Donny Osmond Talks His 'Puppy Love' Turning 50 and the Rapper He Wants to See in Las Vegas (Exclusive)

Donny Osmond is flabbergasted at the fact "Puppy Love" is on the verge of celebrating its 50th anniversary. And, after all these years, he looks back on the song that put him on the fast-track to becoming a teen idol, and why he respects the song so much.

The 64-year-old crooner sat down with ET's Nischelle Turner and they traveled down memory lane as he gears up to celebrate the song's milestone Saturday at his solo residency at Harrah's Las Vegas. 

"I can't believe it's been 50 years since I released 'Puppy Love,'" Osmond tells Turner, who compliments his still "smooth as silk" voice but can't help but take notice that Osmond belted out the song live on ET's set in a different key, unlike when he did as a 13-year-old back in 1972.

"Oh, I've done it in so many different keys," Osmond explained. "It's been changed over all the years, yeah. When my voice changed at 16 ..." And it was while talking about key changes that an unprompted Osmond pivoted and talked about how and why he used to tease the song that made him a household name after it reached No. 3 on the U.S. charts.

"I used to make fun of that song," he explains, "because it was the very thing that was keeping me back from being accepted as an adult entertainer."

But now?

"Now, in my show in Vegas, it's the third song in my set list," Osmond says. "And I treat it with respect ... because it was a great song. It put me where I am today, and something happens when you grow up -- you look back and embrace the past, those great innocent years and I loved them."

Osmand, who in November 2019 ended a marvelous 11-year Vegas residency run with Marie Osmond, also offered an anecdote to further drive home the point.

"A lady told me one time, she said, 'Don't make fun of 'Puppy Love' because you may have had a hit with it but that was a big part of my childhood memories, and you have no right to mess with my memories,'" Osmond recalled. "Boom!"

Osmond, whose solo residency is slated until November, was reminded of other stars who have ripped a page out of his playbook with a Vegas residency, such as Adele (one day soon!), Luke Bryan and Lady Gaga. And it begged the question -- who would Osmond like to see follow suit?

"I would love to see Eminem come to the strip," an excited Osmond said. "I was watching the Super Bowl and I've got to be honest with you and I thought, 'Am I gonna like this?' Because Prince is a standard. Justin Timberlake is a standard. And I absolutely loved it! I thought Eminem really stole the show. Mary J. [Blige] was amazing. I really liked her. But Eminem."

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