The Beatles might have spurred a sea change in rock and roll when they arrived on the scene, but they didn’t create their sound from complete scratch. They were a product of their influences: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fred Astaire …

Wait, Fred Astaire? Well, it’s partially true, at least when it comes to the White Album track “Honey Pie.” It’s a song where Paul McCartney indulged his love of classic Hollywood musicals, and didn’t even bother updating the sound for 1968.

Spreading on the “Honey”
The Beatles never shied away from paying homage, sometimes pretty obviously, to the music that had a big impact on them. Obviously, the rock and roll that bubbled up in the late ‘50s cast a big spell on them, but that was not by any stretch the only genre that steered their artistic sensibilities.