A solo recording by Paul McCartney, ‘Wild Honey Pie’ was a singalong written in Rishikesh, India, and recorded at the end of the session for ‘Mother Nature’s Son’.
[‘Wild Honey Pie’] was just a fragment of an instrumental which we were not sure about, but Pattie Harrison liked it very much, so we decided to leave it on the album.
Paul McCartney
In the studio
‘Wild Honey Pie’ was recorded on 20 August 1968, during the second and final session for ‘Mother Nature’s Son’. McCartney also recorded another demo, ‘Etcetera’, during the same session, but the song remains unreleased.
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
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
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I know Lennon sings on this, you can distinctly hear him singing on the album.
No, I’m pretty sure it’s just Paul. Actually, Paul could imitate John pretty well. He sings on top of John’s vocal on “Real Love”, and it sounds like John’s double tracked but he’s not.
I could be wrong about that. The “Real Love” video does show Paul singing along with John’s voice in the studio, but that might not have been on the final cut.
I love how George Harrison is usually alloted no more than two songs per record but paul gets to crap like this. Don’t get me wrong I like it but I am sure george had one better. Just think how cool (and improbable) it would have been if the beatles had decided to a Beatles album of songs composed only by George. All Things Must Pass by the Beatles with George Martin producing would have been awesome.
Too much ego involved, never woulda happened.
Actually it is well known that they had come to an agreement of having 4 songs each per album and yes that included Ringo
Like Not Guilty, for example.
Not guilty is a droll song with too many words jammed in and an unvaried tune. George didn’t actually finish it till much later when he put it on a solo album in the later seventies. George withdrew or didn’t finish some of his songs till much later then complained for 30 years. The white album contained many strange and varied song styles.
That would’ve been very unfair to John and Paul, since they were the main writers.
No it doesn’t. Only in Paulie’s dreams could he ever ”imitate” Johnny in the slightest. That’s an insult to the dead who are no longer there to defend themselves, so I’ll do it for them.
I agree!
And John could never imitate Paul, not in the slightest. BUT, they did – always – blend their voices so well it often sounded like a double-track.
BTW – dead or not, John needs no “defending” from you.
As you call him, Paulie imited John’s style and sound very well, the best example is the solo “Let Me Roll it to you.”
I think that John Lennon’s voice is included, yelling as if he’s insane.
All concurrent documentation and recollections of those WHO WERE THERE prove it’s all Paul.
That’s right, MikeP.
I have heard the song dozens of times and at no time do I hear any evidence of John singing backing vocals; his voice would’ve been obvious had he been involved. He and Ringo were occupied in another studio and George was on a holiday in Greece, so this meant that Paul had to be self-reliant in the studio.
It sounds like Paul basically improvised “Wild Honey Pie” in the studio.
John is very clearly on the track. His voice isn’t very high in the mix for most of the song, but put on headphones and listen to the very last “Ob La Di Bla Da.” 100% that is John’s voice right there. It’s not even a debate really.
Paul likes to use ‘we’ to indicate a group process that really didn’t exist on this track. It is jarring and ultimately more of an amateurish noise than anything else. But Patty Harrison liked it so somehow her vote ruled the day!? I guess John says he was okay with it, too, but I can’t help but wonder about the combined forces of Martin-McCartney trying to keep ‘Revolution 9’ off but allowing this. Hmm.
Well, “Wild Honey Pie” had a tune (of sorts) and was less than a minute long, making it much more “acceptable” or “commercial” or whatever than “Revolution 9”. So I’d say Martin/McCartney’s objections were more justified. (Of course, both tracks made the album, and I’m glad they did, so the whole thing is moot anyways.)
The only Beatles track I can’t stand to listen to. I’ll even sit through Rev 9 some times. In a word, horrible.
A waste of recording tape.
In my opinion, the same could be said about many of the tracks. This would’ve made a good single album!
I smiled when I read Paul’s quote that “WE decided to leave (Wild Honey Pie) on the album.” George Martin is on record as having said he wanted ONE single album with the BEST songs on it, so HE’S not part of the “we.” And I am picturing John and George silently fuming and glaring at that quote. Ringo (who wasn’t asked to play on the song) probably looked up from his game of solitaire, and mumbled “whatever…” so Ringo might be part of the “we.” That being said, I’m glad “Wild Honey Pie” made the cut. It was jarring when I first heard it, but now I like it as the oddity it is. And the way it ends, and segues into the Spanish guitar intro of “Bungalow Bill”… seems perfect to me.
Ringo was occupied with John recording the count-in for “Yer Blues”, so Paul wouldn’t have excluded him on purpose, and also, George was on holiday in Corfu, a Greek island.
It’s interesting to see that so many Beatle fanatics hate this one. I kinda like it. Like von Bontee says it’s not too long, and the descending 7th chords sound kind of good, and it fits nicely with Bungalow Bill and then WMGGW, and it is sort of gleeful. All in all II like the little snippets on the White Album–can you take me back, this, and even Why Don’t We Do It (which is longer than the others but which IMHO would have been better as a one verse snippet).
Anyway thumbs up from me for this strange but happy little thing.
A really fun track, much better than “Honey Pie” which is somewhat disposable. I like how it is structured, and it’s an engaging interlude of a track. Certainly not what the Beatles do often, which is about righting a rather safe, catchy pop song – but their other side is interesting arrangements/production, which this certainly has.
This may be a disposable Beatles’ track, but the Pixies made it essential with their unlikely cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdYyg8o2NTg
I love every Beatles album as they were conceived. Every single song, arrangement, instrumentation, singing, production. How each song fits in the next one. But let me tell you there were stuff enough to make a triple album. It would have been amazing. George´s “Dehra dun”, “Not guilty”, “Sour milk sea”, “Circles”, “See yourself”, John´s “What´s the new Mary Jane”, “Child of nature”, “Mean Mr. Mustard”, “Polythene Pam”, Paul´s “Junk”, “Etcetera”, the complete “Can you take me back”. Great ! don´t you think so ?
I’m with carlos…love them all. They wouldn’t have been the Beatles without each and every song, nobody would be here talking and we would still be listening to Chuck Berry (nothing against Chuck, I’m a Beatles fella – their music makes me feel good and heals me – somehow makes everything seem worthwhile in life).
If it wasn’t on the white album this song would be annoying. Listening To The White album it fits Perfectly in Its Place.
Well said “Fool On The Hill”. I agree completely, anyone who says they don’t like a Beatles song, even Mr. Moonlight, is not a true fanatic. “somehow makes everything seem worthwhile in life”……………
Without Patti’s support for this song, it might have been left off the album.
The sad thing is that Georges “Not Guilty” has been left out, but “Revolution #9” – and this one – is on the WA. However, this is at least a (good) musical joke, and it´s quite short, so it doesn´t really matter much, while R.#9 is 8+ min …. and simply in the way for another (better) song – or two.
When I was a kid I always thought that this was a collaboration between John & Yoko…!!
People leaving negative comments about “Honey Pie” are ignorant of the creative playful inspiration of this song. This is an excellent rendition of American dance music you might have heard in the 20’s. The Beatles’ study of music is reflected by the wide ranging spectrum of styles and individuals they examined and incorporated into their various songs.
Let me go on record as saying this is my least favorite Beatles song. If they would have added it onto the end of “Honey Pie”, as a refrain, it would not have had to stand on it’s own and .might have been more easily forgotten.
So this excuse of a song got put on the album because…Pattie Boyd liked it?? Meanwhile George had to bring Eric Clapton into the studio for Paul and John get serious with While My Guitar Gently Weeps
I’m not crazy for it, but You’re Mother Should Know annoys me more. But The Beatles sound great whatever they do.
this is one of the Beatles songs where ALL THE CHORDS are 7th (noted on music sheets as C7 B7 E7 etc )
i would mention , in this category (all 7th )
-Wild Honey Pie
-Day tripper
-Why don t we do it in a road
-Boys
-bad boy
-for you blue
-matchbox
-mr mustard
-money
-one after 909
-rock and roll
Good grief the Paul haters in the comments are ridiculous. This is a weird fun throwaway. George didn’t get enough songs? He had multiple bangers on the White Album and all were pretty long. Was he asking to get a 1 minute throwaway on the album and get rejected? Come on.
“Wild Honey Pie” is a near throwaway, but it is a unique and somewhat funny little tune. At under a minute, it’s fairly inconsequential and easy to ignore. Of course, I would have preferred it be replaced by something more consequential like “Hey Jude”, but that would have changed the whole structure of the album. Years ago, I did record the album onto cassette with “Hey Jude” replacing “Revolution 9”. I liked that much better. I have trouble humming #9, even if it was really interesting the first umpteen times I listened to it. Of course, “Not Guilty” was also too long to fit on side one as a replacement for “WHP”.
I like it! And I tend to be critical of Paul. It’s a fun bit that fits in well with the eclectically jambalaya approach of the White Album. Would I want it on another album? Perhaps not. But that’s part of the unique charm of the White Album for me. Loose. Diverse. And unexpected.