The Beatles, “Honey Pie” from the White Album (1968): Deep Beatles
A tribute to British music hall. A “fantasy song.” A curious throwback, considering its 1968 origins. No matter how one chooses to describe it, “Honey Pie” reveals Paul McCartney’s continuing love of British music hall, big bands, and Hollywood musicals. It even owes a debt to jazz, as John Lennon performs a Django Reinhardt-inflected guitar solo. Like so many other Beatles tracks, “Honey Pie” results from a melting pot of influences, music that the foursome were reared on through television and film.
Despite being released on an album widely considered to be a time capsule of a turbulent year, “Honey Pie” traces its roots to the 1920s, specifically through a hugely popular London bandleader. Billy Cotton formed the London Savannah Band, his first orchestra, in 1924; originally a traditional English dance band, they transitioned into a music hall-style show featuring humor and even a tap dancer. After building a large following, Cotton debuted his first BBC radio show, the Billy Cotton Band Show, in 1949. The show proved so popular that hit was also broadcast on BBC television, beginning in 1957.
Source: Kit O'Toole/somethingelsereviews.com
