The Beatles Lyric That Took Paul McCartney Back to the Golden Age of Hollywood

The Beatles might have spurred a sea change in rock and roll when they arrived on the scene, but they didn’t create their sound from complete scratch. They were a product of their influences: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fred Astaire …

Wait, Fred Astaire? Well, it’s partially true, at least when it comes to the White Album track “Honey Pie.” It’s a song where Paul McCartney indulged his love of classic Hollywood musicals, and didn’t even bother updating the sound for 1968.

Spreading on the “Honey”

The Beatles never shied away from paying homage, sometimes pretty obviously, to the music that had a big impact on them. Obviously, the rock and roll that bubbled up in the late ‘50s cast a big spell on them, but that was not by any stretch the only genre that steered their artistic sensibilities.

It’s important to remember these four guys were all born in the early 1940s, and spent many years of their childhood listening to music far removed from rock and roll, in part because that genre hadn’t really been invented yet. That range of influences is part of what made their music so special.

When it came to “Honey Pie,” which appeared on the White Album in 1968 and features a jazzy ensemble of saxophones and clarinets as well as a clever little John Lennon guitar solo, Paul McCartney went back to the Golden Age of Hollywood for his inspiration, as he explained in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present:

“I was definitely thinking of Fred [Astaire] and the whole world of the silver screen when I was writing ‘Honey Pie.’… If I’d have to choose anyone, I’d be very happy to be thought of as a channeler of Nat King Cole or Fats [Waller] or Fred. I don’t think there’s any denying the idea of being a medium. I definitely dreamt ‘Yesterday,’ so I’m sure I’ve channelled many other songs.”

The Meaning Behind the Lyrics of “Honey Pie”

One immediate aspect of “Honey Pie” that makes apparent its throwback vibe is the intro that’s separate from the main structure of the song, with McCartney’s vocals altered by effects to sound as if it’s being beamed in from some dusty radio. In this section, he explains his scenario, how a local British girl he once loved hit the big time in the U.S.A.

McCartney captures the balance between genuine emotion and lighthearted fancy that was the hallmark of so many movie musical songs. Check out how his first verse glides along: Honey pie, you are making me crazy / I’m in love but I’m lazy / Won’t you please come home?

Now that we’ve established that his indolence is the real hindrance to their reunion, it’s hard to work up too much sympathy for this character. But he certainly has a way with words: Oh, Honey Pie, you are driving me frantic / Sail across the Atlantic / To be where you belong.

McCartney saves some of his most romantic notions for the middle eights. In the first of those, he sings: You became a legend of the silver screen / And now the thought of meeting you makes me weak in the knee. Later, the narrator beseeches the heavens for a benevolent breeze: Will the wind that blew her boat across the sea / Kindly send her sailing back to me?

“Honey Pie” isn’t meant to be anything more than a charming little ditty, and it serves its purpose as a break from the heavier stuff elsewhere on the White Album. It also proved The Beatles went back a little further than many might have guessed when it came to the influences that sparked their world-changing sound.

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