| Money Honey | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters |
| B-Side: | "The Way I Feel"[1] |
| Released: | September 1953 |
| Recorded: | August 9, 1953 |
| Studio: | Atlantic Studios |
| Genre: | R&B, rock and roll |
| Label: | Atlantic (45-1006) |
| Next Title: | Such a Night"/"Lucille |
| Next Year: | 1954 |
"Money Honey" is a song written by Jesse Stone,[2] which was released in September 1953 as the first single by Clyde McPhatter backed for the first time by the newly formed Drifters. McPhatter's voice, but not his name, had become well known when he was the lead singer for Billy Ward and the Dominoes. The song was an immediate hit and remained on the rhythm and blues chart for 23 weeks, peaking at number 1.[3] Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 252 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2] The recording was reported to have sold more than two million copies by 1968.[4]
The song begins with the man who has run out of money encountering his landlord who demands the rent if the man wishes to stay. Desperate, he calls "the woman that (he loves) the best" to help him out. When he meets her, she asks the man what he wants from her. The man's reply is:
Money, honey
Money, honey
Money, honey, if you want to get along with me
She is literally not buying and scolds the man for his words; she says that "(their) romance is through", meaning that she is breaking up with him. When the man asks about "another man taking (his) place", the woman mimics his words, possibly to show that she loves the other man, who already has money. In the end, the man says that he has learned his lesson, but, soon enough, is still desperate for money.
The song was recorded on August 9, 1953, at Atlantic Studios, with Clyde McPhatter (lead vocal), Bill Pinkney (baritone), Andrew "Bubba" Thrasher (second tenor), Gerhart "Gay" Thrasher (top tenor), and Willie Ferbee (bass). Walter Adams was the guitarist for the record.[1]
The recording features Mickey Baker on guitar[5] and Sam "the Man" Taylor on tenor sax.[6] The arrangement starts with a bagpipe-like drone from the Drifters setting up a shuffle rhythm. McPhatter's voice is clear and bright and in the midst of the sax solo he gives off a monumental scream.