Behind the Teeth: Know Your Osmond (page 2)

OODLES OF OSMONDS

God knows I can’t get enough of the Osmond Brothers.  However, what’s an article about the Osmonds without a bit of Osmond music!  Lets watch the Osmonds doing what they do best, courtesy of www.youtube.com.  These clips help chronicle Osmond history.  Let’s take a look at all the Osmonds sing their biggest hits from the days on Andy Williams right up to today!

Andy Williams and the Osmond Brothers sing “Hello Dolly” – An example of the original Osmond Brothers – Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay – showcasing their barbershop harmonies with Andy Williams in 1964.

Let the Reason Be Love – Possibly my favorite Osmond performance.  Merrill Osmond completely has it going on.  No other performance shows just how smooth these guys were.   Also a good sense of what Osmondmania was all about.  I included this twice because I just can’t get enough of this song!  Possibly my very favorite of the Osmonds hits.

Crazy Horses – Jay Osmond steps up to the microphone and shows just how hard core the Osmonds can get.  Holy Crap!  Look how pimped out those dudes look!  You almost think your watching a Led Zeppelin performance!  WOW!

One Bad Apple – Yes, those suites were made by the Elvis’ fashion designer.  No.  Seriously.  They were. I’m not just making a sarcastic remark.  However, how did ANYBODY ever think those jumpsuits looked cool?  Doesn’t matter because the song is cool!  One Bad Apple was the Osmonds first big hit!

Yo Yo – The Osmonds perform on the Flip Wilson Show.  This performance is so
high energy that you gotta wonder if they were lip syncing.  I don’t know
how you can sing and dance like that without seriously
hyperventilating.

I Believe - An early attempt at a music video featuring the popular gospel song “I Believe” which the Osmonds often featured in their act.  I think you’ll agree that it’s a pretty good early music video.  I mean, have you ever seen Kiki Dee and Elton John’s video for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart?”  Yikes!

Puppy Love - Now how could I even think about featuring a video section for the Osmonds and not include Donny’s classic teenage lament?  Not a favorite of mine at all, but then again I’ve never much liked Paul Anka that much.  Anyways, this is
the song that made Donny famous and skyrocketed the Osmond franchise to soaring
heights.

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Paper Roses - Marie Osmond proving that she’s a little bit country in 1973.  Paper
Roses was Marie’s biggest solo hit, and at the time that it hit, Marie was the
youngest artist ever to hit #1 on the Billboard country music charts.

Long Haired Lover From Liverpool - Jimmy Osmond’s biggest hit. Although it was only a novelty record in North America it because a HUGE hit in Japan.  One of those songs that either you love or hate.  Apparently, it is not a favorite of Jimmy’s.

The Umbrella Song - Now I’ll be honest.  I’m not a big fan of Donny and Marie as a duo. Not so much for their talent as much as the songs they recorded.  However, with that said I’m a real sap for “the Umbrella Song.” Super cheesy but this song always gets to me.  Imaginative use of dark and lights in this video, and features the famous “Marie haircut.”

The Osmonds Animated Opening Theme – From Rankin Bass, the people who bring you all those great holiday specials, attempted to recreate their success of the Jackson Five cartoon by sending the animated Osmonds around the world in a psychedelic jet.  The Osmond brothers provided their own voices in this short lived animated program.  Donny Osmond holds the rights to this cartoon and hopefully one day we’ll finally see it on DVD.

Cher and the Osmond Brothers sing Stevie Wonder - Observations: First -  what the hell is up with those outfits?  They make the Elvis jumpsuits look good.  Second – Proves, once again, that Mormon’s can actually groove.  Third – as much as I love Cher, Stevie Wonder and the Osmonds this performance kinda sucks.

Donny and Marie and Sonny and Cher sing “Silly Love Songs” – One of my favorite Donny and Marie moments proves that the Osmonds are better with Sonny along for the ride than with just Cher.  Donny and Marie compare their variety show to Sonny and Cher’s in this classic pairing.  Now if only the Captain and Tennille could have gotten into this act!

Donny and Tom Jones Sings “The Girl From New York City” – Two of the
1970′s biggest studs tackle the classic Martha and the Vandalias hit on Tom Jones Variety Show.

Donny and Marie sell Hawaiian Punch – In the 80s Donny and Marie encouraged us to “Go Hawaiian” as they sold the popular soft drink!  Classic 1980s kitsch!

A FEW FINAL OSMOND THOUGHTS

The Osmond Family circa 2000: (Top row, left to right) Merill, Virl, Tom and Wayne. (Middle Row, left to right) Alan, Olive, Marie, George and Jay. (Seated) Donny and Jimmy.

Before we leave the Osmond family behind, I just want to share a few final things. First, I encourage all of you who want more information on the Osmond family to visit http://www.osmond.com/ for all the information you’ll ever want on this fantastic family of entertainers. I got most of the information for this article from the site, and there was so much more stuff that I didn’t have the time or room to include. The site is huge! Each member of the family has their own personal section, as well as their own charities that they sponsor. I also feel that it wouldn’t be fair doing an article on the Osmonds and not mention that they are all very devout members of the Mormon faith and, if you wish, you can read about their faith on the site as well.

I’d also like to recommend the 2001 TV movie “Inside the Osmonds” Yeah, yeah. I know. TV movies usually stink, but you’ll be surprised just how good this film is. It was produced by Jimmy Osmond and is a fascinating and honest look at the rise and fall of the Osmond family in the 1970s which looks at the jealousy, sibling rivalry and hardships that the family often faced. It also puts concentration on all the brothers and not just Donny and Marie. Most extraordinary was that, at the end of the film, the real life Osmonds, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy, reunited for the first time in decades to perform “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” for the touching finale. It’s available on DVD in the UK but is often shown on music stations in North America. It is really worth watching.

Finally, while writing this article I couldn’t help but keep my Uncle Dale Fryer close to my mind and my heart. Dale was swept up in Osmondmania in the 1970′s and has never looked back. He’s stuck with the entire family through thick and thin for over three decades and no other entertainers have been able to eclipse them in his mind. So, I guess I’m dedicating this one to Uncle Dale – the biggest Osmond fan in the world.