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.
It's All Over
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You ain't kiddin' nobody
You can't leave me, woman, you love me
Say what?
It's all over, it's all over
It's all over, it's all over
Put that suitcase down, girl
You're not leavin' town
You better stick around, yeah
(It's all over)
Honey, don't you know that I love you, yes, I do
(It's all over)
And I've got to have you sometime
(It's all over, it's all over)
I thought that we were gonna make it
But we must've been fakin'
Now I'm shakin'
(It's all over)
Tell me anythin' but it's over
(It's all over)
I'm ready to listen to it again
But don't tell me, don't tell me that it's over
(It's all over)
All over, over
(It's all over)
Put that suitcase down, darlin?
You ain't leavin' town
You know I need you around
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
Say, it's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now
It's over, it's over now, it's over
Put that suitcase down
Now wipe away that frown
Child, you ain't leavin' town
Say, we can make it one more time
Come on, girl, just one more time, please
Oh, girl
The lyrics of the song "It's All Over" by Ohio Players express the desperation of a man who doesn't want his woman to leave him. The opening lines of the song show the man trying to persuade his lover not to go, insisting that she still loves him despite her suitcase ready for departure. The repeated phrase, "It's all over," emphasizes the man's fear that their relationship is at an end. However, he still holds on to hope that his lover will stay, urging her to keep the suitcase down and stay with him.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "It's all over" four times, driving home the sadness and finality of the situation. The desperation of the man reaches its peak when he askes his lover to tell him anything except that it's over. He's ready to listen to anything, but the knowledge that their relationship has reached the end is just too much for him to handle.
The song holds an intense mood throughout, as the Ohio Players utilize their skills to create a soulful, bluesy sound that matches the heartbreaking lyrics. Its lyrics reflect the feeling of heartbreak when one is on the verge of losing a loved one, combined with the plea to hold on to what they have. Ultimately, the song expresses a person's feeling of helplessness when the love they once shared comes to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
Aw girl, put that suitcase down
Don't try to leave me by packing your bags
You ain't kiddin' nobody
I know you love me despite what you say
You can't leave me, woman, you love me
You can't just walk away from our love
Say what?
I'm confused and don't understand what you're doing
It's all over, it's all over
Our relationship is done and finished
Put that suitcase down, girl
Stop trying to leave me and stay around
(It's all over) Honey, don't you know that I love you, yes, I do
Even though it's over, I still love and care for you
(It's all over) And I've got to have you sometime
I still want you in my life even though our relationship is over
(It's all over, it's all over)
Our love is no more
I thought that we were gonna make it
I had hoped that we could make our relationship work
But we must've been fakin'
But in reality, our love wasn't as strong as we thought
Now I'm shakin'
The realization that our relationship is over is causing me to shake
Tell me anythin' but it's over
I don't want to hear that our love is finished
I'm ready to listen to it again
I am willing to try and make our relationship work again
But don't tell me, don't tell me that it's over
However, I don't want to hear that our love is finished
All over, over
Our relationship is truly finished
Put that suitcase down, darlin'
Stop trying to leave me and stay with me
You ain't leavin' town
You're not going anywhere without me
You know I need you around
I can't survive without you in my life
It's over, it's over now
Our love is done and finished
Say, it's over, it's over now
Our relationship is finished and can't be fixed
Now wipe away that frown
Don't be sad, let's move on from this
Child, you ain't leavin' town
I won't let you leave me and our life together
We can make it one more time
Let's try to fix our relationship one last time
Come on, girl, just one more time, please
I'm begging you for one last chance
Oh, girl
I still love and care for you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JD Rosy
Real music performed by real musicians, great band 👌 👏 Ohio Players will live on!!!!
willard locke jr
Old school R&B beats anything that's being on the radio today.
JD Rosy
@willard locke jr absolutely 💯!!! Sadly, they don't make them like that anymore.
willard locke jr
@JD Rosy You got that right! That's why I listen to nothing but 70's old school R&B and funk. Great music by great musicians who could also sing and dance. Those were the days.
JD Rosy
@willard locke jr Amen my friend 🙏 I adore the 70s old school as well, it still holds tremendous talent & the test of time...classics. None of them needed gimmicks, autotune or videos, radio, records & live performances were the facts.
Clarence Washington
Listen to the musicianship and the vocals on this cut....these guys were talented!
JM Truesdale
The Ohio Players; music was so upbeat for many people who could relate to the sixties.People from all walks of life had no problem being energized by the Ohio Players.
James Bond, Jr.
They made their mark in the 70's.
JM Truesdale
The legendary Ohio Players, Paving Pioneers, right in creating early motivated groups.Music was being made to help move out anything that created a lost of positive energy.People around the world would forever changed with the great legendary Ohio.🌹 Players.Thank you Mr Fulton,I had the pleasure to become more fascinated with your great Love and respect for all people.
Edward Hill
This was smash from The Ohio Players they were great gate keepers of the 70s funk...and could throw out slow jams with the best of the best..ROCK ON OHIO PLAYERS