The Osmonds: "One Bad Apple"

This was written by George Jackson, who was a staff songwriter at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Osmonds were a young family group from Ogden, Utah, and made a name for themselves performing at Disneyland and on The Andy Williams Show. When they signed with MGM records in 1970, the label sent them to FAME in an effort to duplicate the success of The Jackson 5. George Jackson had written this song with The Jackson 5 in mind, and with production by FAME owner Rick Hall and vocals by 13-year-old Donny Osmond, this sounded very much like a Jackson 5 record, and was a huge success, spending 5 weeks at #1 in the US.

Rodney Hall, who took over operations at FAME from his dad, told us how Rick discovered The Osmonds: “My dad heard them in Vegas. Mike Curb flew him out there to see them and said, ‘I’m not going to tell you who it is, because you won’t go if I tell you who it is,’ because they’d done The Andy Williams Show, but they hadn’t had a hit or a big record. So he flew out there and he dug ’em and decided to cut them like the Jackson 5. He told George to write them a Jackson 5 song and that was it. I’ve heard the rumor that Barry Gordy sent my dad a Western-Union that said, ‘Stop stealing my f–king music.'”

(Source)

The Osmonds’ “One Bad Apple”

By that look on your face, girl
Some guy brought a sad evening
To your happy world
You need love but you’re afraid
That if you give in
Someone else will come along
And sock it to you again

One bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
Give it one more time
Before you give up on love
One Bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
I don’t care what they say
Don’t care what you heard

I could make you happy, baby
And satisfy you, too
How can I if you won’t give me a chance
To prove my love for you?
If you’ll just give me one little chance
I’ll give you my guarantee
That you won’t be hurt again

I been noticing you, baby
For a long, long time
Now I’m not ashamed to tell the world
You really mess up my mind
Girl, to me you’re like a dream come true
I’d rather hurt myself than ever hurt you

One bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
Give it one more time
Before you give up on love
One Bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
I don’t care what they say
I don’t care what you heard

One bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
Give it one more time
Before you give up on love
One Bad apple don’t spoil
The whole bunch, girl
I don’t care what they say