Honey (Erykah Badu song)

Infobox Single
Name = Honey


Artist = Erykah Badu
Album = New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
B-side = "Bag Lady"
Released = December 18, 2007
Format = CD single, digital download
Recorded = 2007
Genre = Neo soul, alternative hip hop
Length = 5:21 (Album Version)
4:37 (Radio Edit)
19:10 (Remix Version)
Label = Universal Motown
Writer = Erykah Badu, Patrick Douthit, F. Baskett, C. McDonald, D. Shields
Producer = 9th Wonder
Certification =
Last single = "Get Live"
(2006)
This single = "Honey"
(2007)
Next single =

"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".

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 parodies of popular records which feature altered titles and Badu portraying the artist instead. The album sleeves shown are:

* Rufus – "Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan"
* Diana Ross – "Blue" (as Imma Boss – "Bee")
* 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 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.

Charts

References