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TL;DR:

  • Mike Love said he was thinking of Stevie Wonder when he wrote one of The Beach Boys’ songs.
  • Love compared the lyrics of the song to The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ Safari.”
  • The song became a hit in the United States.
Stevie Wonder with a piano
Stevie Wonder | Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns

Mike Love said he was thinking about Stevie Wonder when he wrote one of The Beach Boys‘ songs. In addition, he said the song was partly inspired by something Brian Wilson was selling at his health food store. Love said the song appeared on his favorite Beach Boys album.

Mike Love imagined Stevie Wonder in a relationship when he wrote 1 of The Beach Boys’ songs

In a 2013 interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, Love discussed the origin of The Beach Boys’ “Wild Honey.” “Brian owned a health food store at the time, Radiant Radish,” he recalled. “I saw the wild honey and said, “That’s a great title for a song.” The studio track was pumpin’ and really goin’ on in the studio.”

Love discussed how Wonder inspired “Wild Honey.” “I actually wrote the song thinking if Stevie Wonder as a young guy were telling his mother that he was in love with this chick and he didn’t care what his mother said, he’s gonna go for it with this girl and the girl was the wild honey.” Love said. 

Mike Love revealed why The Beach Boys repeatedly used the word ‘honey’ in their songs

Love explained why he used the word “honey” in the song. “Surfers used to call girls at the beach ‘honeys’ and we used that in ‘Surfin’ Safari’ [recites lyrics] ‘Early in the morning we’ll be starting out, some honeys will be coming along,'” Love said. 

Love said he wasn’t the only artist to make the same use of the term “honey.” “In fact, that’s why Marilyn [Wilson], Diane [Rovell], and Ginger [Blake] named their group The Honeys,” he said. “So when I wrote the lyrics for ‘Wild Honey’ I was thinking’ salacious thoughts.” “Wild Honey” appeared on the album of the same name, which Love said was his favorite album by his band.

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How the song and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States

“Wild Honey” became a minor hit in the United States. The track reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed on the chart for six weeks.

The song’s parent album, Wild Honey, hit No. 24 on the Billboard 200. Wild Honey remained on the chart for 15 weeks. The other single from Wild Honey, “Darlin’,” was a bigger hit. It reached No. 19 and stayed on the chart for nine weeks.

“Wild Honey” might not be one of The Beach Boys’ most famous songs but it has an interesting connection to Wonder.

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