Honey, Honey
Encyclopedia
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop
group ABBA
. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo
, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
.
, Benny Andersson
and Stig Anderson
, with shared vocals by Agnetha Fältskog
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
. As well as the English version, ABBA also recorded "Honey, Honey" in Swedish on January 30, 1974 at Metronome Studio, Stockholm
.
This was the last official recording by the group in their own language, and was released as the B-side
of the Swedish "Waterloo" single. In its English format, "Honey, Honey" was released with "King Kong Song
" as the B-side.
, Australia
& New Zealand
, but not in the UK
. ABBA's British record label, Epic Records, decided to release a remixed version of "Ring Ring". But this single only reached No.32, so, instead, a cover version
of "Honey, Honey" was recorded by the act Sweet Dreams
, featuring vocalist Polly Brown
, promptly hitting the UK top 10.
"Honey, Honey" spent 4 months in the top 5 in West Germany
and also reached the top 5 in Austria
, Spain
and Switzerland
. In the United States
, "Honey, Honey" was moderately successful compared to the group's later singles. It reached No.27 on both the Billboard Hot 100
and Adult Contemporary charts; the 1st ABBA single to reach the AC chart.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo
Waterloo (album)
* 1974 Polar Music International AB, Stockholm, Sweden.* The original album release of Waterloo in 1974 with Polar.-CD re-issues, bonus tracks:...
, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
History
"Honey, Honey" was written by Björn UlvaeusBjörn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Stig Anderson
Stig Anderson
Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
, with shared vocals by Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
. As well as the English version, ABBA also recorded "Honey, Honey" in Swedish on January 30, 1974 at Metronome Studio, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
This was the last official recording by the group in their own language, and was released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the Swedish "Waterloo" single. In its English format, "Honey, Honey" was released with "King Kong Song
King Kong Song
"King Kong Song" , written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, is the name of a 1974 recording by Swedish pop group ABBA, included on their album Waterloo...
" as the B-side.
Reception
"Honey, Honey" was released in several European countries, the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
& New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, but not in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. ABBA's British record label, Epic Records, decided to release a remixed version of "Ring Ring". But this single only reached No.32, so, instead, a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Honey, Honey" was recorded by the act Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (1970s band)
Sweet Dreams were an English studio group who in 1974 scored the English hit version of the ABBA song "Honey Honey".-Career:A cover of an ABBA album track, "Honey Honey" was recorded by a session group backing vocalist Polly Brown, who the track's producers Ron Roker and Gerry Shury had admired...
, featuring vocalist Polly Brown
Polly Brown
Polly Brown is an English singer. A member of Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams - and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling" and "Honey Honey" - Brown had an international solo hit in 1975 with "Up in a Puff of Smoke".-Biography:Brown recorded with...
, promptly hitting the UK top 10.
"Honey, Honey" spent 4 months in the top 5 in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and also reached the top 5 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, "Honey, Honey" was moderately successful compared to the group's later singles. It reached No.27 on both the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and Adult Contemporary charts; the 1st ABBA single to reach the AC chart.
Chart positions
| Chart (1974) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
30 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
4 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 19 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
16 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 11 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
27 |
| Chart (2008) | Position |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
16 |
Cover versions
- Tina Charles has recorded a version of this song.
- The British single version of "Honey, Honey" was recorded by studio group Sweet DreamsSweet Dreams (1970s band)Sweet Dreams were an English studio group who in 1974 scored the English hit version of the ABBA song "Honey Honey".-Career:A cover of an ABBA album track, "Honey Honey" was recorded by a session group backing vocalist Polly Brown, who the track's producers Ron Roker and Gerry Shury had admired...
and reached #10 UK and #14 in Ireland in 1974. In the U.S. the Sweet Dreams version debuted on the Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
two weeks prior to the ABBA original but ultimately lost out to the latter the peak of the Sweet Dreams version being #68. Both the Sweet Dreams and ABBA versions of "Honey, Honey" also charted concurrently in Germany with Sweet Dreams being the less successful with a #42 peak. - Finnish singer Monika aka Monica Apselund wrote her own lyrics for her rendering of "Honey, Honey" featured on her 1975 album Monika; this version was remade by Johanna Raunio on her eponymous 1994 album.
- A Swedish country band called Nashville Train (which included some of ABBA's own backing band members) covered the song in 1977 on their album ABBA Our Way, released on the Polar Music label in Sweden.
- The song was covered on the 1995 New Zealand compilation AbbasalutelyAbbasalutelyAbbasalutely is a compilation album released in 1995 by New Zealand recording label Flying Nun Records as a tribute album to ABBA.-Track listing:-External links:*...
by indie band Loves Ugly Children. - The 1999 compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration features a cover by Michael B. TretowMichael B. TretowBo Michael Tretow is a swedish record producer and audio engineer, Musician and composer, best known for his work with Swedish pop group ABBA , and with the musical Chess. Tretow experimented with different recording techniques, and played an essential part in creating the famous "ABBA-sound"...
and his daughter Sofia. Michael Tretow was a recording engineer for ABBA during the group's career. This cover of the song is unique in that it features musical references to thirteen other ABBA songs interspersed within the melody. - In 2001, a eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover was recorded by the group Housecream. - The song was covered as a duet by music artist John KlassJohn KlassJohn Klass is a Triple-platinum award-winning singer/producer/songwriter/radio presenter.- Biography :John Klass has been in the entertainment scene from 1991 to present....
and Singaporean actress Jamie YeoJamie YeoJamie Yeo is a TV host, actress, radio deejay and model, known for co-hosting the ESPN/Star Sports Castrol Football Crazy and Maxis Football Extra television shows in Asia and portraying Tammy in the TV show Growing Up, arguably the role that made her famous.Yeo was born in Singapore on April 17,...
. - The song is sung in the first act of the Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
musical by Sophie and her friends. Most of the lyrics are sung when Sophie is reading her mother's diary. Therefore, it is as if her mother wrote the lyrics in her diary. Also, the end of song reflects on how much Sophie wants to meet her father. - The movie adaptation of Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! (film)Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...
features the song being sung by actress Amanda SeyfriedAmanda SeyfriedAmanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
(as Sophie), with actresses Ashley Lilley (as Ali) and Rachel McDowall (as Lisa) on backup vocals. This recording made no. 61 in the UK singles chart dated 2 August 2008, and no. 50 on the Australian singles charts. Released on download sales alone, it was credited to simply 'Original Cast Recording'. - A hi-NRGHi-NRGHi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
/eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover by Abbacadabra was released in the late 1990s through Almighty RecordsAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
. It was most recently available on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Collection. On various P2P sharing sites, the song is often mistakenly labelled as being performed by the Swedish teen pop group A*Teens. An audio sample of the cover can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.
Appearances in other media
- Australian radio station 2GB2GB2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...
's weekend rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
sports show the Continuous Call TeamContinuous Call TeamThe Continuous Call Team is an Australian radio sports program, covering the news and live games of the National Rugby League. It is produced and broadcast by 2GB Sydney, and is relayed to stations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.The team have...
use the song as a parody to Parramatta EelsParramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
player Fuifui MoimoiFuifui MoimoiFuifui Moana Moimoi is a New Zealand-Tongan professional rugby league footballer for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League competition.-Playing career:...
.