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.
My Ladies Run Me Crazy
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My woman and my baby girl yeah
My ladies, my woman yeah girl
Sweet lady, sweet lady
Sweet lady these ladies drive me crazy
My woman and ladies, they run me crazy
Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies
They make me realize I don't want to be free
Real men love real women and that's alright with me
They makemy real manhood feel real good
And in my misery I am the father of daughters
Surrender my shes my whole world is my little girls
Even though they run me crazy
My woman keeps on coming
Keep on coming a part of me
My woman keeps coming everything to me
My ladies, my ladies they really run me crazy
My woman, little child really drive me wild
I want to say it's a woman's world but I forgot about
And woman and girl I say my ladies run me crazy
My ladies drive me crazy
The Ohio Players' song My Ladies Run Me Crazy is a tribute to the women in the singer's life- his girlfriend/wife, his baby daughter and other women. The first verse talks about the singer's women and baby girl, calling them sweet ladies that drive him crazy. The chorus is a repetition of "Ladies, ladies, ladies" and talks about how all of them look good to him and make him realize that he doesn't want to be free (meaning he doesn't want to be single).
The second verse talks about how real men love real women and that's alright with him. He pays tribute to his women again and mentions that they make him feel good. He also talks about his misery, which could refer to the difficulties and struggles of being a man and taking care of his family. However, he is also proud to be the father of daughters, which is evident from the line "In my misery I am the father of daughters".
The final verse is an ode to the singer's woman and daughter who keep coming back to him despite all the craziness they put him through. The repetition of the line "My ladies run me crazy" throughout the song shows how the singer is acknowledging the challenges of being with multiple women and raising a daughter, but also celebrates the love and bond that he shares with them.
Overall, the song is a celebration of the various women in the singer's life, their beauty, and their strength. It talks about the ups and downs of relationships and the struggles of being a man, but also emphasizes on the love and support that women bring to a man's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I think it's about time that I spoke on my ladies
It's time for me to talk about the important women in my life
My woman and my baby girl yeah
My partner and my daughter are the two most important women in my life
My ladies, my woman yeah girl
The women in my life are my ladies and my partner, including my daughter who is still a girl
Sweet lady, sweet lady
The women in my life are sweet and special to me
Sweet lady these ladies drive me crazy
As much as I love and appreciate them, the women in my life can sometimes make me crazy
My woman and ladies, they run me crazy
My partner and the other women in my life can be overwhelming at times
Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies
There are many women in my life who I care about
They all look good to me
I find all of the women in my life attractive
They make me realize I don't want to be free
The women in my life make me feel fulfilled and happy, and I don't want to be without them
Real men love real women and that's alright with me
I believe that true masculinity involves loving and respecting women for who they are
They makemy real manhood feel real good
Being with the women in my life makes me feel like a complete and confident man
And in my misery I am the father of daughters
Even when I'm feeling down, being the father of young girls gives me purpose and joy
Surrender my shes my whole world is my little girls
I give my all to the important women in my life, especially my daughters
Even though they run me crazy
Despite the challenges that come with having so many important women in my life, I still love and appreciate them deeply
My woman keeps on coming
My partner continues to be a constant presence in my life
Keep on coming a part of me
My partner is an integral part of who I am and who I aspire to be
My woman keeps coming everything to me
My partner is everything to me and I rely on her for so much
My ladies, my ladies they really run me crazy
The women in my life can be overwhelming at times
My woman, little child really drive me wild
My partner and my daughter can make me feel intensely emotional and passionate
I want to say it's a woman's world but I forgot about
Sometimes I feel like women hold all the power, but then I remember
And woman and girl I say my ladies run me crazy
All of the women in my life, including my partner and daughter, can be a lot to handle but I still love them
My ladies drive me crazy
At the end of the day, the women in my life are a source of both joy and frustration
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.