A Taste of Honey (song)
| "A Taste of Honey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
A&M Studios, Hollywood, California | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Scott, Ric Marlow | |||
| Producer(s) | Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss | |||
| Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A Taste of Honey" is a
A vocal version of the song proved successful for Lenny Welch in mid-1962.
Instrumental versions
The original recorded versions of the song "A Taste of Honey", "A Taste of Honey (refrain)" and "A Taste of Honey (closing theme)", appeared on Bobby Scott's 1960 album, also titled A Taste of Honey, on
- Martin Denny, Eddie Cano and the Victor Feldman Quartet each scored minor hits in 1962 with their covers.
- UK Singles Chart.
- Grammy Awards of 1966. The instrumental spent five weeks at number one on the easy listening chart, reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100,[2] and number 4 in Canada.[3]This version is noted for the eight drum beats before the tempo increased, intended as an editing cue to be removed in the final version, but Alpert decided to keep it in.
Vocal versions
The first vocal version of "A Taste of Honey" was recorded in 1961 by Billy Dee Williams from his album Let's Misbehave.[4]
The Beatles
| "A Taste of Honey" | |
|---|---|
Bobby Scott/Ric Marlow | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
The Beatles performed Lenny Welch's adaptation as part of their repertoire in 1962,[5] slightly changing the lyrics in the chorus. Because the instrumental version by Acker Bilk was popular in the United Kingdom at the time, the song was chosen to be recorded for their 1963 debut album, Please Please Me. A version from that time was released in 1977 on the album Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.
In the US, this song first appeared on the
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead vocals, bass
- John Lennon – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – brushed drums
Engineered by Norman Smith[7]
The Supremes & Four Tops
| "A Taste of Honey" | |
|---|---|
Bobby Scott/Ric Marlow | |
| Producer(s) | Clay McMurray, Duke Browner |
Personnel
- The Supremes
- Jean Terrell - lead vocals
- Mary Wilson - vocals
- Cindy Birdsong - vocals
- The Four Tops
- Levi Stubbs - lead vocals
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir- vocals
- Lawrence Payton- vocals
- Renaldo "Obie" Benson- vocals
Charts
The Supremes & Four Tops version
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[8]
|
7 |
Other artists
- In 1964 jazz singer Morgana King released a version which became her signature song.[9]
- Tony Bennett reached #94 in the US with a vocal version for his album The Many Moods of Tony in 1964. His version of "A Taste of Honey" was recorded on September 11, 1963, accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio, and arranged by Dick Hyman.[10]
- Allen Shermanrecorded a parody version called A Waste of Money in 1968.
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1965 (U.S.)
- List of songs covered by the Beatles
References
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (January 13, 2024). "And the Grammy Goes to... Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 19.
- ^ "RPM Play Sheet - November 15, 1965" (PDF).
- ^ Sarti, Doug (February 26, 2019). "Billy Dee Williams dishes on Fan Expo, the nature of coolness, and—yes—Star Wars Episode IX". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0-7126-6697-4.
- ^ "The Beatles Bible: A Taste Of Honey". March 14, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ A Taste Of Honey | The Beatles Bible
- ^ "The Supremes & Four Tops - A Taste Of Honey | Top 40". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (September 2, 1985). "JAZZ: MORGANA KING". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
