One night the group, known then as The Sheratons, was playing in a London pub, The Mildmay Tavern in the Balls Pond Road. In the audience were Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, a very prolific British songwriting team, who later wrote hits for such artists as Lulu, Elvis Presley, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and Petula Clark. Howard and Blaikley, then working in production for BBC TV, liked what they saw and suggested the band might like to hear some of their material. The band had an upcoming audition with legendary indie producer Joe Meek who most notably had produced The Tornados, and composed their number one hit "Telstar" in 1962 and were eager for some new material. At the audition in Meek's studio in Holloway Road, they played Howard and Blaikley's "Have I the Right?" which Meek immediately recorded. The Sheratons were renamed The Honeycombs and were signed to the Pye record label. After proving a 'sleeper' for seven weeks the record took off in the summer of 1964 reaching the number one spot around the world and selling over 2 million records. It was Meek's final hit in America, where it was issued on the Interphon label. The Honeycombs were managed by Howard and Blaikley who went on to write more successes for them.
"Have I The Right?", the Honeycombs' first recording, took off - going to number one in the UK and number five in the U.S. in the Autumn/Fall of 1964, shortly after the start of the British Invasion in pop music. They were especially successful in Sweden (four consecutive number ones) and in Japan ("Love in Tokyo" went to number one and they issued a Japan only released live album). Honey Lantree was an accomplished drummer and the star attraction of the group, as she was one of very few female drummers at the time (although the band tried hard to play down the fact that she was female in the press). The unique and heavily compressed bass drum sound on "Have I The Right?", which many other drummers of the period tried to replicate, was augmented by the group stamping on the stairs of Meek's studio. Meek achieved this by placing four microphones under the stairs, attached with bicycle clips. The Honeycombs also recorded the song in German.
In November 1964, Peter Pye replaced guitarist Martin Murray.
They made many appearances on music-television-shows such as Top of the Pops, Ready Steady Go! (UK) and Beat-Club (Germany). They also recorded their second album entitled All Systems - Go! in 1965. A fine dubbed performance appears in the 1965 British film Pop Gear, (US-title: Go Go Mania!).
In April 1966, Pye, D'ell and Ward left the band. The Lantrees were joined by vocalist/guitarist Colin Boyd, guitarist Rod Butler and keyboardist Eddie Spence. This lineup lasted one single before the group disbanded in 1967.
In 1991, Honey Lantree, Peter Pye and Denis D'ell began touring as "The Honeycombs", with John Lantree later joining the lineup. The other founding member, Martin Murray formed a group called "Martin Murray's Honeycombs" around the same time. In 1999, the Lantrees/Pye/D'ell lineup recorded the song "Live and Let Die" for a compilation, after which, no further activity came from the band.
In 2004, Martin Murray secured the rights to the "Honeycombs" name and began touring with a new lineup. The new lineup consists of Martin Murray (guitar), Lee Howard (guitar), Sascha Flory (vocals), Olli Tooley (vocals), Chris Randall (bass) and Jim Green (drums).
The original group members were:
Denis D'Ell (born Denis James Dalziel, 10 October 1943, Whitechapel, East London; died of cancer 6 July 2005) – lead singer and harmonica player
Martin Murray (born 7 October 1941, the East End of London) – rhythm guitar. He was replaced by Peter Pye (born 12 July 1946, Walthamstow, London) in November 1964
Alan Ward (born 12 December 1945, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) – lead guitar
John Lantree (born John David Lantree, 20 August 1940, Newbury, Berkshire) – bass guitar
Honey Lantree (born Ann Margot Lantree, 28 August 1943, Hayes, Middlesex; died 23th December 2018) – drums and singer
Have I the Right
The Honeycombs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I've always told you
That we must never ever part, oh oh oh oh
Have I the right to kiss you
You know I'll always miss you
I've loved you from the very start
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah
Have I the right to touch you
If I could you'd see how much you
Send those shivers running down my spine, ooh ooh
Have I the right to thrill you
You know I'll wait until you
Give me the right to make you mine
Well, come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back, I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah, all right
Have I the right to hold you
You know I've always told you
That we must never ever part, no, no no, no, no
Have I the right to kiss you
You know I'll always miss you
I've loved you from the very start
Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah, yeah
Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back right back where you belong, oh yeah
You belong, oh yeah, you belong
The Honeycombs's song, Have I the Right is a love song that expresses the feelings of a person who is deeply in love with their partner. The song's lyrics pose questions about whether they have the right to hold, kiss, touch and thrill their partner. The repetition of the question "Have I the right" emphasizes the depth of the singer's love for the subject of the song. They long to share their love with their partner, and the only way to do so is if they come right back where they belong - with the singer.
The singer urges their partner to return to them so they can show how strong their love is. They reveal the vulnerability of their love by admitting that they "just can't bear it" without their partner. In the chorus, the singer emphasizes the importance of never parting, revealing their fear that they may not have the right to hold their partner.
Overall, the song's lyrics are a passionate expression of romantic love. The singer's vulnerability is evident in the lyrics as they plead for their partner's return. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy melody add to its appeal and make it a beloved classic of 1960s pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
Have I the right to hold you
Is it acceptable for me to embrace you?
You know I've always told you
It is a well-known fact that I have informed you multiple times.
That we must never ever part, oh oh oh oh
We should never ever separate from each other.
Have I the right to kiss you
Can I kiss you legally?
You know I'll always miss you
I will always feel your absence even when you are not gone.
I've loved you from the very start
Since the beginning of our relationship, I have had profound affection for you.
Come right back I just can't bear it
Please return quickly as I cannot tolerate your absence.
I've got this love and I long to share it
I possess an intense feeling of affection and yearn to share it with you.
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah
Return to me and I will demonstrate the intensity of my love for you.
Have I the right to touch you
Do I have consent to touch you?
If I could you'd see how much you
If it were possible, you would understand how strongly I feel about you.
Send those shivers running down my spine, ooh ooh
Your touch brings intense physical sensations that cause shivers throughout my body.
Have I the right to thrill you
May I provide you with excitement and pleasure?
You know I'll wait until you
I will be patient until you are ready.
Give me the right to make you mine
Allow me to pursue and claim you as my own.
Come right back I just can't bear it
Please come back soon as I am unable to cope with your absence.
I've got this love and I long to share it
I have immense love and an intense desire to share it with you.
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah, all right
Return to me, and I will prove the strength of my love for you.
Have I the right to hold you
May I legally and consensually embrace you?
That we must never ever part, no, no no, no, no
We should never ever separate from each other.
You know I'll always miss you
I will always feel your absence even when you are not gone.
Come right back I just can't bear it
Please come back soon as I am unable to cope with your absence.
I've got this love and I long to share it
I possess a deep love and I hope to share it with you.
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah, yeah
Return to me, and I will demonstrate the strength of my love for you.
Come right back I just can't bear it
Please come back quickly as I am unable to handle your absence.
I've got this love and I long to share it
I possess an intense feeling of affection, and I yearn to share it with you.
Come right back right back where you belong, oh yeah
Return to me, and be where you truly belong.
You belong, oh yeah, you belong
You belong with me, always.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Alan Blaikley, Kenneth Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@janeleekeller
@🌺 Lisa loves summer time 🌞
Thank you Lisa. However as I type this,
it's Still May 1st.
When I was in 6th grade, we celebrated with an actual Maypole with Ribbons.
Perhaps Your Mother did as well.
We've been having excessive windy days.
Not a lot of rain here in Southeastern PA.
A bit chillier than usual.
And warnings of possible Fires.
Hope you're enjoying May Day Lisa 😊.
JaneLee
5/1/22
@ClassicHitsStudio
Do you remember Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO4I-0DGAn4&list=PLr60eSXgY4_CSusMczswc5Et9CEQVCMYJ&index=2&pp=gAQBiAQB8AUB 🌊
@rustygg1
Most definitely I remember Beyond the Sea - I know all Bobby Darin songs been listening since the 60's still listen now - one of the greats💖
@user-fd1yc3dd6n
geeky group Beatles wanna bes but a good melody and tune
@andrewjohnstone963
Charles Trenet La mer❤
@rab5564
Still listening July 2023
@johnlee8955
Yes
@handsomeclem208
Honey Lantree was definitely a highly underrated drummer, what she could do using a barebones kit consisting of a snare, single rack tom, floor tom, single pedal kick, high hat and single crash cymbal is nothing short of phenomenal!
@rvnmedic1968
I was thinking the same thing. Did she play in any other bands in the 60s?
@handsomeclem208
@@rvnmedic1968 : She retired from performing when The Honeycombs broke up and she subsequently got married and settled down to raise a family, returning to a reconstituted version of The Honeycombs sometime in the 80's, playing mainly the oldies circuit......
@zanti4132
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe she was the first female drummer to play on a hit single. She also gets points for being the only nember of the band who doesn't look like a total nerd.