Too
Young
1972
Donny
Osmond
Donny Osmond's next single stayed with the theme of
teens being told they're too young to be in love, and this time Mike
Curb and MGM went back two decades and really chose a classic for him
to cover. The original 'Too Young' was released by the
legendary, absolutely incomparable Nat King Cole, and he and that
still-much-loved velvet voice of his took it to #1 on the Billboard
Magazine charts in 1952, making it a million seller while he was at
it. It was the theme song of teenage couples all over the US, and
it's pretty amazing how many of those teenage couples of 1952 stayed together
to celebrate their 50th and 60th wedding
anniversaries with-in the last few years.
Mike Curb was hoping that MGM and Donny could repeat
that success...but again they were covering Nat King Cole. Saying that Donny Osmond could, possibly, match Nat King Cole's a little like saying your neighborhood hot-rodder could, possibly, out-drive Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Still, Donny
did a pretty good job with it. They stayed true to the lyrics and
melody, but changed up the backing musicians, adding some trumpets
and trombone to the mix, as well as throwing in some pretty kickin' drums. The young girls ate it up, but the tune didn't match Nat King Cole's
chart performance, or even come close.
'Too Young' did make it into the Top 20, though, peaking at #13. It debuted on The Billboard Hot 100 on 6-10-72 and spent the next five weeks chart-climbing, to peak at #13 on 7-15-72. It hang on to #13 for two weeks, then drop off the chart two weeks later, on August 5th, 1972, for a nine week chart run.
'Too Young' did make it into the Top 20, though, peaking at #13. It debuted on The Billboard Hot 100 on 6-10-72 and spent the next five weeks chart-climbing, to peak at #13 on 7-15-72. It hang on to #13 for two weeks, then drop off the chart two weeks later, on August 5th, 1972, for a nine week chart run.
Young couples still embraced it...but we're
talking really young, as Donny's music was aimed squarely at what's now known as 'tweens', and they loved the song...just not
as much as they loved his earlier work. 'Too Young' is probably best
known for being sung to Eve Plumb...best known as Jan from The Brady
Bunch...by Donny when they both guest starred on the incomparable Lucille Ball's third hit sitcom 'Here's Lucy'. Eve played Lucy's niece and Donny was himself in the episode, which was entitled 'Lucy and Donny Osmond', and
aired originally on November 20th, 1972.
This one's dropped all but out of sight as far as the Oldies Stations are concerned, and I hadn't heard it in years when I went a-huntin' for it on YouTube. You're actually far more likely to see it on TVLand or MeTV before you'll hear it on an Oldies station...providing, of course, that they show that 'Here's Lucy' ep .
Still, it'd be nice to think that just a couple of the couples who heard it while holding hands as one of their parent drove them to a movie back in that long ago summer of '72, to be told something like '...OK...move apart...you two are too young to be serious...'
...hung on, got married, and will hang on to celebrate their own 50th anniversary.
SO Enjoy...Too Young by Donny Osmond.
And as a bonus, the meeting of two early Seventies teen idols, with an entertainment legend thrown in for good measure...Donny sings 'Too Young' to Eve Plumb on 'Here's Lucy'...starring the incomparable Lucille Ball...on November 20th, 1972. Take a look at Eve's face, BTW...I have a sneakin' suspicion that she wasn't acting when Donny was singing to her!
This one's dropped all but out of sight as far as the Oldies Stations are concerned, and I hadn't heard it in years when I went a-huntin' for it on YouTube. You're actually far more likely to see it on TVLand or MeTV before you'll hear it on an Oldies station...providing, of course, that they show that 'Here's Lucy' ep .
Still, it'd be nice to think that just a couple of the couples who heard it while holding hands as one of their parent drove them to a movie back in that long ago summer of '72, to be told something like '...OK...move apart...you two are too young to be serious...'
...hung on, got married, and will hang on to celebrate their own 50th anniversary.
SO Enjoy...Too Young by Donny Osmond.
And as a bonus, the meeting of two early Seventies teen idols, with an entertainment legend thrown in for good measure...Donny sings 'Too Young' to Eve Plumb on 'Here's Lucy'...starring the incomparable Lucille Ball...on November 20th, 1972. Take a look at Eve's face, BTW...I have a sneakin' suspicion that she wasn't acting when Donny was singing to her!
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