“Honey Pie” is about as corny as it gets, and considering we’re talking about Paul McCartney here, that’s saying a lot. I completely understand why so many people blast his affinity for writing silly love songs (sometimes self-deprecatingly), but count me in the camp that finds them charming for the most part. The bouncy “Honey Pie” is not one of my absolute favorites but I do appreciate its throwback vaudeville vibe and fun lyrics like the narrator’s casual admission, “I’m in love but I’m lazy” to explain why he wants her to come home rather than make the effort to go to his beloved big-time star himself. I can easily picture Peter Boyle as Young Frankenstein’s monster dancing to it, and as anyone who knows me is aware, an important criteria in how I judge any music is how well I can hypothetically shoehorn it into a Mel Brooks movie. I mean, I only listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers because of how well “Under the Bridge” would work in Blazing Saddles.

“I don’t ever wanna feel like I did that day” means so much more in this context.

 

For those who do dig this type of McCartney song, I highly recommend the much-better Wings deep cut, “You Gave Me the Answer.”