A favourite song of Paul McCartney’s, ‘A Taste Of Honey’ was originally the theme tune for the 1961 film version of Shelagh Delaney’s play of the same name, starring Rita Tushingham.
‘A Taste Of Honey’ had previously been recorded by a number of artists, mostly in instrumental versions. The Beatles adapted the arrangement from the first vocal version, released by Lenny Welch on 17 September 1962. They did, however, make some minor lyrical changes to the chorus – Welch’s version contains the lines “A taste of honey/A taste much sweeter than wine”.
While the wholesomeness of the song was to McCartney’s liking (similarities can be drawn with ‘Besame Mucho’ and ‘Till There Was You’), its sentimental tone sat uneasily with the raw energy evident on songs such as ‘Twist And Shout’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’.
It did, however, demonstrate The Beatles’ versatility as a group, something they were keen to push as they sought to establish a name for themselves. ‘A Taste Of Honey’ was part of The Beatles’ live repertoire in 1962 and 1963.
‘A Taste Of Honey’ was one of my big numbers in Hamburg – a bit of a ballad. It was different, but it used to get requested a lot. We sang close harmonies on the little echo mikes, and we made a fairly good job of it. It used to sound pretty good, actually.
Anthology
The song was included on Please Please Me, and on the US LPs Introducing The Beatles and The Early Beatles. It was also one of four songs on The Beatles’ first UK EP, Twist And Shout, released on 12 July 1963.
In the studio
The Beatles recorded ‘A Taste Of Honey’ on 11 February 1963, the day 10 songs were recorded for the Please Please Me album.
‘A Taste Of Honey’ was the first song recorded during the day’s afternoon session, which took place between 2.30pm and 6pm. They recorded five takes, and – following the recording of ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ – Paul McCartney double-tracked his lead vocals, the only such instance on the album.
The overdub took the number of takes up to seven. Mono and stereo mixes were made on 25 February, without The Beatles being present in the studio.
BBC sessions
The Beatles recorded ‘A Taste Of Honey’ seven times for BBC radio, one of which pre-dated the EMI version.
- Here We Go – recorded 25 October 1962; first broadcast the following day.
- Side By Side – recorded 1 April 1963; broadcast 13 May.
- Pop Go The Beatles, episode three – recorded 1 June 1963; broadcast 6 June.
- Easy Beat – recorded 19 June 1963; broadcast 23 June.
- Beat Show – recorded 3 July 1963; broadcast the following day.
- Pop Go The Beatles, episode six – recorded 10 July 1963; broadcast 23 July.
- Pop Go The Beatles, episode 13 – recorded 3 September 1963; broadcast 10 September.
The 10 July 1963 version, recorded at the Aeolian Hall, London, was included on the 1994 collection Live At The BBC.
Lyrics
A taste of honey
Tasting much sweeter than wine
I dream of your first kiss and then
I feel upon my lips again
A taste of honey
Tasting much sweeter than wine
I will return, yes I will return
I’ll come back for the honey and you
Yours was the kiss that awoke my heart
There lingers still, though we’re far apart
That taste of honey
Tasting much sweeter than wine
Oh I will return, yes I will return
I’ll come back (he’ll come back)
For the honey (for the honey)
And you
one of my favorite cover songs…. it’s just a weird piece but there’s something great about it… it’s hard to explain. i’ve always loved this song
It always sounded to me like it was Ringo and Paul…idk why but the A Taste of Honey… part sounded like them.
It’s officially documented that Paul is lead, with John and George singing background. But after I read your entry, I started to hear Ringo too. But I’m positive that it’s really John. He had a bad cold this day, which is evident in his vocals on various songs recorded this day.
I completely agree,
Yes, I always thought it sounded like Ringo was helping with backups on this too! Especially on the studio recording, the first time the backup vocals sing “At Taste of Honey”
I’ve always liked this one too, especially those descending guitarpeggios and the effortless way they switch from 3/4 to 4/4 during the bridge.
This song always makes me smile. Those who were just boys when the Herb Alpert album featuring this song came out, know what I mean. I believe my fondness for whipped cream started at the same time!
Ah yes, “Whipped Cream and Other Delights”, the all-time budget-bin classic! I think every used-record store in the Americas was legally required to have a scratched, dusty copy in stock. (I paid a quarter for my copy!)
I don’t know, this one doesn’t connect with me. It could be the placement on the album or the fact Paul’s vocal sounds a bit off on it. The background vocals overtake the lead a bit much for me too.
This is the only song where I notice that John had a cold that day, so the background vocals leave me a bit flat.
Yes, that album cover was the sexiest thing my pre-adolescent brain had ever been exposed to. My best friend was Herb Alpert’s cousin, and at age 11 we got a tour of A&M studios, ending with meeting the Man himself. We shook hands, and his was the softest adult male hand I’d ever touched. The complete lack of callouses in part inspired me to take up a career in the arts.
George does sing in this which is surprising because you can’t hear him until the final section and in Take 6 you can’t hear him at all. If you want to hear his vocal, listen to the BBC version. If you listen really carefully, you can hear his voice above John’s for example at 1:19. So I guess that when they double-tracked Paul they also added the backing vocals or at least just George’s vocal but George was too far away from the mic on the takes or the mic wasn’t on which would also mean that they had already put on Johns vocal before or he had a different mic. So they probably didn’t notice that you couldn’t hear George until it was too late and the Beatles had left.
Agreed.
Dos anyone know which specific BBC version contains Paul’s singing the line (“No other lips may cling to mine…”) from Lenny Welch’s hit that The Beatles removed on their studio recordng? Because of this difference, this should have been the version released by EMI on the LIVE AT THE BBC album, if the fidelity was acceptable.
I read somewhere (I believe it is in Mark Lewisohn’s book of all the recordings) that John changed the lyrics live to “A Waste of Money” to express his feelings about this song. Does anybody know this is true?
I like their “Live At The Star Club, Hamburg” version of A Taste Of Honey. Although it was crudely recorded, I like the raw sound & a little bit faster tempo than the studio version.
Simply a masterpiece.
The song alone is a masterpiece – sexy and romantic. I heard it first by other artists and I’m sorry about that. I was in my senior year of college before I ever even heard of The Beatles – 1964-65. Back then I was still stuck in s**t music (no, not sheet music – you heard me.) Anyway, you can’t live twice so I’m destined to hear it sung in my mind by banal American crooners, Andy Williams, for example, and never by Paul and his troupe. Another reason: Would that I could redo the 60s.
(I am working on being reborn in England for my next life.) I mean there’re English detective stories and like that and English authors and English you know, everything. Even my English Parrs of Manchester area like near St Helens … I could go on, but boooorrring. But somehow I missed the 60s. Entirely. Susan near Seattle.
I love this song so much and their version is fantastic!
I do not like this song. On the upbeat Please Please Me when 3 perfectly acceptable songs (From Me To You, Thank You Girl and One After 909) would have filled this void well, the most out of place, groove-removing, tempo crashing song is chosen. Oh well, the other 13 songs are perfect.
You obviously are not fans of free speech
Agree! As much as I love the Beatles, this is one they could have dropped
Me too . Prefer Herb Alpert.
The “Live at the Star Club” version of “Taste of Honey” is actually one of the better sounding tracks of the recording. Paul’s vocals are rather clear, and so is the instrumentation. In fact if you listen carefully to the album, John’s rhythm guitar comes through very well.
I saw them do this at the Cavern around October 1962. Their rapport with the audience was typical of that Cavern intimacy. They would fool around with the ending: Paul “I’ll come back.” (then say 10 minutes later) John and George: “He’ll come back.” (wait another 5 minutes) Paul: “I’ll come back.” And ping pong until the great final line, “for the honey, and YOUUU!” (Paul on the top octave)
A very catchy song
I have a Canadian pressing of the Twist & Shout album and just love this track. I especially like how they mixed in the reverb on Paul’s vocals during the “I will return” part as it makes him sound far away and coincides with the lyrics which is brilliant. Also, the bass line at that part really gets the song rolling and pulls you in.
Paul employs a clever trick by combining “much” and “sweeter” into “schweeter”. This helps to avoid an annoying hissing “Ssss” sound on the recording. This song is much schweeter than wine!
Actually, I don’t hear the “w” at all. Sounds like “schreeter”. But, your point about esses is correct.
The Beatles obviously liked it a lot, all of them. If they hadn´t liked it, it wouldn´t have stayed firmly as a regular track in their live set -plus the BBC gigs- for a full year. It was last played in Eskilstuna, Sweden, October 29 1963.
Great early Beatles song. Well sung by Paul. The chord that the song finishes on… C#m? …is really cool. Not sure if that was their idea.. or done before. But either way it’s a great finishing touch.
Probably one of my absolute least favorite Beatles tracks. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way. I think it feels out of place and really isn’t my cup of tea. To me it’s a rather forgettable number.
For me the worst song of the Album and one of the worst songs they ever put on a Album,
I just can’t stand it. Love the Album as whole but this song…
I don’t get the hate for this one. It’s a pretty good track with an ethereal and somewhat otherworldly quality to my ear. Almost sounds like a bit of proto-psychedelia, if you ask me. I can hear hints of what they would eventually become when I play this one and for that reason I think it deserves a little more appreciation.