And they called it Puppy Love

I admit it straight-out.  I love the Osmonds.  I sometimes feel I can trace my life alongside theirs…  

Puppy Love…
And they called it Puppy Love.  Every teen-age girl finds a popular singer or actor to pine after, and Donny Osmond was certainly mine for a number of years.  Gorgeous, funny, talented – perfect dreamboat material.  Yeah, I had his posters on my wall, and I bought most of his albums (even Disco Train!).  I read Tiger Beat and watched all his TV appearances.  I thought he was so much like me – big family, kind-of straight-laced, looking for love.  At some point though, I learned that Donny would only marry another Mormon, so I had to move on with my life.  Sigh.

We’re Having a Party….
When I was a teenager, Daddy got us tickets to see the Osmonds at the Allentown Fair.  We were in the bleacher seats way up in the back, but the music and lights and palpable excitement was just electrifying.  The songs and the harmonies were amazing and the stage show was wild (to my young eyes) – multicolored lights, dancing, video, Jay’s wild drum solos, Donny’s turn on the piano.  First the Brothers delivered a string of their hits, then Donny took a solo turn, then Marie joined him for some duets and delivered a few solos of her own.  Constant shape-shifting and mood changes.  The funny banter on stage and with the audience made you feel like you were getting to know the Osmonds more personally.  (I learned much later that the banter was usually staged.)  And the costumes!  I actually have a record of every costume change in my notes on those childhood concerts.  They were magical shows.

She’s a Little Bit Country, He’s a Little Bit Rock and Roll…
Later, of course, Donny and Marie hosted a variety show that was appointment television for me every Friday night in high school and college.  While some of the skits seemed a bit lame, I tuned in to hear them sing and to see how they played off of their fabulous guests.  It was really odd seeing two people your age achieve a four-year run with a variety show that attracted a who’s who of guest stars.  I remember wishing I had that kind of talent, and dreaming what it might be like to have a life on stage and on the road.

This is the Moment…
I’ve kind-of kept tabs on the family as if it were an extended branch of my own.  Donny starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a number of years – I saw it in Chicago and hearing him perform Close Every Door to Me was absolutely worth the price of admission.  He later made a big radio “comeback,” and I got to see the Soldier of Love tour (I’ll never forget when Daddy surprised me by getting tickets to his show at the old Music Fair in Valley Forge), the Broadway music tour, and the Breeze on By tour among other shows.  And, just as an aside, know that I don’t generally embarrass my companions by being all teenage-girlish again like some in the audience (ask Jolie to confirm)!  But I tell you, the guy knows how to put on a show, and can more than carry a tune!

He Aint Heavy; He’s My Brother…
The brothers kept performing, too, and last year got together for one last blow-out tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary in show business.  The show didn’t tour the States, so I didn’t see it, but I have a CD of it and boy, does it bring back memories!  Remember when we used to sing Osmond tunes during car rides (along with the Partridge Family and the Monkees)?  Well, the Osmonds still have that magic!  Putting that CD in the car radio and opening the sunroof is a gorgeous way to travel both down the road and back through time.

Climb Every Mountain…
As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen Marie blossom into a confident, talented woman with many roles: singer, Broadway actor, doll maker extraordinaire, enthusiastic crafter, talk show host, businesswoman, philanthropist, daughter, sister, mom.  She’s the same age I am and I applaud and admire her positive attitude, sense of humor, love of learning, willingness to take risks, open spirituality, and passionate love of family.  Having read her first two memoirs, I know she’s taken some hard knocks in life, but like me, she doesn’t let it get her down – at least not for too long. There’s an ice-breaker question that asks what well-known person would you most like to have lunch with, and Marie Osmond would get my invitation.

I can’t tell my stories without including my favorite band.  So here’s a shout-out to the Osmonds, using my favorite Donny Osmond tune from way back when..
“I’ll love you till the poets run out of rhyme.  Until the Twelfth of Never, and that’s a long, long, time.”