Honey Bee (Blake Shelton song)
Encyclopedia
"Honey Bee" is the title of a song written by Rhett Akins
and Ben Hayslip
, and recorded by American country
artist Blake Shelton
. It was released in April 2011, and appears on his sixth studio album, Red River Blue
, for Reprise Nashville
.
awards telecast on April 3, 2011, where he also sang "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking
". "Honey Bee" was released to digital retailers immediately after the broadcast.
and Ben Hayslip
, two-thirds of the "Peach Pickers" writing ensemble, wrote the song. Akins said that he first thought of writing a song called "Huckleberry" after seeing an article in Billboard
magazine about former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee
. He then changed the word to "honeysuckle", and came up with the line "You be my honeysuckle / I'll be your honey bee." Akins said that he thought that "it was a different way for the guy to say, 'we should date, I love you.'"
, and directed by Trey Fanjoy
.
reviewer Jonathan Keefe criticized the lyrics, but praised Shelton's vocals. C.M. Wilcox of The 9513 gave the song a "thumbs down." He thought that the lyrics were written in a "repetitive, fill-in-the-blank structure," and criticized Shelton for recording "ear catching but substantively bankrupt country boy hokum."
s in its first week, setting a new record for the most first-week downloads by a male country singer. As a result of the downloads, the song debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100
chart dated for the week ending April 23, 2011. This entry makes him the highest-debuting male country artist on the Hot 100 since Garth Brooks
(recording as Chris Gaines
) debuted at number five in September 1999 with "Lost in You
". "Honey Bee" also debuted at number 31 on the Hot Country Songs
charts and number 58 on the Canadian Hot 100
. By its seventh week, the song had gone digital gold, making it the fastest rising single ever to sell over 500,000 digital copies by a male country soloist. It became Shelton's fourth consecutive and ninth Number One single on the country chart dated June 25, 2011.
Rhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. is an American country singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label , followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment...
and Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip is an American country music songwriter. Hayslip attended Evans High School near Augusta, Georgia where he was an All-State first baseman leading the Evans baseball team to the 1988 Georgia state championship...
, and recorded by American country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
. It was released in April 2011, and appears on his sixth studio album, Red River Blue
Red River Blue
-Album:-Singles:*A Current single.-Certifications:-Notes:...
, for Reprise Nashville
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
.
History
Blake Shelton debuted "Honey Bee" at the Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
awards telecast on April 3, 2011, where he also sang "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking
Who Are You When I'm Not Looking
"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" is the title of a song written by Earl Bud Lee and John Wayne Wiggins and recorded by American country music artist Joe Nichols for his 2007 album Real Things. Blake Shelton covered the song for his EP All About Tonight, from which it was released as a single in...
". "Honey Bee" was released to digital retailers immediately after the broadcast.
Content
Rhett AkinsRhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. is an American country singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label , followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment...
and Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip is an American country music songwriter. Hayslip attended Evans High School near Augusta, Georgia where he was an All-State first baseman leading the Evans baseball team to the 1988 Georgia state championship...
, two-thirds of the "Peach Pickers" writing ensemble, wrote the song. Akins said that he first thought of writing a song called "Huckleberry" after seeing an article in Billboard
Billboard (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...
magazine about former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
. He then changed the word to "honeysuckle", and came up with the line "You be my honeysuckle / I'll be your honey bee." Akins said that he thought that "it was a different way for the guy to say, 'we should date, I love you.'"
Music video
The music video premiered on NBC.com on May 10, 2011. It was filmed in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and directed by Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...
.
Critical
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock rated the single four stars out of five. His review praised the "charisma" in Shelton's voice and thought that the song had a "timeless" feel to it. Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
reviewer Jonathan Keefe criticized the lyrics, but praised Shelton's vocals. C.M. Wilcox of The 9513 gave the song a "thumbs down." He thought that the lyrics were written in a "repetitive, fill-in-the-blank structure," and criticized Shelton for recording "ear catching but substantively bankrupt country boy hokum."
Commercial
The song sold 138,000 digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
s in its first week, setting a new record for the most first-week downloads by a male country singer. As a result of the downloads, the song debuted at number thirteen on 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...
chart dated for the week ending April 23, 2011. This entry makes him the highest-debuting male country artist on the Hot 100 since Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
(recording as Chris Gaines
Chris Gaines
Chris Gaines is a fictional alternative rock persona created as an alter ego for Garth Brooks to explore rock and roll styles far removed from his success as a country singer....
) debuted at number five in September 1999 with "Lost in You
Lost in You (Chris Gaines song)
"Lost in You" is the title of a song co-written by Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tommy Sims. It was recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks under the fictitious persona of alternative rock artist Chris Gaines. It was released in July 1999 as the lead single from the album...
". "Honey Bee" also debuted at number 31 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts and number 58 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. By its seventh week, the song had gone digital gold, making it the fastest rising single ever to sell over 500,000 digital copies by a male country soloist. It became Shelton's fourth consecutive and ninth Number One single on the country chart dated June 25, 2011.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Certifications
| Region | Provider | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum |