Paper Roses - Marie Osmond (1973) 12/21/22

Olive Osmond was the 8th of 9 Osmond children, and the only girl. Of course, we all know her by her middle name, Marie.

In 1973, when she was 14, she began performing with her brothers--although she was never an "official" member of the group.

As her brother Donny began his successful transition into "teen singing sensation," it wasn't long before the family's management team came up with the idea of turning Marie into the female version of "teen sensation," but instead of pop and rock, they steered her into country music--going for the "down-home country girl" vibe.

They succeeded. To this day, she's known as "a little bit country" to Donny's "a little bit rock & roll."

To kick-start Marie's solo career, they reached back to 1960 for a song by Miss Oklahoma 1958, brand ambassador for the Florida Citrus Commission (and later a controversial figure in LGBTQ history): Anita Bryant.

Anita's version reached #5 on the Hot #100, but Marie's version was marketed solely to country music stations with great success.

Before long, it reached the top of Billboard's Country Chart, making Marie (at 14) the youngest female soloist to score a #1 song on ANY Billboard Chart--a record she STILL holds today--believe it or not! (It also hit #1 on Canada's Country Chart.)

Note: Stevie Wonder holds the overall soloist record at age 12, with 1962's "Fingertips, Pt. 2."

Top 40 and Adult Contemporary stations certainly took notice of the name "Osmond" at the top of a chart that wasn't in their format, and decided to jump on Marie's bandwagon.

Smart move!

Before long, "Paper Roses" was also at the top of Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #5 on the Hot 100--coincidentally matching Anita Bryant's top position. In Canada, the song reached #3 AC and #12 Top 40.

Marie was off and running on a stellar career that she--and the rest of her family--could be proud of.

And she did it with a "Great Song of 1960" that she brought to greatness a second time in 1973: "Paper Roses:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PKq_rD4UNU

Anita Bryant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0phY9iHTrg