body vibes
Don't stop now, don't stop now, don't stop now, shucks
The Ohio Players' "Body Vibes" is a disco-infused track that centers on the pulsing energy of body vibrations. The song features a driving beat that encourages movement and a carefree attitude. The lyrics suggest that the groove and vibe generated from this energy can uplift one's mood and make you feel alive. The singer is captivated by a woman who stimulates his body vibes, and he wants to experience more connection with her. The lines, "You 'bout to make me loose all of my patience girl" suggest that she has some control over him, and he is happy to surrender to her influence.
The chorus with its repetition of "move me, baby" underscores the idea of motion and sensory pleasure. The song celebrates the physicality of human experience and expresses the joy and freedom that comes from being in sync with it. The lyrics have tendencies towards innuendo and double entendre, with lines like "trying to take my soul," which can be interpreted as sexual desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Body vibes, uh-huh, body vibes make you feel alive
The physical sensation one experiences from the rhythm and movement of music is what awakens the spirit and provides a sense of aliveness.
There ain't no jive, oh woman, huh
Let there be no doubt that this experience is genuine and honest, especially when it comes to pleasing women.
I'm shaking all over well, well
The music is so powerful and energizing that it causes the body to shake uncontrollably.
Oh yes, I wanna know, well, trying to take my soul
The experience is so spiritual and transformative that it feels like the music is trying to capture the soul and take it on a journey.
Moving in, moving you smoothly, it makes me feel so free
The song moves seamlessly and fluidly, and this creates a sense of liberation and freedom in the spirit that is hard to replicate outside of this experience.
You got to feel my good body vibrations, well
The vibrations that are generated in the body when listening to this type of music are essential to understanding and getting the full experience.
Oh Lord, in the mood it makes me feel so proud
This music instills a sense of pride and confidence in the listener that is hard to come by in any other form of entertainment.
You 'bout to make me loose all of my patience girl, yeah
The music is so compelling and irresistible that it makes listeners impatient and eager to get lost in the experience.
Move me, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah
The music is so effective at moving the listener that it is impossible not to be physically and emotionally affected when listening to it.
All you have to do is try
Anyone can experience the benefits of this type of music if they are willing to give it a chance.
I feel a brand new sensation, some new situation
Listening to this type of music offers a unique and transformative experience that is unlike any other form of entertainment or recreation.
Can't you feel the beat, baby
The beat of the music is the key to unlocking the euphoria that comes with listening to this particular genre.
Don't stop now, don't stop now, don't stop now, shucks
The experience is so enjoyable that it is hard to ask for it to end or to even take a break from it.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE SATCHELL, JAMES L. WILLIAMS, LEROY BONNER, MARSHALL JONES, MARVIN PIERCE, MARVIN R. PIERCE, RALPH MIDDLEBROOKS, WILLIE BECK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind