Honey to the Bee

This article is about the Billie Piper song. For the album, see Honey to the B.
"Honey to the Bee"
Single by Billie
from the album Honey to the B
B-side
  • "Call Me"
  • "What's Missing"
Released22 March 1999 (1999-03-22)
Studio
Length
  • 5:04 (album version)
  • 3:39 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jim Marr
  • Wendy Page
Billie singles chronology
"She Wants You"
(1998) 		"Honey to the Bee"
(1999) 		"Thank ABBA for the Music"
(1999)
Music video
"Honey to the Bee" on YouTube

"Honey to the Bee" is a song by English singer Billie from her debut studio album, Honey to the B (1998). It was released on 22 March 1999 and debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, which became its peak position. It was not a hit in mainland Europe, but it became one of Billie's highest-charting songs in Australia and New Zealand, reaching number six in the former country and number five in the latter. In Australia, it was the 48th-best-selling song of 1999.

In January 2007, the song was championed by Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles as part of an experiment to test out the new UK Singles Chart rules that came into effect that month, which prompted the song to reach number 17 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 January 2007.

Music video

The video, which uses the shorter radio edit version in lieu of the full album version, was directed by Katie Bell and features Billie in a computer-animated background.[1]

Legacy

In 2007, 'Honey to the Bee' saw a resurgence in popularity after it was featured on a British radio show. This led to a successful experiment that tested the newly revised UK Singles Chart rules, resulting in the song re-entering the UK Singles Chart and peaking at number 17

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Honey to the B album booklet.[6]

Studios

Personnel

  • Wendy Page – writing, backing vocals, vocal arrangement, production
  • Jim Marr – writing, guitar, keyboards, programming, production
  • Billie Piper – vocals
  • London Community Gospel Choir – choral backing vocals
  • Reverend Bazil Meade – choir arrangement
  • Pete Craigie – recording, mixing
  • Steve Cooper – assistant engineering (Ridge Farm)
  • Michelle Barry – assistant engineering (Marcus)
  • Matt Tait – assistant engineering (Metropolis)

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 22 March 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
[18]
United States 10 August 1999 Contemporary hit radio [19]

Play version

"Honey to the Bee"
Song by Play
from the album Replay
Released2003
Length4:14
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Wendy Page, Jim Marr
Producer(s)Desmond Child, Bill Padley, Rick Wake, Pamela Sheyne

In June 2003, Swedish girl group Play covered the song on their third album Replay.[20] Play's version featured a trip hop beat and soprano vocals.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Honey to the Bee" by Billie (mvdbase.com)
  2. ^ Honey to the Bee (UK CD1 liner notes). Billie. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 1999. SINCD8, 7243 8 95734 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Honey to the Bee (UK CD2 & Australian CD single liner notes). Billie. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 1999. SINDX8, 7243 8 95734 0 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Honey to the Bee (UK cassette single sleeve). Billie. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 1999. SINC8, 7243 8 95734 4 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Honey to the Bee (European CD single liner notes). Billie. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 1999. SINCDE8, 7243 8 95766 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Honey to the B (UK CD album booklet). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. CDSIN1, 7243 8 46614 0 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Billie Piper – Honey to the Bee". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 15. 10 April 1999. p. 6. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Honey to the B". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Billie Piper – Honey to the Bee". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". ARIA. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
  16. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  17. ^ "British single certifications – Billie – Honey to the Bee". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 March, 1999: Singles". Music Week. 20 March 1999. p. 27.
  19. ^ "CHR/Pop: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1311. 6 August 1999. p. 46.
  20. ^ a b Loftus, Johnny. "Replay > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2008.