“Love Rollercoaster” was originally written and performed by Ohio Players in 1975. The story behind the song is that the band was traveling between shows in a twin engine plane when they flew through turbulent, stormy weather. The band's drummer, Jimmy “Diamond” Williams, was in the co-pilot seat when the plane hit an air pocket and dropped 400 feet (he saw the instruments). Someone on board said that they must really love their jobs because the flight was a “love rollercoaster.” Lead singer, Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, wrote a song around that phrase.
There is an urban legend surrounding the scream in the original recording. It has been said that while the tape was rolling a woman was murdered down the hall and her scream was captured. Another thought is that it was the sound of a woman falling from a roller coaster and her scream was recorded at another time and added to the song. The truth is keyboard player, Billy Beck, created the sound by doing an inhaling screech and the DJ made a joke about it sounding like a woman was murdered.
The Ohio Players version made it to #1 on the R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Ohio Players “Love Rollercoaster” 1975
Red Hot Chili Peppers covered “Love Rollercoaster” for the 1996
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Their version made it to #14 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs chart and #22 on the Mainstream Top 40.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Their version made it to #14 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs chart and #22 on the Mainstream Top 40.
Regardless of it's success Red Hot Chili Peppers have never played the song live.
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Love Rollercoaster” 1996
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