Sweet and Innocent - Donny Osmond (1972) 3/5/23

So I bet you've been trying to remember the name of Donny Osmond's first solo hit...

No? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

In 1971, MGM, the label that handled The Osmond Brothers, decided it was time to cash in on the "Donny Mania" sweeping the country...so they went looking for songs he record.

Oddly, the decided on an obscure Roy Orbison country flavored "B" side from 1958: "Sweet and Innocent."

"Well, you might say," That sort of fit young Donny's image," and you'd be right. However, Roy's version was a tender love story between two adults.

But for Donny, the song was completely rewritten, turning it into a rejection of a girl because she was TOO innocent.

While Roy's version was obviously too mature for 15 year old Donny, the new lyrics made him sound vaguely like a jerk.

But there was a bit of genius about it all. The song made Donny seem unapproachable to teens and 'tweens, and THAT only made them want him more. Music marketing (and psychology) at its best!

That's why the song went to #7 on the Hot 100, and sold well over a million copies in the US alone. Donny was on his way to solo superstardom.

And That's why "Sweet and Innocent" by Donny Osmond should be considered a "Great Song of 1971."

Donnie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfQCvUxZz10

Roy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lx3jBwhwPY