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Money Honey

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(Stone)

Information:
Money Honey was written by Jess Stone and first recorded by The Drifters (Atlantic 1006) in 1953. Their recording was number one on Billboard’s rhythm & blues chart for an amazing 11 weeks (1).

Reportedly, Buddy Holly taught Money Honey to Elvis when the two were performing together in Texas in 1955. Elvis recorded the song on January 10, 1956, at RCA’s New York City studios – his first commercial session for RCA. Based on the strength of its appearance in the Heartbreak Hotel EP, Money Honey had a five-week stay on Billboard’s top 100 chart in 1956, peaking at #76. A single release of the song later in 1956 failed to chart.

(1) Since Money Honey, only two songs have exceeded 11 weeks at number one on the rhythm & blues chart: Honky Tonk by Bill Doggett in 1956 and Searchin’/Young Blood by the Coasters in 1957.

Lyrics:

You know the landlord rang my front door bell
I let it ring for a long, long spell

I went to the window, I peeped through the blind
And asked him to tell me what was on his mind
 

He said, money, honey, mmm-hum, money, honey,
Money, honey, if you want to get along with me

Well, I screamed and I hollered, I was so hard-pressed
I called the woman that I loved the best
I finally got my baby about a half past three,
She said I'd like to know what you want with me
 

I said, money, honey, mmm-hum,
Money, honey, money, honey, if you want to get along with me

Well, I said tell me baby, what's wrong with you
From this day on our romance is through
I said, tell me baby, face to face
How could another man take my place
 

She said, money, honey, mmm-hum,
Money, honey, money, honey, if you want to get along with me

Well, I've learned my lesson and now I know
The sun may shine and the winds may blow
The women may come and the women may go,
But before I say I love her so

I want money, honey, mmm-hum, money, honey
Money, honey, if you want to get along with me

Where it was released:

Released for the fist time on Elvis Presley »

Singles:

- Money Honey / One-Sided Love Affair (RCA 20-6641). September 1956 »

- Money Honey / One-Sided Love Affair (RCA 47-6641) September 1956. Standard 78 and 45 RPM release »

- Money Honey / I Got a Woman (RCA 47-6689) September 1956. Disc jockey “Record Prevue” with a different flip side.

- Money Honey / One-Sided Love Affair (RCA 447-0614) March 1959. Gold standard series reissue »

- Money Honey / One-Sided Love Affair (Collectables DPE1-1006 4506) December 1986.

EPs:

- Elvis Presley – The Most Talked About New Personality in the Past Ten Years of Recorded Music (RCA EPB-1254) (1956) »

- Heartbreak Hotel (1956) »

LPs/CDs:

- Elvis Presley (1956) »

– Memories of Elvis (1978) »

– Elvis Aron Presley (1980) »

- The King of Rock’n’Roll – The Complete 50’s Masters (1992)

- Elvis 56 (1996)

- Elvis 56 – Special Edition (1996)

- Platinum – A Life in Music (1997)

- A Golden Celebration (1998)

- Elvis Aron Presley (1998)

- A Touch of Platinum, Volume 2 (1998)

- Sunrise (1999)

- Elvis Rockabilly – Millennium Masters (2000)

- Live and Unplugged (2000) - Laserlight

- Good Rockin’ Tonight (2000) – Music Mill

- Playing With Fire (2001) – Magnum

- The Hillbilly Cat (2001) - Magnum

- Elvis; Elvis is Back; Elvis Presley (2001)

- 55 Recorded Live at the Louisiana Hayride (2001) – NMC

- Live in Las Vegas (2001)

- The Elvis Broadcasts on Air (2002) – Cleopatra

- Today Tomorrow and Forever (2002) - box set

- Elvis Presley at the Louisiana Hayride / The Original Roots of Elvis Presley (2002) – Charly/Snapper

- Elvis 56 – Remastered Edition (2003)

- Live at the Louisiana Hayride (2003) - Dynamic

- I Was the One (2003) - Janda
- Flashback (2004) - FTD »

- Elvis Presley (2005)

- Elvis Presley (2006) – FTD »

– A Boy From Tupelo (2012) - FTD » 

– For LP Fans Only (2018) - FTD »

– Through the Lens of Phillip Harrington (2019) - FTD »

– That's The Way It Is - 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (2020) - FTD

Bootleg Releases:

- Dorsey Shows (1976) - Golden Archives Records

- Superstar Outtakes, Volume 2 (1977) - E.P. Records

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