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From album
The Beatles
The Beatles · 1968 · Track 26
Details
Duración2:41
ÁlbumThe Beatles
Año1968
ISRCGBAYE0601669
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The story behind
The song Honey Pie, born from the pen of Paul McCartney and credited to the duo Lennon–McCartney, is a direct nod to the style of British music halls. The story it narrates revolves around a renowned actress, referred to by the affectionate nickname "Honey Pie", who is succeeding in the United States. Her former love longs for her and wishes for her return to England. This premise, that of a humble admirer yearning for the return of his beloved, evokes typical plots from those old shows. To capture that sonic atmosphere of the era, "crackle" effects from 78 rpm records were added, along with the phrase "Now she's hit the big time!". The piece begins with a more leisurely introduction that then gives way to a livelier rhythm.
The recording of Honey Pie began on October 1, 1968, at Trident Studios, located on Wardour Street, London. A single take was registered on the first day, although it is likely that several previous rehearsals were performed and erased. The next day, McCartney recorded his lead vocals, and a guitar part was added. According to George Harrison, it was John Lennon who performed the guitar solo. The brass arrangement, handled by George Martin, was completed two days later, on October 4. McCartney added a final vocal layer at the end of the session. Before the recording sessions for the album The Beatles (known as the "White Album") began, a demo of Honey Pie was recorded at George Harrison's home studio in Esher. This preliminary version featured slightly different lyrics and lacked the introduction found in the final version. This demo saw the light of day in 1996, included in Anthology 3, and later in the Super Deluxe edition of The Beatles in 2018. The clarinet arrangement, according to Alan W. Pollack, creates an effect of "water spray in parallel thirds", while the saxophones perform tightly harmonized passages. The recording engineer for this piece was Barry Sheffield.