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- Album This song officially appears on the The Beatles (Mono) LP.
- Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1968 (Paul McCartney was 26 years old)
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Late May 1968
Recording and mixing "Honey Pie"
Oct 01, 1968
Oct 02, 1968
Recording "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie"
Oct 04, 1968
First half of 2018 ?
Related interviews
Paul recalls inspirations of LP
Nov 30, 1968 • From New Musical Express
Interview with Radio Luxembourg
Nov 21, 1968 • From Radio Luxembourg
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Honey Pie” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1968 eponymous double album The Beatles (also known as “the White Album”). The song was written entirely by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership.
Interpretation
The song is a direct homage to the British music hall style. It concerns a famed actress, called only by the term of endearment “Honey Pie”, who becomes famous in the United States, and her old lover, who wishes for her to rejoin him in England. The premise – a humble admirer yearning for the return of his lover – is not unlike a typical music hall plot. To establish an appropriate, old-timey sound, the band added the third line, “Now she’s hit the big time!”, along with “crackles” taken from a 78 rpm record.
The song begins with a slower intro, and becomes fast after that.Clarinet and saxophones
The song also contains a saxophone and clarinet arrangement. The clarinets, according to Alan W. Pollack, “produce water sprays in parallel thirds” and the saxophones play unmercifully in tight harmony.
Recording
Recording began on 1 October 1968, at Trident Studios in London’s Wardour Street. Only one take was recorded on the first day, although it is likely that a number of rehearsal attempts had previously been recorded and wiped. The next day, McCartney taped his lead vocals, and a lead guitar part was added. According to George Harrison, John Lennon played the guitar solo. The song’s woodwind arrangement by George Martin was recorded two days later on 4 October. McCartney added a final vocal overdub at the end of the session.
Before recording sessions for the “White Album” began, the Beatles recorded a demo of “Honey Pie” at George Harrison’s Esher home studios. This version contained slightly different lyrics and lacked the introduction of the final version. The demo was later released in 1996 on Anthology 3 and the 2018 Super Deluxe edition of the “White Album”. […]
My dad’s always played fruity old songs like that, you know. And I liked ’em. I like the melody of old songs, and the lyrics actually as well. There’s some old lyrics, like, you know– the woman singing about the man, and she’s saying something about ‘I wanna have his initial on my monogram.’ You know what I mean? There’s good lyrics and just good thoughts that you don’t sort of hear so much these days, you know. And so, I would quite like to have been a 1920’s writer, ‘cuz I like that thing, you know. Umm, you know, up in top hat and tails and sort of coming-on to ’em. So this kind of number, I like that thing. But, uhh… So this is just me doing it, pretending I’m living in 1925.
Paul McCartney – from interview with Radio Luxembourg, 1968
Paul McCartney in "Many Years From Now", by Barry Miles:
Both John and I had a great love for music hall, what the Americans call vaudeville… I very much liked that old crooner style, the strange fruity voice that they used, so Honey Pie was me writing one of them to an imaginary woman, across the ocean, on the silver screen, who was called Honey Pie. It’s another of my fantasy songs.[…]We put a sound on my voice to make it sound like a scratchy old record. So it’s not a parody, it’s a nod to the vaudeville tradition that I was raised on.
From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:
[a] mono 5 Oct 1968 at Trident.
UK: Apple PMC 7068 white album 1968.[b] stereo 5 Oct 1968 at Trident.
UK: Apple PCS 7068 white album 1968.
US: Apple SWBO 101 white album 1968.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46443 2 white album 1987.Mono [a] has the full lead guitar break, slightly shortened in [b].
Last updated on January 7, 2022
The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
"Honey Pie" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
She was a working girl north of England way
Now she's hit the big time in the USA
And if she could only hear me this is what I'd say
Honey pie, you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy
So won't you please come home?
Oh honey pie, my position is tragic
Come and show me the magic
Of your Hollywood song
You became a legend of the silver screen
And now the thought of meeting you
Makes me weak in the knee
Oh honey pie, you are driving me frantic
Sail across the Atlantic
To be where you belong
Honey pie, come back to me
I like it like that, ooh ah
I like this kinda hot kinda music, hot kinda music
Play it to me, play it to me honey with blues
Will the wind that blew her boat across the sea
Kindly send her sailing back to me?
Now honey pie, you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy
So won't you please come home?
Come, come back to me honey pie
Honey pie, honey pie
Variations
Officially appears on
LP • Released in 1968
2:41 • Studio version • A • Mono
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 05, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
LP • Released in 1968
2:41 • Studio version • B • Stereo
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 05, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
Official album • Released in 1996
1:19 • Demo • C • Stereo • Esher Demo
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- John Lennon :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- George Harrison :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- Session Recording:
- Late May 1968
- Studio :
- George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
The Beatles (Mono - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:41 • Studio version • A2009 • Mono • 2009 mono remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Paul Hicks :
- Remastering
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Sean Magee :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 05, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
The Beatles (Stereo - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:41 • Studio version • B2009 • Stereo • 2009 stereo remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 05, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
The Beatles (Mono - 2014 vinyl)
LP • Released in 2014
2:41 • Studio version • A2014 • Mono • 2014 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Sean Magee :
- Remastering
- Steve Berkowitz :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 05, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
Official album • Released in 2016
1:19 • Demo • C2016 • Stereo • Esher Demo
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- John Lennon :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- George Harrison :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- Session Recording:
- Late May 1968
- Studio :
- George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2018
2:41 • Studio version • D • Stereo • 2018 stereo mix
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Giles Martin :
- Producer
- Dennis Walton :
- Saxophone
- Rex Morris :
- Saxophone
- Barry Sheffield :
- Recording engineer
- Ronald Chamberlain :
- Saxophone
- Jim Chester :
- Saxophone
- Harry Klein :
- Saxophone
- Raymond Newman :
- Clarinet
- David Smith :
- Clarinet
- Sam Okell :
- Mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 04, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- First half of 2018 ?
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2018
1:59 • Demo • E • Esher Demo
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- John Lennon :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- George Harrison :
- Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
- Session Recording:
- Late May 1968
- Studio :
- George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2018
2:43 • Outtake • F • Instrumental backing track. "Honey Pie with Paul's lead vocals on track five faded out. The original mono album had included more notes than the stereo version of John's solo. This instrumental mix presents all of it"
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Electric guitar, Rhythm guitar
- George Harrison :
- Bass
- Session Recording:
- Oct 01, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 02, 1968
- Studio :
- Trident Studios, London, UK
Bootlegs
Live performances
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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