Wild Honey Pie: Introduction
“Wild Honey Pie” is the Beatles’ very short track on their “White Album,” of course. This is also a Paul McCartney solo, with no effort from the other Beatles. The band also recorded a song with a similar title, “Honey Pie.” However, these two songs are completely different.
In Detail
- Release Date: November 22, 1968 (UK), November 25, 1968 (US)
- Recorded: August 20, 1968
- Studio: EMI Studios, London
- Genre: Experimental pop, lo-fi, psychedelic folk
- Track Duration: 0:52
- Record Label: Apple Records
- Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Ken Scott
Performer And Instruments
- Paul McCartney: lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitars, bass drum, and other percussion
Where To Find “Wild Honey Pie”
You can still buy this track because it is on the fantastic White Album. Click on the image to see the entire contents of the album
Wild Honey Pie: Background
The track is just experimental psychedelic folk with vocal repeats of “Honey Pie.” Then, at the end of the “song”, we hear, “I love you, oooo…..” Indeed, The Beatles would often do something off-the-cuff and, in many cases, not even finish the song. This appears to be one of those crazy moments.
“We were in an experimental mode, and so I said, ‘Can I just make something up?’ I started off with the guitar and did a multitracking experiment in the control room or maybe in the little room next door. It was very home-made; it wasn’t a big production at all.
I just made up this short piece, and I multitracked a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and built it up sculpturally with a lot of vibrato on the strings, really pulling the strings madly. Hence, ‘Wild Honey Pie’, which was a reference to the other song I had written called Honey Pie. It was a little experimental piece.”
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Recording Studio
The recording of “Wild Honey Pie” took place on August 20, 1968, at the EMI Studios in London. This was after the “Mother Nature’s Son” session, and both of these tracks saw Paul McCartney perform alone, of course. This is because George Harrison was on holiday in Greece while John Lennon and Ringo Starr were working on other “White Album” songs.
Obviously, Paul McCartney intended this as a filler track between songs on an otherwise perfect Beatles’ album.
In fact, they nearly excluded the song from the album. However, Paul McCartney said that George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, “liked it very much, so we decided to leave it on the album.”
Take A Listen
Give this track a spin, and then leave your comments below. Alternatively, use our massive Beatles Forum.
