Honey (Erykah Badu song)

"Honey"
Single by Erykah Badu
from the album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
B-side"Bag Lady"
ReleasedNovember 20, 2007
Recorded2007
GenreR&B[1]
Length
  • 5:21 (album version)
  • 4:37 (radio edit)
LabelUniversal Motown
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)9th Wonder
Erykah Badu singles chronology
"The Heart Gently Weeps"
(2007) 		"Honey"
(2007) 		"Soldier"
(2008)

"Honey" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her fourth studio album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008).[2] It was produced by 9th Wonder, and contains a sample from Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love".[3] The song was released as the lead single from New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) on November 20, 2007, by Universal Motown Records.

Music video

Directed by Badu and Chris Robinson, the song's music video was released on January 28, 2008,[4] and was conceived by Badu as an homage to classic records.[5] Set in a small business record store, it follows a customer looking through vintage R&B, hip hop, and rock LP albums, with the albums' cover artwork depicted as moving images with Badu cast in them.[5] According to Robinson, "We wanted a video that spoke to Badu's eclecticism. Those album covers represent all the influences that she embodies."[6] Albums covers that were recreated in the video are those of:[5]

As a video within a video, the record store's video screen plays an excerpt of the song "Annie" performed by Badu's side project Edith Funker,[5] which features Questlove, James Poyser, Nikka Costa, Mike Elizondo, and Wendy Melvoin. The video also features a cameo appearance by Sa-Ra member Shafiq Husayn.[7] The video also features a recreated version of Rolling Stone magazine's front cover for its January 1981 issue, which originally featured John Lennon and Yoko Ono.[5]

In the video, Badu also spoofs ex-boyfriend André 3000 in OutKast's 2003 music video "Hey Ya!", changing the green setting for a pink one. The album cover is influenced in layout and proportions by the artwork from the 1976 self-titled debut album of the band Boston. The artwork for the album Boston can be seen on the record store wall just below and to the left of the artwork for Honey in the last seconds of the video.

Accolades

The video for "Honey" won Best Direction at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and was nominated for Best Special Effects, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.[8]

The video was also nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 51st Grammy Awards.[9]

It appeared at number seventy-nine on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008.

In 2011, Complex magazine named it the 29th best music video of the 2000s.[10]

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Honey"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 20, 2007 Rhythmic contemporary radio Universal Motown
[15]
December 18, 2007 12-inch vinyl
[16]

References

  1. ^ Taylor, Patrick (March 18, 2008). "Erykah Badu :: New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) :: Universal Motown". RapReviews. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  2. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (December 11, 2007). "Livin' in a Nu AmErykah". Dallas Observer. Village Voice Media. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  3. ^ Micallef, Ken (March 1, 2008). "Earth, Sun, Moon". Remix. Penton Media. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (January 28, 2008). "Starring Erykah Badu as Your Record Collection". Dallas Observer. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Erykah Badu's 'Honey' Music Video is Tribute to Music and Music Lovers" (Press release). New York: Business Wire. February 4, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  6. ^ "Release - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) by Erykah Badu" (Press release). Giant Step. February 26, 2008. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  7. ^ Burton, Al. Fallen, Mildred (March 2008). "Beat Freaq Badu". Shook. 1 (2). UPG: 20–25. Retrieved October 22, 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards 2008". MTV. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  10. ^ Top Best Music Videos of the 2000s. Complex. Retrieved September 10, 2016
  11. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 [ 2008/02/06 公開]". Billboard Japan. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Available For Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Badu, Erykah (2007). Honey (12-inch single). Universal Motown Records. B0010585-11.