Honey Pie

"Honey Pie" is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and recorded by The Beatles for their 1968 album The Beatles.

"It’s not a parody, it’s a nod to the vaudeville tradition that I was raised on."
- McCartney

Interpretation

The song is a direct homage to the British music hall style. It concerns a famed actress, called only by the term of endearment "Honey Pie", who becomes famous in the United States, and her old lover, who wishes for her to rejoin him in England. The premise – a humble admirer yearning for the return of his lover – is not unlike a typical music hall plot. To establish an appropriate, old-timey sound, the band added the third line, "Now she's hit the big time!", along with "crackles" taken from a 78 rpm record. The song begins with a slower intro, and becomes fast after that.

Recording

Before recording sessions for the album began, the Beatles recorded a demo of Honey Pie at George Harrison's Esher home studios. This version contained slightly different lyrics and lacked the introduction of the final version. The demo was later released in 1996 on Anthology 3 and the 2018 Super Deluxe edition of The Beatles album.

Recording began on 1 October 1968, at Trident Studios in London's Wardour Street. Only one take was recorded on the first day, although it is likely that a number of rehearsal attempts had previously been recorded and wiped. The next day, McCartney taped his lead vocals, and a lead guitar part was added. According to George Harrison, John Lennon played the guitar solo. The song's woodwind arrangement by George Martin was recorded two days later on 4 October. McCartney added a final vocal overdub at the end of the session.