A Taste of Honey (song)
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| "A Taste of Honey" | ||
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| Song by the Beatles | ||
| from the album Please Please Me | ||
| Released | March 22, 1963 (mono) April 26, 1963 (stereo) |
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| Recorded | February 11, 1963 | |
| Genre | Rock and roll | |
| Length | 2:01 | |
| Label | Parlophone | |
| Writer(s) | Bobby Scott/Ric Marlow | |
| Producer(s) | George Martin | |
| Please Please Me track listing | ||
| "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" (11) |
"A Taste of Honey" (12) |
"There's a Place" (13) |
| Please Please Me track listing | ||
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"A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was first performed by Scott, and its title may have been inspired by the 1958 English play A Taste of Honey which reached Broadway in 1960.
It was covered by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on their album Whipped Cream & Other Delights, becoming a top ten hit in 1965 and winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. While this is the best remembered instrumental version, two others had competed in the charts in 1962: both Martin Denny and The Victor Feldman Quartet had minor hits with their takes on the song. The only vocal version to chart was the 1964 minor hit for Tony Bennett.
It was also covered by the Beatles on the album Please Please Me. It was a favourite of Paul McCartney's, and was included in the Beatles' repertoire in 1962. John Lennon sometimes played around with the title, calling it "A Waste of Money".[citation needed]
Shelagh Dalaney's script A Taste of Honey was filmed in 1961 by Tony Richardson and starred Liverpool actress Rita Tushingham. As part of the pioneering wave of "gritty" northern British working-class cinema of the period, the genre seemed to fit in with the Beatles' outspoken image, as well as also reflecting the social changes in attitude that were then taking place in the UK. The Beatles were to feature "A Taste of Honey" on many BBC radio shows, including Here We Go, Side by Side and Easy Beat.
The Beatles' version featured Paul McCartney on bass guitar and singing double-tracked lead vocals, John Lennon and George Harrison on guitars and harmony vocals, and Ringo Starr on drums.
[edit] Instrumentation
- John Lennon on rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Paul McCartney on bass, double-tracked lead vocals
- George Harrison on lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr on drums
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