(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Ohio Players - "Love Rollercoaster"
Hit Number 1: January 31, 1976
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
If you know anything about "Love Rollercoaster," there's one thing that always comes to mind before anything else. Yep, I'm going to talk about this crazy urban legend that has been tied with the song as long as it has existed. In the instrumental break in the song, we hear a bunch of the Ohio Players' improvising with some "woohs" and "wooows." Well, that's not the only thing we hear. We also hear a distant-sounding scream, that truly does sound like some girl in distress. Of course, that's not actually what was going on, cause in reality it was one of the Ohio Players doing a weird screech noise, trying to imitate what Minnie Riperton did on her song "Lovin' You." The legends include a rabbit being killed outside the studio, actual audio of a girl falling from a rollercoaster to her death, and the most commonly believed one, the girl from the Honey album cover burning herself with the honey and storming into the studio to threaten to sue the band's manager before being stabbed to death by the manager while the Ohio Players were recording the song. Anyone with a brain would know that none of these theories were even possible, let alone them actually happening. They're all a little comical in their own ways they're so ridiculous. But I guess it at least adds a little bit of interest to the song. (Also, I'm going to add that the model on the Honey album cover is Ester Cordet, a Playboy model. She's still alive today at the age of 75, so she didn't burn herself on honey and subsequently get stabbed)
Well, now that that little fun story is out of the way, let's start talking about the actual song. "Love Rollercoaster" was supposed to be a follow up single after the band's first #1 hit, "Fire," which hit #1 in 1975. The Ohio Players' music is definitely funk-inspired, with little hints of disco here and there. That's pretty similar to what other bands were doing around 1975-1976, but what was different about the Ohio Players' music is that they seemed rather aimless in writing their music. Like all they did was come up with grooves and fill in lyrics to accompany them, with some of the lyrics hardly making any sense. The idea of a "love rollercoaster" came from a flight the band was on while going through stormy, turbulent weather. Reportedly, the plane dropped about 400 feet. One of the people on the plane flight commented on how the band must love their jobs, cause the plane flight was like a "love rollercoaster." This inspired the band's leader, Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, to write a song called "Love Rollercoaster." The lyrics, of course, don't make a whole lot of sense, but you are able to gather that the song is supposed to be about how loving someone is like a "love rollercoaster." Or at least something like that.
Personally, I think I like "Love Rollercoaster" more than the Ohio Players' first #1 hit, "Fire." "Fire" was a decent song, but it was all over the place. It was impossible for me to even form an opinion on the song because of how much it changed throughout. (I'm not sure that makes much sense, but that's the best way I can describe it) However, "Love Rollercoaster" grooves a lot harder, and the band members stack their voices on top of each other in a very mesmerizing way. Sugarfoot Bonner (I'd really love to know how he acquired that nickname) doesn't add much himself, just throwing in some ad-libbing behind the "roller coaster of looove" that the other members are doing. He doesn't have to do much though. That chorus comes and takes the song to a different level. The "girl your love is like a roller coaster baby" is another one of those maddening earworms that you can't get out of your head. Again, it sounds so simple, but the production is so complex that it makes the song rather fascinating. Urban legend or not, "Love Rollercoaster" is one of those songs that are so weirdly entertaining that you kinda have to listen to the whole thing. I know the first few times I heard this song several years back, I was intrigued by it. But I also thought it was a lot of fun.
You're rewarded for listening to the whole song in the end. The trumpets are what stands out here, and the band members keep doing their "girl your love is like" along with Bonner's ad-libs. That part is like one big whirlwind of funkadelic storm that carries the listener away. There's so many moving parts to that part of the song, and it's actually impressive that the Ohio Players were able to pull that off. Really, it's impressive they were able to pull any of this off. I can see many bands failing miserably at trying to create something like "Love Rollercoaster," but the Ohio Players make all of this work. It's one of those songs that are so weirdly addicting that I can't help but appreciate it.
Bonner actually didn't care for the song that much, even though he was the main writer of it. He also thought it was nonsensical and not one of his best works, but he was cool with it because it became a hit, and maybe the band's biggest hit they ever had. There are two things I'd love to know though: the origination of the "Sugarfoot" nickname and what he personally thought of these ridiculous conspiracy theories related to his song. He died in 2013 of cancer, so maybe I'll never know (which sucks deeply) but at least he gave us "Love Rollercoaster" to begin with.
GRADE: 8/10
IN POP CULTURE:
I seem to recall a scene from one of the Final Destination movies where two girls fry to death in tanning beds while listening to "Love Rollercoaster." I bet that clip is on YouTube, but I'm not going to put that here. (Cause why the fuck would I do that? Final Destination sucks anyway) So instead, here's a cover that the Red Hot Chili Peppers did of the song, and their music video includes some Beavis & Butthead clips, so right there it was worth sharing this. Here's their official music video of their cover:
(The Red Hot Chili Peppers' highest-charting single was "Under the Bridge," which peaked at #2 in 1992. It's a 9)
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