"(We've Got) Honey Love" is a 1967 song by

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

girl group

The Velvelettes The Velvelettes were an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s. Their biggest chart success occurred in 1964, when Norman Whitfield produced "Needle in a Haystack", which peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ...

Honey Love recording info
/ref> that later became a 1969 single released by another

girl group

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1973 as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s as a major act for Motown Records. Formed by friends Annett ...

(credited here as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) from their album '' Ridin' High'' released in 1968. The song returned the Vandellas to the top forty of Billboard's R&B singles chart where it peaked at number twenty-seven while it hit the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number fifty-seven. Honey Love at Allmusic/ref> It was the group's sixth record where they were listed as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas following the successful "

Honey Chile "Honey Chile" is a 1967 single by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas on the Gordy label, a subsidiary of Motown Records. Written by Richard Morris and Sylvia Moy, and produced by Morris, this was the first single to bill the group's name as Marth ...

" single two years earlier. The song talked of how one woman's lover's charm was like "sugar and spice" adding names of candy and soda adding "a little bit of me, a little bit of you and we've got honey love." The Velvelettes, meanwhile, had recorded two versions of the song (one led by the group's lead singer, Carolyn 'Cal' Gill, the other is a rare lead for then group member - and future Vandella -

Sandra Tilley Sandra L. Tilley (May 6, 1945 or 1946 – September 9, 1983)was an American R&B and soul singer, best known for being a member of Motown girl group the Velvelettes; and later joining Martha and the Vandellas. Early life and career Sandra ...

), both of which would go unreleased for almost 40 years. All three versions were written by Richard Morris and

Sylvia Moy Sylvia Rose Moy (September 15, 1938 – April 15, 2017) was an American songwriter and record producer, formerly associated with the Motown Records group. The first woman at the Detroit-based music label to write and produce for Motown acts, she i ...

, and produced by Morris (with Moy co-producing the versions by The Velvelettes). Every version also used the same track with

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...

as background vocals.

Personnel

*Lead vocals by

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, which scored several major Hot 100 hits such as " Nowhere to Run", "Heat ...

*Backing vocals by

: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps *Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

References

1969 singles Martha and the Vandellas songs Songs written by Sylvia Moy Songs written by Richard Morris (songwriter) Motown singles 1967 songs 1968 songs {{1960s-R&B-song-stub