| "The Honeythief" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Hipsway | ||||
| from the album Hipsway | ||||
| B-side | "Wild Sorrow" | |||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Genre | New wave [1] | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Gary Langan | |||
| Hipsway singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Honeythief" is a 1986 song performed by the Scottish band Hipsway. [2]
The song's title was inspired by a 16th-century painting, "Venus and Cupid, the Honey Thief", found in the Burrell Collection art museum in Glasgow. [3]
The lyrics are based on Vladimir Nabokov's book Lolita. [4] In 1987, singer Grahame Skinner said, "It's just written from the point of view of a lecherous man who has an attraction for an innocent young girl — 'She's the honey and I'm the thief'." [4]
It was included on their 1986 self-titled debut album and released as a single, which reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, [5] and number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. [6] Its remix reached number 9 on the US Dance Club Play Singles chart. [6]
"The Honeythief" was the band's only top 40 hit in the US. [7] It has since appeared on over a dozen '80s music compilations. [8]
| Chart (1986–1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) [9] | 91 |
| Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [10] | 49 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [11] | 20 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [12] | 33 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [13] | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [5] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 19 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play [6] | 9 |
| US Cash Box [14] | 28 |
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Hipsway are a Scottish pop/new wave band.
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