It concerns a famed actress, called only by the term of endearment "Honey Pie", who becomes famous in the United States, and her old lover, who wishes for her to rejoin him in England.

The premise – a humble admirer yearning for the return of his lover – is not unlike a typical music hall plot.

The clarinets, according to Alan W. Pollack, "produce water sprays in parallel thirds" and the saxophones play in tight harmony.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent listed "Honey Pie" at number 25 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks.

[7] The song has been covered by Alan Klein (1969), Barbra Streisand, Jack Sheldon, the King's Singers, Don Partridge,[8] the Golden Gate Quartet, Tuck & Patti, and John Pizzarelli, among others.