Elton John’s “Honky Cat” Lyrics Meaning
Elton John’s “Honky Cat” is a tale of rural-urban drift told from the perspective of a person, referred to by naysayers as “honky cat”, who went through it firsthand. But the story being told is not about his experiences in the big city per se. Neither is it about the differences between it and his home “back (in) the woods”. Rather the focus is on a specific type of response he got from certain people.
And what these individuals have told “honky cat” is to “get back”, as in return from the countryside from whence he came or to not even attempt venturing into the city in the first place. However, he has no intention of heeding these words. The “city lights” instantly ‘blinded’ him with their allure from the moment he first saw them. Also he has come to discover, via the media, that there is a special kind of “high-class” lifestyle there. Indeed from a personal standpoint it is as if he does not really have a choice, as his “heart” is compelling him to bounce to the city.
As to who exactly the people are who are trying to deter him from pursuing this dream, it seems as if it is both those in his hometown and some he has encountered in the city.
Meaning of “Honky”
The word “honky” is actually an old-school derogatory term used in America against White people. And on the surface, this would imply that the people addressing him are more likely from the city, not his own hometown. However, within the context of this song, “honky” is used as a generalization, as in to symbolize the singer truly being a “redneck”, i.e. someone born and raised out on the countryside.
And at the center of the reasoning of his naysayers is not his race at all but rather his perceptions of what urban living actually is, as in life there being much more difficult than what he imagines. But despite the various, persistent ways they go about presenting this argument, there does not seem to be any indication of “honky cat” giving up on his metropolitan dream.
Facts about “Honky Cat”
Elton John wrote this alongside Bernie Taupin, his partner in composing many of his hits. In fact it is believed that “honky cat” is actually Taupin himself, who was born in a small village in England. Indeed the farmhouse that he initially lived in as a child did not even have electricity.
The production of “Honky Cat” was handled by Gus Dudgeon.
“Honky Cat” was released on 19 May 1972 as the first song on Elton John’s album Honky Château. It was later dropped as a single on 31 July of that same year.
“Honky Cat” peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 31 on the UK Singles Chart.
Keep banging on
Someone once told me that what Sir Elton was referring to with ” Redneck ways” was him being promiscuous and redneck referring to hickies
I don’t think that’s what the line means, IMHO
I think it is common, at least in the South 🇺🇸, to call country folks “ rednecks”
Bottom line, the song is racist
Stop it. We are all tired of hearing about racism all the time.
You are racist. Voice of Reason is clearly a Nazi regime rouse. You should quit those days and your skinhead ways.
It’s a country boy, who gets seduced into moving to a major City ????️ The descriptive terms of ” redneck ” & ” Honky Cat ” are a way to describe the character depicted in the song. I think it’s like a lot of song writing by Elton & Bernie… It’s got a good groove & it was meant to be a fun song. Some of Elton John’s song’s are not as deep as many might wish them to be????