The Innocent Wonder of Budding Young Love: When The Osmonds Pondered, “What Could It Be?”
“What Could It Be?” a sweetly innocent and undeniably catchy pop song that beautifully encapsulates the early, often uncertain yet undeniably exciting, stages of young romantic infatuation, remains a fondly remembered track from the squeaky-clean sensations, The Osmonds. Released in 1972 as a single, this tune reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, further solidifying their position as teen idols and showcasing their ability to capture the tender emotions of young romance in their music. It was also a featured track on their successful album “Crazy Horses,” released the same year, which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, demonstrating their widespread appeal. The song’s meaning is a pure and innocent expression of a young person experiencing the first confusing yet exciting stirrings of romantic feelings, pondering the nature of these new emotions and wondering if they might indeed be the beginnings of love. It transforms a personal experience of youthful awakening into a catchy and relatable pop anthem of innocent curiosity.
Imagine the shy glances across a crowded room, the nervous smiles, and the dawning realization that something special might be happening, all perfectly captured in the sound of The Osmonds wondering aloud in “What Could It Be?” Their youthful energy, usually so bright and optimistic, took on a slightly more introspective and questioning tone in this track, perfectly reflecting the innocent confusion of early love. With Donny Osmond’s earnest lead vocals and the harmonious backing of his brothers, the song exuded a pure and heartfelt sincerity. The arrangement, with its upbeat pop sensibilities, gentle harmonies, and lyrics filled with innocent questioning, created an atmosphere of sweet anticipation and hopeful wonder as they navigated the uncharted territory of first love. Their sincere delivery and the song’s universally relatable theme of early romantic curiosity made it a memorable and endearing tune for their young audience, many of whom were experiencing similar feelings for the very first time. The bright, optimistic melody and the gentle harmonies perfectly underscore this innocent exploration of burgeoning affection.
The story behind “What Could It Be?” credits the songwriting to the Osmond brothers themselves – Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Donny – showcasing their collective ability to craft songs that resonated with their young fanbase and captured the specific emotions of adolescence. This track perfectly encapsulated the innocent wonder and slight bewilderment that often accompany the first stirrings of romantic feeling. For The Osmonds, who were often seen as the epitome of wholesome youth, this song provided a soundtrack to the innocent explorations of love that their audience was also experiencing. While they were known for their catchy pop tunes and their clean-cut image, “What Could It Be?” delved into the more tender and questioning aspects of young romance, exploring the internal thoughts and uncertainties that come with those first flutterings of affection. The song’s enduring appeal lies in its pure and innocent portrayal of the universal experience of early romantic curiosity, that sweet and hopeful questioning of “what could it be?” that marks the beginning of so many love stories.
For those of us who remember the innocent wonder and the slightly confusing yet undeniably exciting beginnings of young love, The Osmonds’s “What Could It Be?” evokes a sense of sweet and tender nostalgia. It reminds us of those first shy glances, the nervous anticipation, and the hopeful questioning of what those new feelings might mean. The brothers’ earnest voices and the song’s bright, melodic charm offer a moment of shared youthful memory, a comforting acknowledgment of the innocent curiosity that often accompanies the first stirrings of affection. It remains a fondly remembered pop tune, a quintessential expression of the pure and hopeful wonder of young love just beginning to blossom.