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One Bad Apple | $22.53 | Buy on Amazon |
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“One Bad Apple” is a pop single by the Osmonds, released on November 14, 1970, and later included on their album Osmonds. The title is shared by other works, including a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode and Charlotte Nixon’s play One Bad Apple: The Queen, Snow White and the Evil Red Delicious; this article is about the song.
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It is a song by the Osmonds, written by George Jackson and produced by Rick Hall, according to the cited discography reference. The song’s title can be mistaken for a reference to the familiar saying about one bad apple spoiling the bunch, but the notable story behind this recording is its resemblance to the Jackson 5’s sound.
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Why was it mistaken for a Jackson 5 song?
Producer Mike Curb recalled that the song was brought to the Muscle Shoals studio and that the team recognized how much it sounded like a Jackson 5 record. Curb also described sending it to Black radio and encountering uncertainty among listeners about whether the record was by the Jackson 5 or the Osmonds. The recollection calls the songwriter Charles Jackson, while the discography reference credits George Jackson; the available accounts do not resolve that naming difference.
A separate anecdote helps explain why the confusion stuck: an NPR feature search result recounts author Ann Patchett remembering “One Bad Apple” while people discussed Michael Jackson songs, but mistakenly attributing it to the Jackson 5. The NPR page was unavailable to inspect, so that detail is limited to the search-result account and should not be treated as a fuller interview record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How successful was the single?
The One Bad Apple reference page reports that the song began a five-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 13, 1971. It also reports a No. 6 peak on the R&B chart and a No. 4 position in Billboard’s year-end song ranking for 1971. These are chart figures as reported by that secondary reference, rather than figures verified here against Billboard’s original chart records.
Curb’s account places the single’s breakthrough in 1970 and its arrival at No. 1 at the beginning of 1971, broadly consistent with the chart timeline reported by the discography reference.
Other works called “One Bad Apple”
The title is not unique. A My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode with this name aired in 2012 and concerns bullying. Charlotte Nixon’s publisher-hosted comedy play, One Bad Apple: The Queen, Snow White and the Evil Red Delicious, is another separate work. Neither is connected to the Osmonds song simply by sharing its title.
Where does the song appear?
The single is associated with the Osmonds’ album Osmonds. That album connection does not establish which physical editions are currently available or in stock.
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