The Beatles Lyric That Took Paul McCartney Back to the Golden Age of Hollywood
The Beatles might have spurred a sea change in rock and roll when they arrived on the scene, but they didn’t create their sound from complete scratch. They were a product of their influences: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fred Astaire …
Wait, Fred Astaire? Well, it’s partially true, at least when it comes to the White Album track “Honey Pie.” It’s a song where Paul McCartney indulged his love of classic Hollywood musicals, and didn’t even bother updating the sound for 1968. The Beatles never shied away from paying homage, sometimes pretty obviously, to the music that had a big impact on them. Obviously, the rock and roll that bubbled up in the late ‘50s cast a big spell on them, but that was not by any stretch the only genre that steered their artistic sensibilities.
It’s important to remember these four guys were all born in the early 1940s, and spent many years of their childhood listening to music far removed from rock and roll, in part because that genre hadn’t really been invented yet. That range of influences is part of what made their music so special.
When it came to “Honey Pie,” which appeared on the White Album in 1968 and features a jazzy ensemble of saxophones and clarinets as well as a clever little John Lennon guitar solo, Paul McCartney went back to the Golden Age of Hollywood for his inspiration, as he explained in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present:
“I was definitely thinking of Fred [Astaire] and the whole world of the silver screen when I was writing ‘Honey Pie.’… If I’d have to choose anyone, I’d be very happy to be thought of as a channeler of Nat King Cole or Fats [Waller] or Fred. I don’t think there’s any denying the idea of being a medium. I definitely dreamt ‘Yesterday,’ so I’m sure I’ve channelled many other songs.”
The Meaning Behind the Lyrics of “Honey Pie”
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
