Donny Osmond on How 'One Bad Apple' Propelled The Osmonds to Boy Band Fame

It's hard to pinpoint just when boy bands became a phenomenon, but many music historians point to the Jackson 5 and The Osmonds as the start.

Donny Osmond — who performed alongside brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay as a group — spoke about the band's early success in the MTV Entertainment Studios documentary Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands.

The single that catapulted the brothers into the spotlight, "One Bad Apple," was a song that fell into their laps, Donny revealed.

" 'One Bad Apple,' our first No. 1 record, was written for the Jackson 5 and they turned it down, from what I understand," he shared. "We got the song and we got the number one record. So I think they probably said, ‘Dang it, we should have gotten One Bad Apple.’ ”

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The change in the group's profile was felt as soon as the next time they got out on stage. In a short time, the energy of the crowds became something they never experienced.

“We run on stage. Massive screams are taking place. I think to myself, as I look out, ’Somebody’s hurt. They’re screaming because something’s happened out there,' " Donny, now 67, recalled.

"And then I realized, they’re screaming for us. I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve got to do this for the rest of my life.’ "

It was an interesting time, both in music history and his own life, for Donny to experience the "beginning of the popularity of the Osmonds as a boy band."

“I would come to the edge of the stage and reach my hand out and a couple of girls would grab my wrist. My brother, Alan, saw what was happening. He would grab me and pull," he explained.

"Two things would go through my head – ‘Alan, save me,’ and ‘Alan, let me go,' " Donny added with a laugh. "I wanted so badly to have them pull me in the audience and just rip me apart.”

Related: Wayne Osmond's Cause of Death Revealed as Family Members Pay Tribute: 'He Was the Ultimate Optimist'

On Thursday, Jan. 2, Donny, Merrill and Jay announced the death of brother Wayne, revealing that he died on Jan. 1 in Salt Lake City after suffering a stroke.

"My dear brother Wayne passed away peacefully last night from a stroke. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital before he passed," Donny wrote on Instagram. "Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me. He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone."

"I’m sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother," Donny added of his seven remaining siblings. "Even though we are separated in this mortal life, I know that by the grace and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will have the opportunity to be with Wayne for eternity."

The "I'll Make a Man Out of You" singer concluded his post by writing, "I love you, Wayne. Your brother forever."

Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands is now streaming on Paramount+

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