"Honey Chile" is a 1967 single by Motown girl group

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosali ...

on the

Gordy ''Gordy'' is a 1994 American family comedy-drama film directed by Mark Lewis, about a livestock piglet named Gordy who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to a slaughterhouse in Omaha, Nebraska). He experiences the lives of others ...

label. Produced by Richard Morris and written by Morris and Sylvia Moy, This was the first single to bill

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

by her full name, as opposed to simply "Martha" and the Vandellas. "Honey Chile" rose to number eleven on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart and number five on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart.

Background

The song describes how the narrator (Martha Reeves) wanting to get rid of her boyfriend who's been courting and dating other girls behind her back though she is too weak to let him go stating "I'll walk a country mile to stay with you". This song, rare for a pop song, actually shows character development: at the end of the first verse she states that she is worthless without him, while in the second to last line she says she will find the strength to leave him. Filled with Southern connotations (inspired by Reeves' birth in rural

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

), It is notable for several reasons: it is the first track to feature new member, Martha's younger sister Sandra "Lois" Reeves replacing just-fired

Betty Kelley Betty Kelly (born September 16, 1944) (also known as Betty Kelley) is an American singer most noted as being a member of the popular Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas. Early years Born in Attalla, Alabama, Kelly moved with her fam ...

, it was the group's twelfth top 40 pop single, and it was also the last top 40 hit the group would score throughout the rest of their Motown tenure though they would score several top 40 R&B singles before leaving the label in 1973. It was also the first single to be credited as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas after the label requested that some of the lead singers of several groups put their name in front of the group's to earn billing for both lead singer and group.

Personnel

* Lead vocals by

Background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

Rosalind Ashford Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes (born September 2, 1943) is an American soprano R&B and soul singer, known for her work as an original member of the Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas. Early years Born Rosalind Ashford on September 2, ...

and Sandra "Lois" Reeves *

Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

Chart performance

Samples and Covers

The song was covered by

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

on their 1971 album '' Maybe Tomorrow''.

References

1967 singles Soul songs Martha and the Vandellas songs Songs written by Sylvia Moy Songs written by Richard Morris (songwriter) Gordy Records singles 1967 songs {{1960s-single-stub