In an event that some commentators are calling “the most 1970s thing that ever happened,” Donny Osmond in 1979 was hired to sing a treacly medley of four recent pop hits to the five finalists of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, a medley that starts with Steely Dan’s “Peg” (off of 1977’s Aja) and then segues to Wings’ “Goodnight Tonight” (non-album single), The Commodores’ “Three Times a Lady” (1978’s Natural High), and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” (1976’s Songs in the Key of Life).
It’s too bad they don’t let Osmond sing all of “Peg,” but some producer probably wisely decided that it would be too goofy to have him sing the line “It’s your favorite foreign movie” in such a setting—to a Brazilian or Swedish woman, no less, and in Perth, Australia! According to Wikipedia (see last link), after Maritza Sayalero (Miss Venezuela) was crowned the winner, the stage holding her throne collapsed when the runners-up flocked towards her in order to congratulate her. That incident did not make the TV cut.
Interestingly, Osmond included “Peg” on his album Soundtrack of My Life, released earlier this year, in a much more, er, up-to-date style.
Here’s Osmond singing his medley at the 1979 Miss Universe pageant. Just for kicks we’ve also included the (much-better-known) version of the Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” (off of Can’t Buy a Thrill, 1972) he taped with his sister Marie in early 1978.