The Real and Invented Dramas That Made “Love Rollercoaster” Ohio Players’ Most Enduring Hit

Other funk artists have had more staying power, but few had a peak period that rivaled that of Ohio Players. During a 16-month stretch in the mid-1970s, the band released three Platinum-certified albums, which collectively spawned a series of Top-40 and R&B chart hits. Towards the end of this run, Ohio Players topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Love Rollercoaster.”

Like on a real rollercoaster, you can only go down after reaching the peak, and Ohio Players’ fortunes would only decline after “Love Rollercoaster.” The song’s singable refrain and unstoppable groove helped to extend their period of chart dominance. Controversy surrounding “Love Rollercoaster” may have also played a role in creating one more big hit for Ohio Players before they would begin to fade from the charts.

Inspired by A Bumpy Ride

“Love Rollercoaster” may be five solid minutes of funky fun, but the song’s inspiration was anything but that. Ohio Players were flying to one of their shows, and the plane encountered some stormy weather. The flight was so bumpy that, upon deplaning, one passenger said the band would have to really love their work to endure a flight like that to get to a show, likening the trip to a “love rollercoaster.” The phrase stuck with Ohio Players’ vocalist and guitarist Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner. He would subsequently write lyrics that played off the concept of a “love rollercoaster.”

Boosted by Urban Legends

“Love Rollercoaster” was released as the second single from Honey, and in keeping with Ohio Players’ previous five albums, it featured risque cover art. Specifically, the cover for Honey shows model Ester Cordet posing nude with a glowing jar of honey in one hand and a ladle with dripping honey in the other hand. A series of urban legends spread around a possible connection between the photo shoot for the cover of Honey and a high-pitched screech about two-and-a-half minutes into the song. One version asserts Cordet got hot honey on her skin during the shoot, and she screamed as she tore skin off her legs trying to get up from the floor. Another version takes the story one gruesome step further, with the band’s manager murdering Cordet in the studio after she threatened to sue for damages resulting from the photo shoot.

In reality, the scream was emitted by a jubilant Billy Beck while recording his keyboard parts for the song. Nonetheless, the myths spread, and it may have been partially responsible for “Love Rollercoaster’s” 12-week climb to No. 1. Drummer James “Diamond” Williams believes the story was first told by a DJ at a Berkeley, California, radio station. In a 2003 interview, Williams said, “He had a little jive thing he was saying on the radio where you call in if you know where someone was getting stabbed in the song.” Controversy around “Love Rollercoaster” persisted, and the band—understanding that it would help bring attention to the song—neither confirmed nor dispelled the rumors.

“Love Rollercoaster’s” Never-Ending Ride

“Love Rollercoaster” became the second of Ohio Players’ two No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, and it was also the fourth of their five No. 1 songs on Billboard’s R&B chart. The song not only represented the final period of Ohio Players’ brief chart dominance but also one of the last moments disco wasn’t monopolizing the top spots of the Hot 100 in the latter half of the ‘70s. “Love Rollercoaster” was knocked out of the top spot by Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” but that song was followed by a string of disco hits, including Rhythm Heritage’s “Theme from S.W.A.T.,” The Miracles’ “Love Machine,” The Four Seasons’ “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” and Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady.”

While Ohio Players largely faded from the charts once “Love Rollercoaster” had its run, it has managed to find a lasting place in pop culture. It is Ohio Players’ most popular song on Spotify with more than 64 million streams. The song was also covered by Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1995 for the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack. The remake went to No. 22 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart and No. 14 on their Alternative Airplay chart. Digable Planets sampled “Love Rollercoaster” on their 1994 single “9th Wonder (Blackitolism),” and Salt-N-Pepa sampled it for “Champagne” from the soundtrack for the 1996 film Bulletproof.

It’s possible a manufactured controversy helped to launch “Love Rollercoaster” to the top of the charts, but it has maintained its presence in pop culture on the strength of its own merits. Decades after its release, “Love Rollercoaster” has continued to find its way into movies, TV series, video games, and advertisements. The Ohio Players may have come down from their mid-’70s crest, but the cultural reach of “Love Rollercoaster” just keeps climbing.

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