Introduction
“Puppy Love,” originally penned and recorded by Paul Anka in 1960 for Annette Funicello, was revived twelve years later by teenage idol Donny Osmond, launching his biggest international hit to date . Osmond released his version on February 19, 1972; it climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 by April 1 and claimed No. 1 in Canada and the U.K., topping the Canadian RPM chart from April 15–29 and the UK Singles Chart from July 8 through August 5 . The single was certified Gold by the RIAA on March 24, 1972, and was ranked by Billboard as the No. 67 song of 1972 in its year‑end chart .
The song appeared on Osmond’s album Portrait of Donny, released May 27, 1972, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard LP chart and featured his earlier hits “Hey Girl” and later “Too Young” .
A notable moment in the song’s history occurred on March 15, 1972, when Los Angeles DJ Robert W. Morgan played Osmond’s “Puppy Love” continuously for 90 minutes on KHJ, prompting numerous listener calls and a police raid at the studio—though no arrests were made.
While the success of “Puppy Love” cemented Donny Osmond’s image as a teen idol with a squeaky‑clean, bubblegum‑pop persona, it also boxed him into that teenager category—an association he later worked to shed in subsequent years .
This performance on Top of the Pops (broadcast December 28, 1972) showcases Osmond at the height of his early fame, singing live in front of a British audience drenched in teen‑pop fervor