Kid Rock Re-Invented The Classic Track “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch,” Adding A Dark Spin To It

Did it ever cross your mind that Kid Rock would cover Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)? Well, Rock continues to do what he does best – and that’s crossing musical genres like bridges and pushing the boundaries. 

In 2017, he released his eleventh studio album, Sweet Southern Sugar, which he jokingly described as “creatively confused.” The album was the first record he made in Nashville, which was made possible by his record deal with Broken Bow Records – the home to Jason Aldean, Craig Morgan, Lainey Wilson, and more.

Like most of Kid Rock‘s catalogs, the ten tracks on Sweet Southern Sugar touch on a little bit of everything. There are rock anthems, a bluesy homage to hillbilly living, a soul-baring rap, as well as a gritty 1960s Motown cover – which stands out to us.

Kid Rock’s Version Of The Motown Classic 

Written by Motown’s main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” was first recorded in 1965 by the Detroit vocal quartet Four Tops for the Motown label. The song about a man pleadingly professing his love to a woman turned out to be one of the decade’s biggest hits – reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks.

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While you might think it’s not Kid Rock’s cup of tea, the Detroit native proves that you could never judge a book by its cover. He put a dark spin on the classic track, re-inventing it into a slow drug jam.

“When I did it, I was envisioning it being very dark, like with everything going on with the opioid and heroin problems,” he said, which reminded him of a dark period of his time. 

You can listen to Kid Rock’s “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch” in the video below and get yourself ready to sing along and tap your toes as he made this popular tune completely his own.