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

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

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

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

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!

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.