Album: Money Honey (1953)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This early R&B song was a big influence on the Doo-Wop sound that would emerge later in the '50s. McPhatter sings about wanting a girl who can support him, but she's not having it. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • This was written by Jesse Stone, who was a producer and songwriter for Atlantic Records.

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 31st 1957, Elvis appeared at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada...
    He performed only four songs; "Money Honey", "That's When your Heartaches Begin", "Hound Dog", and "Jailhouse Rock"...
    After "Jailhouse Rock" Col. Tom Parker ordered Elvis off stage due to the surging fans; the concert lasted a total of twenty two minutes...
    It was Elvis' third and last time he would performed outside the U.S.A., earlier in the year {April} he did shows in Toronto and Ottawa...
    At the time of the concert Elvis had three songs on Billboard's Top 100 chart; "Teddy Bear" {at #3}, "Loving You" {at #34}, and "All Shook Up" {at #48}...
    Tickets for the Vancouver show ranged from $1.50 to $3.50 and the attendance was 26,000 fans...
    R.I.P. to The King {1935 - 1977}.
  • Nick from London, United KingdomIt didn't take Clyde McPhatter long to get off the mark with his new group. Written by Atlantic's ace producer/writer, Jesse Stone, Money Honey was the Drifters first record and it went straight to #1 in October 1953. The unusual bagpipe-like drone at the beginning soon gives way to the band launching into Stone's latin-influenced 'Atlantic Beat' with some gusto. It's an all star line-up as well, featuring not only Stone himself on piano, but also Mickey Baker on guitar and Sam "the Man" Taylor on tenor sax (listen out for Clyde's almighty scream in the middle of Sam's sax solo). Interestingly, their second single paired up the latin-influenced song Such A Night with the gospel-like Lucille, which was recorded with a completely different group. Because of his church backgound, McPhatter had the idea of mixing sacred and secular sounds on both sides of the same disc.
    Nick Duckett
    http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.