"Soldier of Love" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Artwork for US and UK singles | ||||
Single by Donny Osmond | ||||
from the album Donny Osmond | ||||
B-side | "My Secret Touch" "Time Can't Erase" "Groove" | |||
Released | 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | Pop [1] | |||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label | Capitol, Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers | |||
Producer(s) | Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers [2] | |||
Donny Osmond singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Soldier of Love" by Donny Osmond on YouTube |
"Soldier of Love" is a 1988 song by American singer Donny Osmond, which became his comeback hit. [3] [4] [5] It first was a Top 30 hit in the UK in 1988 and "Soldier of Love" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, [6] behind Michael Damian's "Rock On", becoming his sixth and last top-10 hit.
Osmond had spent most of the 1980s out of the public spotlight due to frustration with his teen idol typecasting and desire to focus on raising his family; [7] it was largely left to his brothers to recover the family's debts from their late 1970s TV series and the expensive Utah studios built for the venture. By the late 1980s, with the debts paid off [8] and older brother Alan Osmond's 1987 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis halting the family's touring, [9] Donny returned to the studio.
The track was not initially released in the US as Osmond did not have a record deal there. However, a cassette of the song from a British import was sent by an Osmond fan to Jessica Ettinger, the acting Program Director and Music Director at ABC's WPLJ-FM New York. Ettinger liked the song but was concerned that Osmond, a former child star, wouldn't be accepted by the current pop audience.
Ettinger, believing the song to be a hit, up-ended the top 40 music and radio industry by giving it a slot on her playlist. Osmond was not only unsigned by any record label in the US, but the song itself was unavailable for purchase in the US at the time. To give the song a chance, she created a "mystery artist" promotion; put the song in rotation, and kept listeners guessing who the artist was for several weeks. [10] Eventually, Ettinger had her air talent reveal that the song was by Donny Osmond, who appeared live on the air at the same time. Osmond was soon signed by Capitol Records, which copied Ettinger's promotion idea nationwide and released the song as a single. Osmond credits Ettinger with re-launching his career by listening to the music and not pre-judging whether a song could be a hit based on the name of the artist.
The song is set to a post-disco beat. [11] Songwriters are Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. [12] The music video for the song was by John Scarlett Davis and produced by Nick Verden for Radar Films. Shot on location at London's Docklands.
Chart (1988–1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [13] | 3 |
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [14] | 29 |
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary [15] | 20 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] | 2 |
Chart (1989) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [17] | 66 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [18] [19] | 57 |
The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet and a quintet. The group has consisted of siblings who are all members of a family of musicians from Ogden, Utah, and have been in the public eye since the 1960s.
"Let the Music Play" is a song recorded by American singer Shannon and released on September 19, 1983, as both her debut single and the lead single from her 1984 debut studio album of the same name. Written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm, and produced by Barbosa and Mark Liggett, "Let the Music Play" was the first of Shannon's four number ones on the US Dance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot in October 1983. It also became a huge crossover hit in the US, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1984. It was Shannon's only top 40 hit in the US. Some mark "Let the Music Play" as the beginning of the "dance-pop" era. "Let the Music Play" was ranked 43rd on the 2009 VH1 Special 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s, while Rolling Stone and Billboard featured it in their lists of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The song also appears in the film Totally Killer and the video games Dance Central 3 and Scarface: The World Is Yours.
"Too Young" is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee. A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young. Another successful version was released by Donny Osmond in 1972.
"Deep Purple" is a song and the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose, who broadcast between 1923 and 1939 with May Singhi as "The Sweethearts of the Air" on the NBC radio network. The British rock band Deep Purple named themselves after the song.
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.
"Young Love" is a popular song, written by Ric Cartey and Carole Joyner, and published in 1956. The original version was recorded by Ric Cartey with the Jiva-Tones on November 24, 1956. Joyner was a high school student when she co-wrote the song with Cartey, her boyfriend at the time. It was released in 1956 by Stars Records as catalog number 539 and one month later by RCA Records as catalog number 47-6751. Cartey's version never charted.
"Puppy Love" is a popular song written by Paul Anka in 1960 for Annette Funicello, a Mouseketeer, on whom he had a crush. Anka's version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place", No. 4 on the Canadian CHUM Charts, and No. 33 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Working My Way Back to You" is a song made popular by the Four Seasons in 1966 and the Spinners in 1980.
"The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song written in 1956 and first recorded by Johnny Mathis the following year. The title is a popular expression, which is used as the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass. In the case of the song, "the 12th of Never" is given as the date on which the singer will stop loving his beloved, thus indicating that he will always love them.
"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded by Bobby Vee for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, so that he will not be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her. The song is notable for making the American Top 20 three times: for Steve Lawrence in 1963, for The Happenings in 1966, and for Donny Osmond in 1971. It is also the first song, and one of only nine, to reach US number 1 by two different artists. Also notable in each of the solo versions is the similar double-tracked treatment of the singer's voice.
"(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String" is a 1970 soul music song by the Chairmen of the Board. The single reached No. 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 19 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Ronald Dunbar and Edythe Wayne wrote the song.
"Rock On" is a song written by English singer David Essex. Recorded in 1973 and released as a single by Essex, it became an international hit. In 1989, American actor and singer Michael Damian recorded a cover version that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been recorded many times, including a 2006 version by the English hard rock group Def Leppard.
The discography of American pop singer Donny Osmond contains 18 studio albums, nine compilation albums, one live album, four video albums, three extended plays, four music videos, 25 singles, and eight additional appearances. After several years collaborating with his siblings' band, The Osmonds, he embarked on a solo career in 1971. His debut single, "Sweet and Innocent," reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and made him a teen pop star. Its follow-up entitled "Go Away Little Girl" topped the same chart in 1971. Also in 1971 his debut studio album was released called The Donny Osmond Album. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart. His third studio release, Portrait of Donny, reached number six on the Billboard 200 and is his highest-charting album to date. Its two singles became top ten hits on the pop chart: "Hey Girl" and "Puppy Love." He released his fourth studio effort in 1972, Too Young. The record peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200. It spawned the top 20 pop hits: the title track and "Why." In 1973, Alone Together marked his fifth studio album release and peaked at number 26 in the United States. It spawned his cover of "The Twelfth of Never," which reached number eight on the Hot 100. By the mid-1970s, Osmond reached adulthood and his career began to decline despite collaborations with his sister, Marie Osmond. In 1976, he recorded an album of disco, which only reached number 145 on the Billboard 200.
"Love Plus One" is a 1982 single by the British new wave band Haircut One Hundred from their debut album Pelican West. It was the band's biggest hit in their native UK, where it reached No. 3 and was certified gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 400,000 copies.
"The Second Time Around" is a 1979 hit by Los Angeles–based group Shalamar. The song is the first single from their album, Big Fun. Released in August 1979, the single went to number one on the soul chart and was their most successful hit on the Hot 100 pop chart, reaching number eight in early 1980. "The Second Time Around" also went to number one on the disco/dance chart in January 1980. The song was produced by Leon Sylvers III, who cowrote the song with William Shelby.
"And the Beat Goes On" is a 1979 single by the American music group The Whispers. The song was their first of two number-one singles on the Soul chart, and their first Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 19. "And the Beat Goes On" was the group's only number-one song on the dance chart. It was also their first and biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number 27 on the Canadian RPM chart.
Donny Osmond is the tenth album released by Donny Osmond. It was released on Capitol Records on April 25, 1989 and was his first studio album since Donald Clark Osmond in 1977. It is notable for featuring the number 2 smash hit, "Soldier of Love", which Randall Popken, Alice Newsome and Lanell Gonzales called "a faintly suggestive tune set to a post-disco beat." It was released as a tune by a "mystery singer", as Osmond's promoter feared that no one would buy the album if the singer was revealed.
Jessica Ettinger Gottesman is an American broadcast journalist and non-practicing lawyer.
"(Till) I Kissed You" is a song written by Don Everly and recorded by the Everly Brothers. It was released as a single in 1959 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Chet Atkins played guitar on this record and Jerry Allison played drums.
"Let Me In" is a song written by Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Wayne Osmond and performed by The Osmonds. It was featured on their 1973 album, The Plan. The song was produced by Alan Osmond.