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.
Over The Rainbow
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
The Ohio Players' version of "Over the Rainbow" is a soulful, moving rendition of the classic song from The Wizard of Oz. The lyrics describe the singer's longing for a better life, a place where dreams come true and troubles fade away. The imagery of the rainbow and the blue skies above it creates a utopian image that represents a place of hope and possibility. Throughout the song, the singer is seeking this place, wishing upon a star to take them there, and expressing their sadness that they cannot reach it.
The line "Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly" is particularly poignant, as it shows that there are creatures who are already living in this perfect world, but the singer is unable to reach it themselves. However, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the repeated question "why, oh why can't I?" suggesting that there is still a possibility that the singer will someday find this place.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
Above us, there could be a place beyond our imagination where everything is perfect.
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
A place mentioned in old stories and songs, where everything is happy and peaceful.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
In that perfect place, there could be only good things.
And the dreams that you dare to dream, Really do come true.
If you envision your future self and your dreams, they may actually come true in the perfect place.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
One day I will ask the universe for guidance towards my dream world.
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
I will wake up in my perfect world, leaving my old life behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, High above the chimney tops, That's where you'll find me.
A place of good things where worries dissolve away like froth, a place high above everything representing an elevated state of mind you may find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
In the skies of this dream world, even birds represent happiness.
Birds fly over the rainbow
Emphasizes the idea that there are good things beyond our grasp!
Why then, oh why can't I?
Why can't we reach this better place as easily as the birds?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
If the happy creatures can achieve the dream world
Why, oh why can't I?
Why am I unable to do the same as they do?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nathan Brooken
This is nice, wow there's nothing by these guys I don't like. The greatest group of all time.
Invisible Sun
Always loved this version. Did you know this is the version they played at Judy Garland's funeral? Truly soulful.
Chuck Spencer
This is a fantastic rendition of the song. So very well done.
Reinaldo Green
have not heard this since it came out in the late 60's. loved this version.
Greg C
Amazing version
Jordan Rios
Underrated version
Ruben Stevens
This is without a doubt the better version. Your disbelief is unwarranted.
Jack Atkinson
@Jay Taylor
I was being sarcastic, Jay....But I do think this version is pretty damn good. It seems like everybody who does this a rendition of "Rainbow" tries to sing it EXACTLY like Judy did or at least in the same style. It's just refreshing to me that The Ohio Players went their own way with it. Respect.
Jay Taylor
You really consider this better than the movie version? Unbelievable.
Jack Atkinson
BEST EVER!!! Eat Your Heart Out, Judy Garland!