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 Life
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To love my woman, to be my woman
My life, it's so complete I feel so free
To be with my woman, she's my woman
My life, my life, sure you want my life, girl
You can take it
My life, my life, sure you want my love, girl
(You can make it)
My life, my life, I love you
I love you, I love you
You, you, you, you, you, you
You, you, you, you
If you deceive me
Say it's alright, go ahead and leave me
Say it's alright
I don't know where I came from
I can't even know where I'm goin'
If it wasn't for my woman
I would be so lonely
For my woman is my life
She is my freedom and my strife
Love is forever but life is gone
People only live for so long
My life, my life
I can't let you get away
Don't tell him
Tell him, no, no
My life, my life
If you deceive me
Go ahead and leave me
Say it's alright, sat it's alright
My life, my life, that's all I got child
That's all I got Amen, all I can stand
My life, my life, Amen, Amen, Amen
Don't nobody change
Everybody stay the same
All through the time
Never try to change my mind
Amen, Amen, Amen
Life, ugh, it's my life, life uhh, huh
I do what I wanna do it's my life
I wanna share it with you love, love
It's my life
The Ohio Players' song "My Life" is a love ballad that expresses the profound love that the singer has for his woman. The opening lines of "My life, it's so unusual it seems, to love my woman, to be my woman" suggest that the love that the singer has for his woman is so unique that it seems unusual. He feels free and complete when he is with her, and he declares that his woman is his life, freedom, and strife. The tone of the song is passionate and romantic in nature, and the singer expresses his love with lyrics like "I love you, I love you, I love you." The song emphasizes the importance of having someone in our lives and the impact that the love of another person can have on our lives. The lyrics also suggest that life is short, and love is forever, and in the end, it's the love that matters the most.
The refrain "My life, my life" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the title of the song and the significance of the message. The lyrics "If you deceive me, it's alright, go ahead and leave me, say it's alright" suggest that the singer is willing to forgive and forget any betrayal from his woman as long as she continues to be a part of his life. This line suggests that the love that the singer has for his woman is unconditional and that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her in his life.
Overall, "My Life" is a heartfelt love song that embodies the essence of love, loyalty, and devotion. It celebrates the impact that love can have on our lives, and the singer's devotion to his woman is a testament to the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
My life, it's so unusual it seems
I feel like my life is different from others'
To love my woman, to be my woman
I feel complete and free when I am with my woman
My life, it's so complete I feel so free
Being with my woman makes me feel content and liberated
To be with my woman, she's my woman
I belong with my woman, and she belongs with me
My life, my life, sure you want my life, girl
Are you sure you want my unique life?
You can take it
If you want it, you can have it
My life, my life, sure you want my love, girl
Are you sure you want the depth of my love?
You can make it
If you try, you can handle my love
I love you, I love you
I cannot express enough how much I love you
My life, my life, I love you
My life revolves around my love for you
You, you, you, you, you, you
You are the only one I see in my life
If you deceive me
If you betray me
Say it's alright, go ahead and leave me
It's fine if you want to leave me after deceiving me
I don't know where I came from
I don't know my origins
I can't even know where I'm goin'
I don't know what my future holds
If it wasn't for my woman
Without my woman
I would be so lonely
I would be alone and sad
For my woman is my life
My woman is everything to me
She is my freedom and my strife
My woman brings both joy and struggle to my life
Love is forever but life is gone
Love endures longer than life itself
People only live for so long
Humans have a limited time on earth
My life, my life
All I have is my life
I can't let you get away
I can't lose you
Don't tell him
Don't disclose our secret to anyone
If you deceive me
If you betray me
Say it's alright, say it's alright
It's fine if you want to leave me after deceiving me
That's all I got child
What I have is all I need
That's all I can stand
I can only handle so much
Don't nobody change
Let nobody change
Everybody stay the same
Let everyone remain who they are
Never try to change my mind
Don't even attempt to change my way of thinking
Life ugh, it's my life, life uhh, huh
My life may not be pretty, but it's still my life
I do what I wanna do it's my life
I am the master of my destiny
I wanna share it with you love, love
I want to share my life with you because I love you
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BIANCA DIEANDRA ATTERBERRY, DEAN BERESFORD, ERVIN WARD, KIMBERLY MICHELLE PATE, ROBERT WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kofi Vieira
In this song....this is where the harmonies actually touch your soul!!!!!....oh gosh
Maurice Dudley
This sound opens a Spirit in me that is unmeasurable.All the wonderful times growing up with it as my sound during hard times.Thank you very much!!!!
King El III
You talking about putting together a soulful groove, I was just a kid when this came out but loved it. Those vocals and harmonies stopped me in my tracks then as it still does today. Can I get a O-H-I-O! for the funk.
ERIC ROBINSON
The Ohio Players had such funky harmonies. Love this track!
Erick H
Been loving this song since the 1st time I heard it in 76 its got that down south feel to it honourable mention to Far East Mississippi that's another one with that down South Feel
henry clemons
love this song at the time i lived this life
spectre56j
Loved this since it came out! Still have a copy on reel to reel!
Neosoulgroovydude
spectre56j how old are u to say reel to reel? My dad bought 2.
Neosoulgroovydude
spectre56j how old are u to say reel to reel? My dad bought 2.
Frederick Allen
love it