"A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track (or recurring theme) written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey which was also made into the film of the same name in 1961. The original and a later recording by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song four Grammy Awards.
| "A Taste of Honey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the 1965 single | ||||
| Single by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass | ||||
| from the album Whipped Cream & Other Delights | ||||
| B-side | "Third Man Theme" | |||
| Released | August 1965 | |||
| Recorded | March 10, 1965 | |||
| Studio | 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "A Taste of Honey" on YouTube | ||||
A vocal version of the song proved successful for Lenny Welch in mid-1962.
Instrumental versions
editThe 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 Atlantic 1355. The composition won Best Instrumental Theme at the Grammy Awards of 1963.
- Martin Denny, Eddie Cano and the Victor Feldman Quartet each scored minor hits in 1962 with their covers.
- Acker Bilk released a version in the UK in January 1963, reaching number 16 in the UK Singles Chart.
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded the most popular instrumental version of the song with a cover on their 1965 album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. This recording won four awards including Record of the Year at the 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
editThe 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
edit| "A Taste of Honey" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the 1964 Germany single | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Please Please Me | |
| Released | March 22, 1963 |
| Recorded | February 11, 1963 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:01 |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Songwriter(s) | 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 Vee-Jay Records album Introducing... The Beatles. They also performed "A Taste of Honey" seven times for BBC radio shows, including Here We Go, Side by Side, and Easy Beat.[6] In 1967, McCartney was inspired to compose “Your Mother Should Know” based on a line taken from the screenplay.[5]
Personnel
edit- Paul McCartney – double-tracked lead vocals,[7] bass
- John Lennon – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – brushed drums
Engineered by Norman Smith[8]
Barbra Streisand
editBarbra Streisand recorded the song for her debut record "The Barbra Streisand Album",[9] produced by Mike Berniker in 1963.
The Supremes & Four Tops
edit| "A Taste of Honey" | |
|---|---|
 One of sleeve variants of the 1971 Dutch single | |
| Song by The Supremes & Four Tops | |
| from the album The Magnificent 7 | |
| Released | 1971 |
| Genre | R&B, soul |
| Length | 2:57 |
| Label | Tamla Motown |
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Scott/Ric Marlow |
| Producer(s) | Clay McMurray, Duke Browner |
Personnel
edit- 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
editThe Supremes & Four Tops version
edit| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[10] | 7 |
Other artists
edit- In 1964 jazz singer Morgana King released a version which became her signature song.[11]
- 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.[12]
- Bobby Darin recorded a version of the song for his album Venice Blue.
- In 2017, The Shins recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack album Resistance Radio: The Man In The High Castle Album.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b MacDonald, Ian (1998). Revolution in the Head. London: Pimlico. p. 231. ISBN 0-7126-6697-4.
- ^ "The Beatles Bible: A Taste Of Honey". March 14, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ Please Please Me (Album liner notes). The Beatles. 1963.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Taste Of Honey | The Beatles Bible
- ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
- ^ "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
- ^ Boilen, Bob (March 13, 2017). "Resistance Radio: Darkly Reimagining The '60s Sound". NPR Music. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996