Honey (Erykah Badu song)
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| "Honey" | ||||
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| Single by Erykah Badu | ||||
| from the album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) | ||||
| B-side | "Bag Lady" | |||
| Released | December 18, 2007 | |||
| Format | CD single, digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 5:21 (Album Version) 4:37 (Radio Edit) 19:10 (Remix Version) |
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| Label | Universal Motown | |||
| Writer(s) | Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder, F. Baskett, C. McDonald, D. Shields | |||
| Producer | 9th Wonder | |||
| Erykah Badu singles chronology | ||||
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"Honey" is a song by Erykah Badu, released as the lead single from her third studio album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008). The song was produced by 9th Wonder, and samples Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love".
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[edit] Music video
The music video was directed by Badu and Chris Robinson (credited under the alias "Mr. Roboto"). The song is interrupted by a video-in-a-video, as an excerpt of "Annie", recorded by Badu's super-group side project Edith Funker, plays on the store's video screen. The video is set in a record store, from the perspective of a customer browsing the racks. The various records shown are homages of popular records which feature altered titles and Badu portraying the artist on the album's covers.
The album sleeves shown are:
- Rufus – Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan (as New Amerykah)
- Diana Ross – Blue (as Imma Boss – Boo)
- Funkadelic – Maggot Brain (as Control Freaq – Fertilizer)
- Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full (as Erykah B. & Shafiq – Played as Hell)
- Ohio Players – Honey (as Okayplayer)
- Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel (as Making Money – Pray for Me)
- Labelle – Chameleon (as Sugah Sugah – Gipson)
- De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising (as Taco Loco – Three 4 a Dollar)
- The Beatles – Let It Be (as What It Do)
- Nas – Illmatic (as Liah – All Ready)
- Olivia Newton-John – Physical (as Olord – Please)
- Grace Jones – Nightclubbing (as Loretta Brown – Churchgoing)
- Earth, Wind & Fire – Head to the Sky (as Erykah Badu – Hell to the Naw'l)
In the video, Badu also spoofs ex-boyfriend André 3000 in OutKast's 2004 video "Hey Ya!", changing the green setting for a pink one. There is also a parody of the cover of the January 22, 1981 issue of Rolling Stone magazine featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono, entitled "Riding My Hip".
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 final seconds of the video.
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.
The video was also nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 51st Grammy Awards. It appeared at number seventy-nine on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008 countdown.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2008)[1] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 88 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 22 |
