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 was 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.
Lonely Street
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to be alone, to think alone and to dream alone
And then suddenly, I looked up to see
Mister Moon, Mister Moon, Mister Moon shining bright as he could be
And as I passed him by, oh
He winked in the eye knowing that I, oh
I should have a girl with me
But listen
Somewhere I hear her cry out
To have this girl from my dreams
Oh, I'd surely die
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Just to hold her in my arms and squeeze her real tight
Then I won't have to wak down these lonely streets
Alone at midnight
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
Don't make me walk alone, baby, baby, baby
Baby, my baby, my baby, my baby
My baby, oh yeah
The lyrics of Ohio Players' song "Lonely Streets At Midnight" evoke a sense of yearning and loneliness that is deeply relatable to anyone who has experienced solitude and longing in the late hours of the night. The opening lines set the scene of walking down a lonely street at midnight, a solitary journey embarked upon deliberately to be alone with one's thoughts and dreams. The imagery of the night sky and the bright moon overhead adds to the atmosphere of introspection and contemplation.
The mention of "Mister Moon" personifies the celestial body, giving it a playful and almost mischievous presence in the singer's experience. The moon's wink is a whimsical touch that suggests a shared understanding or connection with the night and its mysteries. The longing for companionship is subtly hinted at as the moon implies that the singer should have a girl with them, highlighting the desire for emotional connection and intimacy.
The lyrics then shift to a more poignant tone as the singer hears a cry for the girl of their dreams. This longing is so intense that the singer feels they would "surely die" to have her in their arms. The yearning for physical closeness and the desire to hold her tight convey a deep emotional hunger for connection and intimacy. The repetition of the phrase "oh, oh-oh-oh" adds a sense of urgency and longing to the plea for closeness.
The final lines of the song express a desperation to not have to walk alone on the lonely streets at midnight, a plea for companionship and love. The repetition of "baby, my baby" underscores the desire for the presence of a loved one to banish the solitude and fill the void of loneliness. The raw emotion and vulnerability in these lyrics capture the universal longing for connection and the bittersweet experience of yearning for love amidst the solitude of the night.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you ever walked down a lonely street at midnight
Have you ever found yourself in a desolate place late at night?
Just to be alone, to think alone and to dream alone
Being by yourself to contemplate and envision things on your own
And then suddenly, I looked up to see
And out of nowhere, I glanced upwards and noticed
Mister Moon, Mister Moon, Mister Moon shining bright as he could be
The moon illuminating the darkness in its full glory
And as I passed him by, oh
And as I walked past it, oh
He winked in the eye knowing that I, oh
It winked at me, understanding that I
I should have a girl with me
Should have a companion by my side
But listen
But pay attention
Somewhere I hear her cry out
Somewhere I hear the call of my beloved
To have this girl from my dreams
To have this woman I fantasize about
Oh, I'd surely die
I would absolutely perish
Just to hold her in my arms and squeeze her real tight
Simply to embrace her and hold her closely
Then I won't have to walk down these lonely streets
I wouldn't have to journey through these solitary roads anymore
Alone at midnight
Isolated in the middle of the night
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
I don't wish to, I don't desire to
Don't make me walk alone, baby, baby, baby
Don't force me to traverse on my own, my dear
Baby, my baby, my baby, my baby
Darling, sweetheart, my love
My baby, oh yeah
My beloved, oh yea
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Theodore Robinson, Ralph Middlebrooks, Clarence Satchell, Marshall Eugene Jones, Leroy Bonner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@invisiblesun6595
An understated and underrated track by the OP. It was before their move to Westbound Records, let alone Mercury.