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.
Try a little tenderness
Ohio Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness
Oh man that
Un hunh
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never possess
No no no
But while she there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Yeah yeah yeah
And it makes it easier to bear
Oh she wont regret it
No no
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
Yeah yeah yeah
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
Damn that hart (hard?)
All you got to do is know how to love her
You've got to
Hold her
Squeeze her
Never leave her
Now get to her
Got got got to try a little tenderness
Yeah yeah
Lord have mercy now
All you got to do is take my advice
You've got to hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leave her
You've got to hold her
And never
So you got to try a little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
You've got to
Got to got to
You've gotta hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leaver her
You got
Got got got to
Now now now
Got got got to
Try a little tenderness
Ye
The Ohio Players' song "Try a Little Tenderness" is a plea to a man to be patient and kind to the woman he loves. The lyrics acknowledge that women (especially young women) may become weary, but that doesn't mean they've lost their ability to love deeply. The man is told that if he wants to keep this woman, he needs to try showing her a little tenderness. This means being empathetic to her struggles, speaking softly and gently to her, and simply being there for her when she needs support.
The lyrics suggest that love is not just about physical attraction or possession, but about being present and caring for each other through life's ups and downs. The song's title is, therefore, a metaphor for the kind of love that endures, no matter what. This message is reinforced by the soulful, powerful vocals of the lead singer, which imbue the lyrics with a sense of deep emotion and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh she may be weary
She might be tired and worn out
Them young girls they do get wearied
Young girls also get tired and worn out, especially from constantly wearing revealing clothes
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
The miniskirt dress is a symbol of youth and sex appeal, but can become tiresome and repetitive
But when she gets weary
When she is tired and needs comfort
You try a little tenderness
Show her a little love and care
Oh man that
Expressing agreement or acknowledgement
Un hunh
A sound of agreement or affirmation
I know shes waiting
She is waiting and hoping for affection
Just anticipating
Looking forward to receiving love and attention
The thing that you'll never never possess
The thing she wants cannot be bought or possessed, but is a genuine feeling of love and tenderness
No no no
Strongly expressing disagreement or denial
But while she there waiting
But while she patiently waits for love
Try just a little bit of tenderness
Show her a little love and kindness
That's all you got to do
It's as simple as showing a little tenderness
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
Showing tenderness may seem old-fashioned or cheesy
But she has her greavs and care
She may have troubles and worries that make it hard for her to feel loved
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Kind and gentle words can soften her heart and make her more receptive to love
Yeah yeah yeah
Expressing enthusiasm or agreement
And it makes it easier to bear
Love and tenderness can make her problems easier to cope with
Oh she wont regret it
She won't regret accepting love and tenderness
Them young girls they don't forget it
Young girls appreciate and remember love and tenderness
Love is their whole happiness
Love is the key to their happiness
But its all so easy
Love and tenderness are simple things to give
All you got to do is try
Just make an effort to show love and tenderness
Damn that hart (hard?)
Expressing frustration or annoyance
All you got to do is know how to love her
You just need to understand how to show her love
You've got to
You must
Hold her
Embrace her and make her feel safe and loved
Squeeze her
Gently hold her close
Never leave her
Stick with her through thick and thin and never abandon her
Now get to her
Go to her and show her love
Try a little tenderness
Again, show her love and tenderness
Yeah yeah
Expressing enthusiasm or agreement
Lord have mercy now
Expressing reverence or awe
All you got to do is take my advice
If you follow my advice
Don't squeeze her
Don't be too forceful or aggressive
A little tenderness
Just a small amount of love and gentleness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROLE BAYER SAGER, DAVID W. FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind