“Here Comes Honey Again”
Sonny James
Written by Sonny James and Carole Smith
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
November 6, 1971
Sonny James wouldn’t hold the record of most consecutive No. 1 hits for very long, but I think his streak of 16 in a row is more impressive than the ones that matched and passed him.
In the eighties, when Alabama knocked out 21 straight chart toppers and Earl Thomas Conley matched James’ 16, there was a new number one every week. Back in James’ day, songs were spending multiple weeks at number one. This man competed with Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, and so many other legends at the top of their own games, and made it to the top sixteen times in a row!
Maybe the coolest thing about James is that he also did it with so many different styles of country. He almost sounds like Porter Wagoner on “Here Comes Honey Again,” a mopey ballad that I loved every damn second of. This one really got its hooks into me. He’s such a lovable sad sack, just barely able to find life worth living again when his flame shows up to ruin and save his life in an endless loop.
James was such a forceful and confident singer, so it’s all the more impressive how well he communicates such despondent insecurity here. You can almost hear his soul dragging on the floor behind him.
What a great way to end an historic streak. His next single, “Only Love Can Break a Heart, ” stopped at No. 2, but he followed it with two more chart toppers we’ll cover in 1972.
“Here Comes Honey Again” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies
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A very good song. A solid “B”. Sonny has definitely been overlooked in modern times, but his catalog is impressive.
The Southern Gentleman seldom missed with whatever he committed to.
I am forever smitten with the warmth of his vocals and production. A Sonny James song is guaranteed to feel comfortable, similar to listening to Jim Reeves.
The power of nostalgia.
I am so happy this ’70s feature has shone a light on the end of his impressive run of consecutive number one hits while competing with genre legends for that too spot on the charts.
Hopefully, fans now know to include him in lists of the best and most successful country artists of all time.
Sonny’s next single “Only Love Can Break A Heart’ reached #1 on both Cash Box and Record World. “Here Comes Honey Again” is one of my favorite Sonny James singles – a definite “A”
This song seems to me so similar in concept to Merle Haggard’s “Shelly’s Winter Love.” Following up with Google to find out which song came first, I was surprised to learn they were both released in the same year. Coincidence?
Bonus Beats:
Here’s the version of “Here Comes Honey Again” that Bill Anderson recorded for his 1972 album All the Lonely Women in the World:
https://youtu.be/LO8huiXU1cs
Good call on the Porter Wagoner comparison here. One of Sonny’s better chart toppers for sure.