MetaChat - You are Donny Osmond's biggest fan

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23 October 2007

You are Donny Osmond's biggest fan a few, many, several years ago there was a song→[More:]
that was played on the radio and the DJs would just say it was by a "Surprise Artist". Then after a few weeks and the song was becoming popular they told everyone that it was the new song by Donny Osmond. "They" were hiding his identity so as not to sway opinion based on his prior teenybopper image.

Searching has failed me. Does anyone else remember this, and if you do, what was the name of the song please?

post by: getoffmylawn at: 17:07 | 18 comments

Sacred Emotion?

slinks away

posted by desjardins 23 October | 17:16

and is it just me or does that video have a homoerotic vibe to it?

posted by desjardins 23 October | 17:18

Sounds like 1989's "Soldier of Love", which I actually kinda liked and currently possess. How nerdy is that? (Here, have one)

Of course, Donny's performance in the Weird Al "White and Nerdy" video was CLASSIC and he didn't faint after he was through dancing!

posted by wendell 23 October | 17:25

desjardins: YT is blocked at work and I wouldn't know if it was the right song from the video anyway, because I just never knew which song it was, but it was a big deal because no radio DJs would say who the artist was for several (days?) weeks.

Wendell: Weird Al picked Donny because he was the "whitest guy he knew" and quit picking on Marie ;)

posted by getoffmylawn 23 October | 17:33

"SoL" was released before "SE" and was his first US charted recording in ten years, and if you believe Wikipedia, " The song was originally released with no one being given credit for singing it."

posted by wendell 23 October | 17:35

It was definitely SoL.

By now US radio stations refused to play Donny Osmond records so Donny and his manager decided to release his next single, Soldier Of Love as a white label only release. Its George Michael-ish, synth based, funk beats proved a hit with listeners who bombarded radio stations demanding to know the identity of the artist. The tune returned Donny to the charts and a career high.

posted by iconomy 23 October | 17:45

I should have just typed: Paging Iconomy. Paging Iconomy to Metachat. Paging Iconomy to Metachat.

And Wendell, gee thanks.

Isn't there a song by ELO called Wendell Gee?

posted by getoffmylawn 23 October | 17:55

Mrs. Doohickie is the ultimate authority on all things Donnie and confirms that it is Soldier of Love.

posted by Doohickie 23 October | 18:24

I almost posted the video of Marie Osmand fainting on "Dancing with the Stars", just because it's funny (funny, of course, because she was fine afterwards; fainting where someone is then deathly ill is less funny).

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 October | 18:30

Wendell Gee is by REM, not ELO.

posted by matildaben 23 October | 18:53

From his official website:

But, by 1989, getting a single by Donny Osmond played on pop music stations was no simple task. So a campaign was dreamed up - possibly by some publicist - wherein radio stations would play Soldier of Love, but wouldn't say who the artist was. Then, once demand for the single was high, certain markets would fly Osmond in and introduce him as the mystery artist of Soldier of Love.

slinks away again

posted by desjardins 23 October | 19:46

If you can't tell the difference between ELO and REM, maybe you shouldn't be bothering yourself with this 'pop music' stuff at all.

And there was also the misspelled title "Mr. Wendal" by the hip hop group Arrested Development (and NOT by the cast of the sitcom, although they would've made a killer version).

And I am not ashamed to admit having enjoyed the music of Donny Osmond at least a couple times in my life, unlike some people. Be warned the next time I do a radio show.

posted by wendell 23 October | 21:16

Not sure about this one, but Hanson recently got the same treatment on "Chicago's real alternative" station Q101. They played a song of the no-longer-boys band for about three weeks before they revealed who it was.

I haven't heard the song since.

posted by me3dia 23 October | 22:19

Wow... I saw Marie take a spill in concert! Right in front of me (she was strolling thru the audience). I handed her mic back to her.

(She had red and white polka-dot panties on... NO LIE!)

posted by Doohickie 23 October | 22:30

Interesting, me3dia- I hadn't heard about that. Too bad, really- their latest album is quite good. But all anybody hears is "Hanson" and they cover their ears.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 October | 22:46

Yes, it was Soldier of Love. I saw him interviewed on the BBC a couple of weeks ago where he spoke about it.

Ah ... Donny. What a babe, he's even more gorgeous now he's nearly 50 than he was at 15.

posted by essexjan 24 October | 06:51

How'd I confuse the diary of horace wimp with wendell gee? Rem... Elo, it's all initials...

That might make for an interesting post - name all of the bands that are known by their initials.

Yeah, I hate pop music, I was asking for a vox neighbor I was having a conversation with yesterday, not because I care about pop music.

posted by getoffmylawn 24 October | 16:05

Or perhaps some kind of game. ABC. BTO. CCR. DMB. ELO. FIF. Etc.

posted by box 24 October | 16:17

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