| "Honey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBobby Goldsboro | ||||
| from the albumHoney | ||||
| B-side | "Danny" | |||
| Released | February 17, 1968[1] | |||
| Recorded | January 30, 1968[1] | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio B,Nashville[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Songwriter | Bobby Russell | |||
| Producer | Bob Montgomery | |||
| Bobby Goldsboro singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Honey", also known as "Honey (I Miss You)", is a song written byBobby Russell. He originally produced it with formerKingston Trio memberBob Shane, who was the first to release the song. It was then given to American singerBobby Goldsboro, who recorded it for his 1968album of the same name, originally titledPledge of Love. Goldsboro's version was a hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries.[2]
In the song, the narrator mourns his absent wife, and the song begins with him looking at a tree in their garden, remembering how "it was just a twig" on the day she planted it. Only in the third verse is it finally revealed that "one day...the angels came," and that his wife had died.The chorus was used in Evangeline byStephen Sanchez.
"Honey" was written by Bobby Russell, who took inspiration from a tree in his front yard when he noticed how big it had become since he had planted it. From this came the first line of the song, "See the tree, how big it's grown ...".[3] His song was first recorded byBob Shane ofThe Kingston Trio, produced by Russell himself.[3]
Before Shane's recording was released, Goldsboro was recommended the song byLarry Henley ofthe Newbeats. However, Goldsboro thought the recording by Shane was over-produced and the lyrics overpowered by the production.[3][4] Goldsboro at that time was in need of songs to record, he and his producer Bob Montgomery invited Russell over to play a few of his songs, which included "Honey". After listening to Russell's simpler rendition accompanied by just a guitar, Goldsboro became interested and asked if he could cover the song.[4] Russell was initially reluctant as Shane's version was due to be released, but eventually agreed that Goldsboro could record it as long as his single did not compete with Shane's record. They agreed to delay the release of Goldsboro's recording by four weeks.[5][6]
The song was recorded on January 30, 1968,[6] with an arrangement by Don Tweedy. Goldsboro later attributed the success of the song to Tweedy's arrangement, and believed that Shane could have the same success with Tweedy's arrangement.[4] According to Goldsboro, the recording session for the song went so well that they got it right in one go. They then recorded it again just to see if anything was wrong, and it came out just as well, so they went with the first take.[5][7]
Goldsboro's recording of "Honey" was released as asingle in the U.S. in February 1968. While Shane's recording reached only 104 on the Bubbling Under chart,[8] Goldsboro's version became successful very quickly, and reached the top of the chart in April. It spent five weeks at No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart (the 200th song to reach No. 1 on that chart), from April 7 to May 11, and three weeks atopBillboard'sHot Country Singles chart. It was preceded on theBillboard Hot 100 by "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" byOtis Redding and was followed byArchie Bell & the Drells' "Tighten Up". It was Goldsboro's only No. 1 hit on the Pop Singles and Country Singles charts and it was his first song to top theAdult Contemporary chart.Billboard ranked the record as the No. 3 song for 1968.[9]
"Honey" reached No. 2 on theUK Singles Chart on its initial release in 1968, and a re-release of the single in theUnited Kingdom in 1975 also reached No. 2.[10] In Australia, it spent four weeks at No. 1 on theARIA Charts, replacingthe Beatles' "Lady Madonna", and was the No. 6 song of 1968.[citation needed]
"Honey" was immediately and immensely popular. It sold a million copies in its first three weeks,[1]: BG4 the fastest-selling record in the history of United Artists.[11][12] It was certified gold on April 4, 1968, the same day thatMartin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, an event that may have helped the sales of the single.[13] It was the best-selling record worldwide for 1968, even more popular than "Hey Jude".[1]: BG8 It was a crossover hit, topping both the pop and country singles charts, one of only three songs to do so in the 1960s.
The recording was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1968: Record of the Year and Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Male.[14] It was awarded Song of the Year in 1968 by the Country Music Association.[15]
Today the song is sometimes dismissed or disparaged, its contemporary popularity notwithstanding. It has been called "innocuous pop",[16] "classy schlock",[17] more "dreadful" than Pavarotti,[18] and, hyperbolically, the "Worst Song of All Time" by a writer whose ambivalent antipathy left him "transfixed" by "one of the biggest songs of the year."[19]
In 1968,Oscar Santana, an Ibersound recording artist had success with his version, making it to no. 1 on Latin American Single Hit Parade charts.[20][21]
Margaret Lewis released ananswer version titled "Honey (I Miss You Too)", which reached No. 74 on the country chart in 1968.[22] A jazz instrumental version was recorded byThe Distant Galaxy as a medley with the "Elvira Madigan theme", and it reached No. 39 on the AC chart the same year.[4] In 1969,O. C. Smith's version of the song reached No. 44 on the pop chart, whileOrion recorded a version that reached No. 89 on the country chart in 1979.[4]
Andy Williams released a version of it on analbum by the same name 1968.
There were also non-English versions: in Italy, for example, the authorDaniele Pace wrote lyrics in the language with the title "Amore, mi manchi" ("My love, I miss you"). This version was recorded byBobby Solo,Peppino Gagliardi, the late Roman singerGiuliana Valci and by Goldsboro himself.
In Sweden in 1968,Björn Ulvaeus, who later would achieve world success as a founding member ofABBA, recorded a version with Swedish lyrics byStig Anderson. It was titled "Raring", which has the same meaning as "Honey".
Weekly charts[edit]
Year-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Africa (Springbok)[43] | 9 |
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S.BillboardAdult Contemporary | 39 |
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[44] | 62 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[45] | 40 |
| U.S.BillboardHot 100[46] | 44 |
| U.S.BillboardAdult Contemporary | 19 |
| U.S.BillboardR&B | 44 |
| U.S.Cash Box Top 100 | 64 |
Bobby Goldsboro's 'Honey' is the fastest selling single in United Artist's 10-year history... The disk has been certified by the RIAA as a million seller after only four weeks on the market.
The charts were still sprinkled with such innocuous pop as Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" ...
[Joe] Tex's record closes with Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey," the classiest schlock of the year and the epitome of what is called modern country.
I sat transfixed in my car as it played, as if I were in the midst of an accident. The simpering melody, the tearjerking lyrics: God, how I hated it. And yet I couldn't change the station.
