“Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro

“Honey” is a term of endearment which the narrator (Bobby Goldsboro) uses towards his significant other. It is revealed later in the song that she has passed away. And as noted in the trivia section, the way he goes about expressing his affection for his departed lover is a bit unorthodox. Or another way of looking at it is that he’s just being frank. That is to say that two aspects of her personality which he misses the most was her being quite emotional and unintentionally humoring him. And at the end of the day, the main sentiment that is put forth is that he does in fact long for his “Honey”.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Bobby Goldsboro's Honey at Lyrics.org.

Facts about “Honey”

This classic was composed entirely by Bobby Russell (1940-1992) and produced by Bobby Montgomery (1937-2014).

“Honey” proved to be the signature song of Goldsboro’s career. In fact it performed phenomenally-well. For instance it flew to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100. It also managed to reach number one in four other countries. Moreover it peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Additionally it is said to have sold 1,000,000 copies within the time span of 3 weeks. Even by modern standards, selling a million copies within just a matter of weeks is a major accomplishment.

This song was released on 17 February 1968 via United Artists Records. And it is featured on a Goldsboro album which itself is entitled “Honey”.

Goldsboro is actually the second artist known to have recorded “Honey”. The first would be one Bob Shane (1934-2020) who was formerly a member of a group called the Kingston Trio.

One interesting fact about this track is that it actually reached number 1 on the Hot 100 on the date of 7 April 1968. In other words it was the first song to top the list after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on 4 April 1968.

Is “Honey” a horrible song?

Interesting to note is that whereas the track was in fact a major hit, it has dealt with its fair share of criticism throughout the years. For example, it has earned titles such as being dubbed one of the “World’s Worst Songs” and CNN even calling it “The Worst Song of All Time”. One of the noted reasons such hatred for the tune exists is because to some listeners the singer comes off, in the words of Stereogum, as being “an absolute f*****g ***hole”. But it has also been put forth that the lyrics are overly-sappy and the vocals unconventional.

10 Responses

  1. Fred T Barner says:

    Born helpless, crying is a basic human need. We spend too much of our lives trying to convince ourselves that we need not cry, we need not be rescued from our fragile state into which we are born. We want to believe that we do not need the other. Honey invites us to cry. The invitation is so compelling it can anger us. Honey tells of all of that, and it is beautiful because it calls us into our humanity, which includes our inescapable, un-dismissible need for the other. Honey is only a song, but it tells of human life as it really is.

  2. Gail says:

    Honey is a beautiful song about a man remembering the love of his life.

  3. Steve Petry says:

    “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro is lyrics I personally relate to and feel deeply because I
    still feel the loss of my truly soulmate wife 9 years ago! It is not sappy to me. It provides
    deep, difficult personal therapy because I loved Marilyn so very much. Men, it is a
    real, human need to cry in private, it does help.

  4. Lori Reeves says:

    This song came out 2 days before my 25 yr old brother died….so my mom played it a lot! I still have the 45.

  5. George Lee says:

    All these so called musical experts, won’t know good music if it ran over them. After all these years after my wife passed, this song still brings back memories. She loved her yard and worked constantly on it. Her memorial is now a weed patch.

  6. Curious says:

    Love the song but one wonders what Honey died of? It says the angels came in early spring, while she was alone. She easily cries….found to be crying as mentioned in the song. Did she have depression? Did she commit suicide? Had she been ill?

  7. Anonymous says:

    I thought it was his daughter he was singing about.

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