Honey Don't by Carl Perkins

Album: Dance Album (1956)

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You've probably heard of a "Honeydew" list, where a wife creates a list of tasks for her husband to take care of around the house: Honey Do this, Honey Do that. Perkins flips the saying into "Honey Don't," as he asks his girl to be faithful.
Perkins originally released "Honey Don't" as the B-side of his hit "Blue Suede Shoes." It was listed as "Honey, Don't!"
The Beatles recorded this in 1964 after Perkins visited them on the last day of recording for their fourth album, Beatles For Sale. The Beatles were big fans of Perkins, and didn't change much about the song at all, which was rare for a Beatles cover.
This is the only officially released Beatles song that was covered by each member individually: Lennon recorded it for the soundtrack of his homemade film Clock; McCartney recorded it with Carl Perkins during sessions for Paul's Tug Of War album; Ringo performed it with Perkins for the 1986 TV special Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session With Carl Perkins And Friends, and Harrison played it in 1987 when he took the stage at a Taj Mahal concert. >>
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Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2

Comments: 10

Jennifur SunGeorge LOVED Carl and they became friends there are two other song the Beatles covered that are not on the list, Everybodys Trying To Be My Baby and Matchbox. Also Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Boys, and Slow Down
Nick from London, United KingdomMost white rock'n'rollers were snapped up by the major labels; Sun Records was the only independent company that was able to compete due to the glut of talent in Memphis. Carl Perkins was born in Tennessee and his main musical influences came from listening to Grand Old Opry guitarists such as Ernest Tubb and Arthur Smith on the radio. But he claims to have been inspired to take up music from an early age by his association with a black sharecropper called (Uncle) John Westbrook. Carl, 'It was his inspiration that made me know what it was I wanted to do for the rest of my life'. This close connection between poor whites and blacks in the southern states is a constant theme running through blues and country music in the early part of the century. Perkins devised a unique mixture of blues and honky-tonk country boogie, playing guitar fills around his vocals like a blues singer, 'I just speeded up some of the slow blues licks...a country man's song with a black man's rhythm'. His third record, Blue Suede Shoes/Honey Don't was initially a big hit on the country charts, but a Billboard review of the time points to greater success, 'A lively reading on a gay rhythm ditty with a strong R&B backing...(with) a large measure of appeal for pop and R&B customers'. Perkins became the first country artist to crack the R&B chart and in March 1956, the record entered the pop charts.
The Beatles version of Honey Don't has more symmetrical measures than Perkins' original. Paul: 'For this album (Beatles For Sale) we rehearsed only the new ones. Songs like Honey Don't and Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, we'd played live so often that we only had to get a sound on them and do them'. Ringo: 'We all knew Honey Don't, it was one of those songs that every band in Liverpool played. I used to love country music and country rock. I'd had my own show with Rory Storm, when I would do five or six numbers. So singing and performing wasn't new to me'
Nick Duckett
http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/
Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmRingo sings this on Beatles 65, John sings it good but Ringo sings it best! Live at The BBC is cool because of the little speeches my faveorite is Crinsk Di night because it goes like this'

first they're chatting about who was worst in A hard day's night the movie then, they say how good Ringo was and then

Ringo; Can you hear me?
John: Can you hear im?
other guy: not really
John: we brought you the flowers Ring,
Ringo:.....
John (in wierd voice): they brought you the flowers
Ringo: Oh good
John:and the grapes
Ringo (louder this time almost yelling); John I like Grapes!
*laghing*
john: He likes grapes
I crack up every time
Maggie from LondonYeah, you're right, John sings the one on Live at the BBC. He always used to sing it live, but then they gave it to Ringo for Beatles for Sale.
Ian from Lethbridge, CanadaI love the Beatles version, and I love Ringo's voice! He has such a soothing voice!
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScI've never heard the Beatles version of this. The Carl Perkikns one is really cool though!
Dennis from Anchorage, AkRingo sang it on the album. Every Beatles album includes one number sung by Ringo. Eventually he even wrote a couple of songs himself, but for a long time he would sing covers. That was the only way to explain the baffling choice to record the country hit "Act Naturally" - they needed something for him to sing. And he had always wanted to be a cowboy, so...
Linus from Hamilton, On, CanadaApparenlty not very popular..
Colleen from Port Colborne, CanadaIt kinda sounds like Ringo but then he says to George "Rock on one time for Ringo"
Amanda from New York City, NyFor the Beatles version: doesn't Ringo sing the studio version and JOHN sings the version on 'Live at the BBC'?

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