B-side "Bag Lady" Recorded 2007 | Released December 11, 2007 Genre R&B | |
Format CD single, digital download Length 5:21 (Album Version)
4:37 (Radio Edit)
19:10 (Remix Version) | ||
"Honey" is a song by Erykah Badu, released on December 11, 2007, as the lead single from her 2008 album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). The song was produced by 9th Wonder and samples singer Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love".
Contents
Music video
Directed by Badu and Chris Robinson, the song's music video was released on January 28, 2008, and was conceived by Badu as an homage to classic records. Set in a small business record store, it follows a customer looking through vintage R&B, hip hop, and rock LP albums, with the albums' cover artwork depicted as moving images with Badu cast in them. According to Robinson, "We wanted a video that spoke to Badu's eclecticism. Those album covers represent all the influences that she embodies." Albums covers that were recreated in the video are those of:
As a video within a video, the record store's video screen plays an excerpt of the song "Annie" performed by Badu's side project Edith Funker, which features Questlove, James Poyser, Nikka Costa, Mike Elizondo, and Wendy Melvoin. The video also features a cameo appearance by Sa-Ra member Shafiq Husayn. The video also features a recreated version of Rolling Stone magazine's front cover for its January 1981 issue, which originally featured John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
In the video, Badu also spoofs ex-boyfriend André 3000 in OutKast's 2004 video "Hey Ya!", changing the green setting for a pink one. The album cover is influenced in layout and proportions by the artwork from the 1976 self-titled debut album of the band Boston. The artwork for the album Boston can be seen on the record store wall just below and to the left of the artwork for Honey in the final seconds of the video.
Accolades
The video for "Honey" won Best Direction at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and was nominated for Best Special Effects, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.
The video was also nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 51st Grammy Awards.
It appeared at number seventy-nine on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008.
In 2011, Complex magazine named it the 29th best music video of the 2000s.