It’s time. A little later than you might have expected, but The Osmonds have their number one single.
Love Me For a Reason, by The Osmonds (their 1st and only #1)
3 weeks, from 25th August – 15th September 1974
It’s every bit as cheesy and tinkling as you might expect. It soars, it swoops, it blinds you with the whiteness of its teeth. Suddenly the UK charts sound very ‘American’, with three glossy, shining number ones in a row. But while George McCrae and The Three Degrees were pretty cool… this one really ain’t.
Don’t love me for fun girl, Let me be the one, girl… Love me for a reason, Let the reason be love… For the second time this year, we come to a #1 that I first heard as a child thanks to an Irish boyband. I knew ‘Seasons in the Sun’ through Westlife’s cover, I knew this thanks to their predecessors Boyzone, who took their ‘Love Me For a Reason’ to #2 in 1994.
If love ever-lasting, Isn’t what you’re asking… I’ll have to pass, girl, And be proud to take a stand… Maybe I’m showing my prejudices here, but isn’t it usually girls that sing about love that lasts? The Three Degrees, for example, were just asking when they’d see you again. Or there was Freda Payne lamenting broken promises on her wedding night. Guys are usually happy with, well, something more instant. But, The Osmonds were good ol’ Mormon boys that needed more than just physical attraction (their words.) All of which culminates in the spectacular line: My initial reaction is, Honey give me love, Not a facsimile of…
Any song that can crowbar the word ‘facsimile’ into its lyrics cannot be all bad and, to tell the truth, this is a decent pop song with a highly singalongable chorus. It also has one hell of a key change towards the end, that sounds as if a sound engineer accidentally leant on a dial. And, even though I introed this post by suggesting that The Osmonds had waited longer than most for their shot at #1, ‘Love Me for a Reason’ was only their sixth chart hit in the UK. It feels like a longer wait because, unusually, the solo Osmond(s) topped the charts long before the band. Donny’s been there three times, and Little Jimmy (while not technically a member of ‘The Osmonds’ at this point) has summited once.
The band would go on releasing albums until the end of the seventies, before splitting up and moving into different ventures. Donny would be the most successful, with his sister Marie. But this is it for them, in terms of topping the charts as a group. Just the one. And I’m sure most would agree that, if they could choose the one Osmonds disc they would allow to top the charts, it wouldn’t be this one. It would be… Well, I might just do a separate post on that very soon. Watch this space…
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Yes another UK chart-topper I wasn’t too fussed about at the time, but despite the Boyzone attempt to kill it dead one I’ve grown more fond of with time. The song itself is pretty solid – co-written by Johnny Bristol, who peaked at 3 with his own fab soul ballad Hang On In There Baby two weeks after The Osmonds let go of the top spot.
And yes, we all wish it was THAT record that had topped the UK charts. That, or One Bad Apple Jackson 5-a-like US chart-topper, or the rockin’ Goin’ Home.
I like ‘Goin Home’, and ‘Crazy Horses’, obv. Can’t say I think much of ‘One Bad Apple’ – a bit twee. Oh, and ‘Down by the Lazy River’ is good too. Never thought I’d end up on an Osmonds kick!
Me neither, but I came round to appreciating some of their stuff as I got older. The best sloshy ballad by far was their version of the Four Seasons The Proud One. One of my “I’m Feeling sorry for myself” singalongs that one 🙂
I don’t remember this at all.
The Osmond family is gi-normous, which is the Mormon way, I guess. I was just reading about the eight brothers, Marie, the parents and all the children, grandchildren & great grandchildren. Whoa. The two oldest brothers are deaf and one of the other brother’s kid is deaf. They are like the human version of Dalmations.
I did not know that about the brothers. You could make some tasteless jokes about the deaf Osmonds being the lucky Osmonds… but I won’t lol!
“but isn’t it usually girls that sing about love that lasts?”…hmmm have you looked at Donny?
Haha… well… I would love to discover that Donny was a secret little hell-raising, hard drinking, womaniser back then… Sadly I think I may be disappointed.
Oh yes…very disspaointed. He lived up to his look! Which…all joking aside isn’t a bad thing…but he didn’t have to flaunt it…a little danger never hurt anyone but…I guess it may have killed their career.
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Rating: 4.5/5
I can’t really defend my high rating with anything logical. I have such a soft spot for the Osmonds, I dunno why. I didn’t even know who they were until a year ago but going through their singles I like a lot of their hits. This song is great. Or maybe I just like this type 70s pop cheese.