First recorded and released by Bob Shane (1968).
Hit version by Bobby Goldsboro (US #1/C&W #1/UK #2/CAN #1/IRE #1/AUS #1/NZ #1 1968 |UK #2 1975).
From the wiki: “I’ve yet to find a song with so many ‘Bobs’ involved in its writing, production and promotion. Keep count. Everyone is named ‘Bob’ or ‘Bobby’.
“‘Honey’, also known as ‘Honey (I Miss You)’, was written by Bobby Russell who also produced the first recording of it with former Kingston Trio singer Bob Shane. Russell would wind up passing the song along to Bobby Goldsboro’s manager, Bob Montgomery, but with the proviso that any Goldsboro recording could not be released without Russell’s approval, and not until Shane’s single had finished its chart run. As events then unfolded, Shane’s single wound up not being well-promoted by his label (Decca), to Russell’s great consternation.
“Both singles wound up being released within one week of each other. Montgomery recalls being advised by a promotions man at Decca, Bob Holiday, to call Russell. ‘If you call Bobby [Russell] right now, he’ll tell you to go ahead and release Goldsboro’s record because he’s mad at Decca over something.’ Montgomery called Russell to ask his permission and Russell is reported to have angrily replied ‘I don’t give a s*** what you do.’
“Goldboro’s single was rush-released on February 17, 1968, and debuted at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 23, 1968 … the same week Shane’s single debuted “bubbling under” at #114. By April 13, Goldsboro’s ‘Honey’ was the most popular song in the U.S. It spent the next five weeks at #1. Meanwhile, Shane’s ‘Honey’ never got higher than #104 and made its final chart appearance the week of April 27, 1968.