Peak
8
Weeks
10
Score
1,666
Chart Year
1972
There is no mystery about the identity of the honky cat in question; Elton's first and most endearing lyricist, Bernie Taupin, was born on a farm in Lincolnshire, and like several of their early collaborations, including "Tell Me When The Whistle Blows," it leaves the listener in no uncertain terms as to where he would rather be, unlike city kid Elton, who was born at Pinner and served his apprenticeship in the capital under his birth name (Reginald Dwight), playing piano, among other things. In spite of its distinctly American flavour, "Honky Cat" was recorded along with the rest of the Honky Château album at Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, in January 1972. At the time, the studio was known as "Strawberry Studios," but after Elton dubbed it the "Honky Chateau" and named his album after it, that became its new moniker. The Château d'Hérouville lies northwest of Paris and is where Frédéric Chopin was believed to have conducted his affair with the novelist George Sand. In 1962 the composer Michel Magne bought it and converted it into a studio, which became a popular location doing the 1970s and '80s. >> Befitting the title, Elton played a honky-tonk style piano on this one, giving it the feel of a roadhouse or old-time saloon. The song starts with just this piano but builds to include a horn section and a banjo played by Elton's guitarist, Davey Johnstone. "Honky Cat" followed "Rocket Man" as the second of two singles from Honky Chateau, Elton's fifth album. Both songs were solid hits but not nearly as popular as "Crocodile Rock," the first single from his next album, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player. That song was his first #1 hit in America and ramped him up to a new level of stardom. "Honky Cat" was released July 31, 1972, backed by "Slave," a song written from the perspective of a slave in the American Civil War. The radio edit was chopped down to 4:07 from the album version, which runs 5:13.
When I look back, boy, I must have been green Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream Looking for an answer, trying to find a sign Until I saw your city lights, honey, I was blind They said, get back, honky cat Better get back to the woods Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways And, mmhm-hm-hm, oh, change is gonna do me good You better get back, honky cat Living in the city ain't where it's at It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine Well, I read some books, and I read some magazines About those high-class ladies down in New Orleans And all the folks back home, well, said I was a fool They said, oh, "Believe in the Lord" is the golden rule They said, get back, honky cat Better get back to the woods But I quit those days and my redneck ways And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, change is gonna do me good They said, get back, honky cat Better get back to the woods Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways And, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, change is gonna do me good They said, stay at home, boy, you gotta tend the farm Living in the city, boy, is, is going to break your heart But how can you stay when your heart says no? How can you stop when your feet say go? You better get back, honky cat Better get back to the woods Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, the change is gonna do me good You better get back, honky cat Living in the city ain't where it's at It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine Oh, yeah Get back, honky cat Get back, honky cat Get back, woo Get back, honky cat Get back, honky cat Get back, woo Oh, get back, honky cat Get back, get back, honky cat, woo (Oh yeah, redneck ways and, woo)
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 12, 1972 | 63 | 63 |
| 2 | Aug 19, 1972 | 44 | 82 |
| 3 | Aug 26, 1972 | 40 | 86 |
| 4 | Sep 2, 1972 | 23 | 103 |
| 5 | Sep 9, 1972 | 13 | 113 |
| 6 | Sep 16, 1972 | 9 | 117 |
| 7 | Sep 23, 1972 | 8 | 118 |
| 8 | Sep 30, 1972 | 17 | 109 |
| 9 | Oct 7, 1972 | 28 | 98 |
| 10 | Oct 14, 1972 | 42 | 84 |