A FAITH IN THE IMAGINED GLORY, A VOICE THAT DARES IT TO LIVE
In 1992 the ever‑adaptable Donny Osmond lent his crystalline tenor to the title number Any Dream Will Do on the Canadian cast recording of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—where he portrayed the dream‑coat‑wearing Joseph. Though this rendition did not chart as a pop single on the scale of the blockbuster 1991 UK single by Jason Donovan—which reached No. 1 in the UK in June–July 1991. Instead, Osmond’s version stands as a refined and theatrical interpretation, embedded in the broader revival of the show’s legacy and a personal artistic shift for an erstwhile teen‑idol embracing stage cred.
In casting the spotlight on Any Dream Will Do, we must first recognise its origin: penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1968 musical, the song functions both as the prologue and epilogue within the narrative of Joseph—a young man sold into slavery who rises, falls, dreams, and ultimately finds redemption. Osmond enters this lineage not simply as a cover artist, but as an embodiment of Joseph’s optimism: his voice carries the innocence of the coat‑gifted small brother and the resolve of a man determined that his dream will indeed do.
Though chart metrics for Osmond’s rendition remain elusive, the very decision to record this for the Canadian production in 1992 signals a pivot in his career. He had matured from pop‑youth idol into a performer ready to inhabit a character with emotional weight and theatrical gravity. He thereby bridges two worlds: the familiar Osmond‑pop image and the deeper earnestness of musical theatre storytelling.
In the song’s opening lines—“I closed my eyes and drew back the curtain / To see for certain what I thought I knew…”—we are drawn into a moment of wonder and vulnerability. The actor becomes more than singer: he becomes seer and dreamer. Osmond’s interpretation lends the words an extra layer of reflective warmth: he delves into the idea that dreams may only seem naïve until we muster the courage to wear a golden coat of belief.
Musically, the piece shifts from lullaby tenderness to swelling crescendo, mirroring Joseph’s journey from naïveté to triumph. In Osmond’s incarnation one senses the years of performance behind him, yet his vocal tone remains open and unguarded—precisely fitting the song’s thematic heartbeat: that any dream can serve as the vessel for transformation, if embraced faithfully.
Lyrically, the refrain “Any dream, any dream will do” hovers like a benediction. It doesn’t promise success as defined by worldly stakes; rather, it honours the act of dreaming itself. Osmond’s delivery suggests that the dream is less the destination than the declaration—to live, to hope, to become. In a career once defined by teen‑chart conquests and televised variety, this choice is meaningful: here is an artist acknowledging his own dream‑coat, stepping into a narrative that honours risk and vision.
In its cultural effect, the song (through Osmond’s voice) gently reminds us that the aspirational theatrical classic still resonates in pop memory—not because it was a chart smash in his voice, but because the meaning is so enduring. For every listener who remembers the original West End production or the grand 1991 single, Osmond’s version adds the nuance of a performer revisiting his own evolution.
Ultimately, this introduction to “Any Dream Will Do” via Donny Osmond is a quiet celebration of transition. It is the story of a star reinventing himself, of a musical theatre moment merging with pop sensibility, and of a simple yet profound truth: that a dream, when uttered and claimed, becomes the echo of one’s own coat of many colours—brilliant, hopeful, and willing to carry us beyond our youthful possibilities.