Released 1965 Genre Jazz
instrumental
pop Label A&M | Recorded 1965 Length 2:43 | |
Writer(s) Bobby Scott, Ric Marlow | ||
"A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track (or recurring theme) written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey (which was also made into the film of the same name in 1961). Both the original and a later recording by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song four Grammy Awards. A vocal version of the song, first recorded by Billy Dee Williams (and released in 1961 on the Prestige label), was recorded by the Beatles for their first album in 1963. Barbra Streisand had performed the song as part of her cabaret act during 1962, and recorded it for her debut album The Barbra Streisand Album on Columbia, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year (1963).
Contents
Instrumental versions
The original recorded versions of the song "A Taste of Honey", "A Taste of Honey (refrain)" and "A Taste of Honey (closing theme)", appeared on Bobby Scott's 1960 album, also titled A Taste of Honey, on Atlantic 1355. The composition won Best Instrumental Theme at the Grammy Awards of 1963.
The Beatles
The Beatles performed Lenny Welch's adaptation, slightly changing the lyrics in the chorus, as part of their repertoire in 1962 and as the instrumental version by Acker Bilk was popular in the United Kingdom at the time, the song was chosen to be recorded for their 1963 debut album, Please Please Me. A version from this time was released in 1977 on the album Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
In the US this song first appeared on the VeeJay Records album Introducing... The Beatles. They also performed "A Taste of Honey" seven times for BBC radio shows, including Here We Go, Side by Side and Easy Beat. In 1967 McCartney was inspired to compose “Your Mother Should Know” based on a line taken from the screenplay.
Personnel
Engineered by Norman Smith
Other artists
Lenny Welch recorded an early vocal version. It was released as a single in September 1962 on the Cadence Records label and included on his 1963 album Since I Fell for You. This version also credits Lee Morris as a writer but it is not known if it was he who provided the lyrics. This credit does not appear on any covers of the song, with only Marlow/Scott credited.
Controversy
Reprise Records, pretending to be Liberty Records, sent fraudulent telegrams to disk jockeys to convince them to play Eddie Cano's version of the song instead of Martin Denny's version.