The label's second most-successful all-female singing group after The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas were known for a churchier, more southern-styled soul than the Supremes, as typified in Motown hits such as "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Jimmy Mack", "I'm Ready For Love", "My Baby Loves Me", "Nowhere to Run", and, their signature song, "Dancing in the Street".
The group had its origins in Detroit, Michigan in 1957, and had initially gone by the name The Del-Phis. It originally was a quartet comprising childhood friends Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, Annette Beard, and original lead singer Gloria Williams. Williams left after a failed single on the Checkmate label, leaving the quartet as a trio. They changed their name to The Vells signing a deal with Motown's Mel-o-dy label, and singing background for established Motown performers such as Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye before signing a new deal with Motown's Gordy label on September 21, 1962, after which the group changed its name to Martha and the Vandellas.
In 1964, the Vandellas' lineup changed with Betty Kelley replacing Sterling. In 1967, Kelley was fired and was replaced by Martha's younger sister, Sandra "Lois" Reeves. In 1969, Ashford was also fired and replaced by Sandra Tilley. The lineup of the Reeves sisters and Tilley continued after Martha's return from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown. The group disbanded following a farewell concert, held at Detroit's Cobo Hall on December 21, 1972., however, Reeves still performs with sister Lois and another Reeves sister, Delphine.
Honey Chile )
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like the hound dog, Daisy
I had when grandma raised me
Honey chile, poor Granny
Got too old to scorn me
Dear old auntie warned me
You sure was no good for me
Honey chile, but your kiss
That grandma used to make
Oh them sweet little things about ya
Sure enough takes the cake
You ain't gonna amount to nothing
'Cause you ain't gonna work for nothing
Without you, I'm good for nothing
Honey chile, honey chile
Sure 'bout to drive me wild
And I love you so
Can't let go
Now honey chile oh sugar chile
I'd walk a country mile
Just to be with you
And to stay with you, now honey chile
I try to act like a lady
But you've been courtin' Sadie
Your reputation's shady
Honey chile, hey you even took out Sally
Who lives across the alley
Oh I've been keeping tally
Honey chile you're like the grapes
Upon the vine at winning pretty wine
'Cause like that home made wine so sweet
You sure enough drove me out of my mind now
You ain't nothing but a playboy
Using me for a play toy
You're ruining my pride and joy
Now honey chile, honey chile
Sure 'bout to drive me wild
And I love you so, can't let go
Now honey, ,oh sugar chile
I'd walk a country mile
Just to be with you
And to stay with you, now honey chile
One day I'm gonna get stronger
And I won't need you no longer
This feeling will be a goner
Honey chile, hey now I can't take disgracin'
That ain't the way granny raised me
You're gonna just hurt like crazy
Honey chile, sugar chile
I'd walk a country mile
Just to be with you
And to stay with you, honey chile
Hey honey chile sure 'bout to drive me wild
In "Honey Chile" by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, the singer is lamenting about their love interest who is shiftless and lazy. She compares him to her grandmother's hound dog Daisy whom she used to take care of as a child. He isn't good for her and her aunt warned her about his character, but she can't let go of him because his kisses are just as sweet as her grandmother's cake. Despite her efforts to act like a lady, the singer knows that her love interest has a history of courting other women like Sadie and Sally who live across the alley. He is using her as a plaything and ruining her pride and joy, but she's addicted to his sweet charm and love to be with him.
The lyrics show a woman who is in a toxic relationship with a man who is not good for her, yet she cannot let go of him because of the sweetness he brings into her life. The comparison made between the man and the dog shows the level of the man's laziness and carelessness. The singer's frustration is evident when she says, "One day I'm gonna get stronger, and I won't need you no longer. This feeling will be a goner," indicating a need for change and the realization that she deserves better.
Line by Line Meaning
You're shiftless and you're lazy
You are unprofessional and negligent
Just like the hound dog, Daisy
Similar to how Daisy was lazy, you are also indolent
I had when grandma raised me
I had Daisy when I was brought up by my grandma
Honey chile, poor Granny
My poor grandmother
Got too old to scorn me
She was too old to discipline me
Dear old auntie warned me
My dear auntie warned me about you
You sure was no good for me
You were definitely not suitable for me
Honey chile, but your kiss
But your kiss is sweet
Is sweeter than the cake
It is even sweeter than the cake my grandmother used to make
That grandma used to make
The cake my grandmother used to bake
Oh them sweet little things about ya
All the sweet things about you
Sure enough takes the cake
They are just like the sweet cake
You ain't gonna amount to nothing
You will not succeed
'Cause you ain't gonna work for nothing
Since you do not want to work for anything
Without you, I'm good for nothing
Without you, I am nothing
Honey chile, honey chile
Sweetheart, sweetie
Sure 'bout to drive me wild
You are making me crazy
And I love you so
But I love you so much
Can't let go
I can't let you go
Now honey chile oh sugar chile
Now darling
I'd walk a country mile
I would go the extra mile
Just to be with you
Just to be with you
And to stay with you, now honey chile
And stay with you, sweetheart
I try to act like a lady
I try to behave like a lady
But you've been courtin' Sadie
But you have been seeing Sadie
Your reputation's shady
Your reputation is suspect
Honey chile, hey you even took out Sally
You even took out Sally who lives across the alley
Who lives across the alley
The person who lives across the alley
Oh I've been keeping tally
I have been keeping score
Honey chile you're like the grapes
You are like the grapes
Upon the vine at winning pretty wine
Grapes that make a good, strong wine
'Cause like that home made wine so sweet
Just like the sweet homemade wine
You sure enough drove me out of my mind now
You have driven me crazy now
You ain't nothing but a playboy
You are nothing more than a flirt
Using me for a play toy
You are using me as a toy
You're ruining my pride and joy
You are destroying my happiness
One day I'm gonna get stronger
One day I will become stronger
And I won't need you no longer
And I will no longer need you
This feeling will be a goner
This feeling will disappear
Honey chile, hey now I can't take disgracin'
I can't stand being disgraced anymore
That ain't the way granny raised me
That is not how my grandmother taught me to be
You're gonna just hurt like crazy
You will just hurt like hell
Sugar chile
Sugar honey
Hey honey chile sure 'bout to drive me wild
Hey darling, you are driving me crazy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHARD MORRIS, SYLVIA MOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lesleyangellove2208
THANK YOU ALL FOR LIFTING UP
MY SPIRITS TODAY WITH SONG
MANY OTHERS WORLDWIDE
AND I MUST SAY THANK YOU TO YOUTUBE.COM FOR MAKING IT ALL POSSIBLE TO HEAR ALL OF THESE
GREAT QUALITY MUSIC OF THESE
MOTOWN SOUNDS AND ALL
THE THINGS I MISS AT HOME,
YES, THE MOTOWN-PHILLY IS VERY
EXCELLENT, EXTRAORDINARY AND OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
AND SHOWMANSHIP LIKE NO OTHER I'VE SEEN BEFORE IN MY
LIFETIME THAT DOMINATED
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY LIKE NO OTHERS I HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE YES THEY WERE ALL TRULY AMAZING GENUINE OUTSTANDING
PEOPLE FROM THEIR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS OF
DETROIT MICHIGAN WITH GREAT QUALITY MUSIC AND LYRICS TO
ENTERTAIN ALL THEIR MUSIC CONNOISSEURS WORLDWIDE AND
THEY WERE ALL CLOSE FRIENDS
AND SUCCEEDED TO DO WELL
IN THEIR RECORD SELLS
WITH ALL THEIR GREAT LOVE SONGS AND PLATFORM TO
DISPLAY FINE GIFTS OF
TALENTED THEIR TREASURES,
BUT NEVER OUT OF DESPERATE MEASURES
YES, THEY ALL WERE SO GENUINE,
LIKE THE FINEST VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE AND WINE.
@lesleyangellove2208
CONGRATULATIONS TO MOTOWN'S 60TH ANNIVERSARY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND CELEBRATION ALONG WITH
"MARTHA REEVES AND
THE VANDELLAS" FOR THEIR HIT SONG AND SO MANY OTHER GREAT
GOLDEN CLASSIC HIT SONGS
I WAS JUST A VERY YOUNG GIRL
WHEN THIS GENUINE GOLDEN CLASSIC HIT SONG WAS RELEASED
WELL, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY
THOSE AMAZING
"MOTOWN SOUNDS" CAN ALWAYS
LIFT MY SPIRITS UP TO SMILE
REMINISCE ABOUT THOSE
GOLDEN CLASSIC HIT SONGS
AND WONDERFUL TO THAT WAS
"THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME GROWING IN
THE HEART OF MOTORCITY'S FINEST WITH EXTRAORDINARY TALENT THAT WAS BEYOND
COMPARE TO ANY LIVE
ENTERTAINMENT, WITH MUSIC
THAT DOMINATED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY LIKE A OVERNIGHT SENSATION
WORLDWIDE THAT I HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE, SO I THANK YOU
ALL FOR THOSE GREAT FABULOUS
UNFORGETTABLE AND GENUINE CLASSIC GOLDEN MEMORIES OF A
LIFETIME ENJOYMENT AND CELEBRATION, THAT I'LL
NEVER FORGET AND I MUST
SAY THANK YOU TO YOUTUBE.COM
FOR MAKING IT ALL POSSIBLE TO HEAR AND ENJOY TODAY
5-18-19.
@armanddimeo6575
The Supremes did some nice pop songs but Martha and the Vandellas' songs put a smile on my face and make me want to get up and dance in a way that the Supremes' music just doesn't.
@delsongalasinao706
When social media at it's height and pandemic is still there it's nice to go back from old memeries like the sixties music the Martha and the vandellas sound .when life is fun and much simplier way back then.
@theprofessor8589
Love him or hate him. Berry Gordy was a fuckin' Genius!
@ericorbit
how is it there are no TV performances from 67/68 to watch online? also, this song spent FOUR weeks stuck at #11 on the US pop chart without hitting top 10, which is a sin. a fantastic song.
@soultownlansing4746
Whoa, the CKLW jingle! Man, that took me back...
@MusicMikeFlashbackFavorites
gives ya chills!
@IrishBuddhaMan
Oh...great lifetime memory: Martha was in Philly, promoting her autobiography, "Dancing In the Street". Got to TALK to her, told her I loved all of their songs, esp. this one. She inscribed my copy of the book, "To John; my Honey Chile..."❤❤❤❤
@williampoulos1847
Listen to Martha's deep soulful feeling in this song. This song is about a woman who still loves her man deeply, but cannot not reconcile the emotional rollercoaster of her man's infidelity....and you can hear that emotion in Martha's emotional and powerful singing. This song was syncopated with an awesome bass too! I call this song: " bitter-sweet and powerfully emotional feelings of endearment." SO DARN EMOTIONALLY SOULFUL!
@samuelgriffin4167
One of the Motown songs that don't get enough airplay
@alanbeaver5544
Tight bass line!