"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single in selected countries only, from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
History "Honey, Honey" was written by Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Stig Anderson, with shared vocals by Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Ulvaeus. Along with the English version, ABBA also recorded "Honey, Honey" in Swedish on January 30, 1974, at Metronome Studio, Stockholm.
This was the last official recording by the group in their own language, and was released as the B-side of the Swedish "Waterloo" single. In its English format, "Honey, Honey" was released with "King Kong Song" as the B-side.
Reception "Honey, Honey" was released in several European countries, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, but not in the UK. ABBA's British record label, Epic Records, decided to release a remixed version of "Ring Ring" instead of "Honey, Honey". However, this single only reached No. 32, and a cover version of "Honey, Honey" recorded by the act Sweet Dreams, featuring vocalist Polly Brown, hit the UK top 10.
"Honey, Honey" spent 4 months in the top 5 in West Germany and also reached the top 5 in Austria, Spain and Switzerland.Scott, Robert (2002). ABBA: Thank You for the Music – The Stories Behind Every Song. Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p. 51. In the United States, "Honey, Honey" was moderately successful compared to the group's later singles. It reached No. 27 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts; the first ABBA single to reach the AC chart.
Cash Box called it "a sweet pop rocker, featuring tight harmonies and excellent production." Record World said that "the Scandinavian rockers take on a gentle, caloric, self-penned side."
Track listing
Official versions "Honey, Honey" (English version) "Honey, Honey" (Swedish version)
Personnel ABBA Agnetha Fältskog – lead and backing vocals Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead and backing vocals Björn Ulvaeus – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar Benny Andersson – backing vocals, keyboards Additional personnel and production staff Janne Schaffer – lead guitar Rutger Gunnarsson – bass Ola Brunkert – drums Martin Bylund, Anders Dahl, Gunnar Michols, Claes Nilsson, Åke Jelving, Inge Lindstedt, Alfred Pisuke, Sixten Strömvall, Harry Teike, Kryztof Zdrzalka – violins
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peakposition Australia (Kent Music Report)30Denmark (IFPI)10Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)14Spain (PROMUSICAE)16US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 37 Chart (2008) Peakposition Chart (2022) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (1974) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM) 177 US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) 183
Certifications
Release history RegionDateTitleLabelFormatCatalogReferenceDenmark, Norway14 Apr 1974"Honey Honey" / "King Kong Song"Polar7-inch vinylPOS 1192Austria, Germany, SwitzerlandMay 1974"Ring Ring" / "Honey Honey"Polydor2040 120BelgiumJuly 1974"Honey Honey" / "King Kong Song"Vogue45V. 3137AustraliaSep 1974"Honey Honey" / "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"RCA Victor102514Canada, USA1 Sep 1974Atlantic45-3209USA"Honey Honey" / "Honey Honey"7-inch vinyl, promoSpainAug 1974"Honey Honey" / "Hasta Mañana"Carnaby7-inch vinylMO 1428NetherlandsNov 1974Polydor2040 124New Zealand"Ring Ring" / "Honey Honey"Family LabelFAY 1093Dec 1974"Honey Honey" / "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"RCA Victor102514Brazil1974101.8019Yugoslavia"Honey Honey" / "Ring Ring"PGP RTBS 53795Poland1975"Honey Honey" / "My Mama Said"Polskie Nagrania MuzaS-606Worldwide6 April 2024"Honey Honey" / "King Kong Song"Polar7-inch vinyl, picture disc00602455882219
Cover versions In 1974, British band Sweet Dreams which reached No. 10 in the UK and No. 14 in Ireland. In the U.S. the Sweet Dreams version debuted on the Hot 100 in Billboard two weeks prior to the ABBA original but ultimately lost out to the latter, the peak of the Sweet Dreams version being No. 68. In Canada, the song reached No. 59. Both the Sweet Dreams and ABBA versions of "Honey, Honey" also charted concurrently in Germany, with Sweet Dreams being the less successful with a No. 42 peak. Record World said of this version that the song "gets a spirited British reading from a group combining the old Supremes sound with very contemporary well-tempered synthesizer." The 2008 film Mamma Mia! features the song being sung by Amanda Seyfried (as Sophie), with Ashley Lilley (as Ali) and Rachel McDowall (as Lisa) on backup vocals. As in the stage musical itself, the vocals in the bridge are replaced with an instrumental version. This recording made No. 61 in the UK singles chart dated 2 August 2008, and No. 50 on the Australian singles charts. Released on download sales alone, it was credited to simply 'Original Cast Recording'. In 2023, the version was certified gold in the UK.
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