Introduction
“I Can’t Stop” is a lesser-known but historically interesting single in The Osmonds’ catalog, illustrating how the group’s early recordings were reshaped by their later pop success. Written by Jerry Goldstein and Wes Farrell and produced by Goldstein, the track was first issued in the late 1960s but failed to make an impact until it was reissued after the family’s breakthrough in the early 1970s.
After The Osmonds became mainstream pop stars with hits like “One Bad Apple,” their former label reissued “I Can’t Stop” in 1971; that reissue reached the lower end of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #96—an outcome that underlines how the group’s new fame gave older material a second life.
Uni (and later MCA) re-released the single again for different markets, and notably a 1974 UK reissue climbed significantly higher, reaching the top 20 at #12—proof that the song found a warmer reception abroad when timed to the band’s 1970s popularity.
Musically, the track sits within the pop-oriented, early-’70s sound that the brothers were associated with—even when the recording itself predates their peak—featuring tight vocal harmonies and the accessible pop songwriting of Farrell and Goldstein. The single’s B-side, “Flower Music,” also appears on contemporary pressings, reflecting how labels packaged older recordings to capitalize on the Osmonds’ star status.
While not one of the group’s signature hits, “I Can’t Stop” is valuable for fans and historians because it traces the arc from the Osmonds’ 1960s recordings to their 1970s pop stardom—showing how reissues, changing markets, and shifting public tastes can rewrite a song’s commercial fate