“A Taste of Honey”

• Published on 1963
• Author: Scott/Marlow
• Track 12 on “Please Please Me“

About “A Taste of Honey”

The song “A Taste of Honey” is a popular pop standard that was written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. The title may have been inspired by the 1960 English play A Taste of Honey, which was first performed by Scott in 1958.

There are several versions of this song but the most famous is the instrumental cover by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on their album Whipped Cream & Other Delights that became a top ten hit in 1965 and a Grammy Award winner for Record of the Year.

‘A Taste of Honey’ was one of the songs covered by The Beatles on their first album, Please Please Me. Paul McCartney was a big fan of this song, and it was included in the Beatles’ repertoire in 1962, making it one of Paul’s favorite songs.

The title of the song was sometimes altered by John Lennon. He sometimes called it “A Waste of Money”. (Satirist Allan Sherman actually recorded a parody song called “A Waste of Money”) There are many BBC radio shows on which the Beatles have performed “A Taste of Honey”, such as Here We Go, Side by Side, and Easy Beat.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – lead vocals, bass
• John Lennon – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Ringo Starr – brushed drums