That Time Donny Osmond Destroyed an Electric Keyboard Trying to Sound Like Stevie Wonder

When you're world famous and your only friend is Bob Hope, sometimes disappearing into a record is the only way to stay sane.

In this edition of “WHAT’S IN YOUR TAPE DECK,” I talked to Donny Osmond, the singer and former teen idol who’s sold over 100 million freaking records during his five-decade career, including mega-hits like “Puppy Love,” “The Twelfth of Never,” and “Young Love.” He was one-half of the singing duo Donny and Marie, whose eponymous TV show was required viewing for every grandmother in the late ‘70s.

Eric Spitznagel: You were singing professionally at an age when most of us were still in preschool. Do you remember the first record that didn’t feel like homework, that you listened to just because it gave you pure, unadulterated joy?

Donny Osmond: I do, yeah. I did something kind of fun this morning before the interview. I looked at the Billboard Top 100 during the 1960s and kept going back to see when I stopped recognizing music. It’s kind of an interesting backdoor approach.