In Daisy Jones & The Six, a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel adapted into a miniseries by Prime Video, the song "Honeycomb" marks a turning point for the titular character, Daisy Jones, and lead singer-songwriter of rock band The Six, Billy Dunne. The track launches the novice musical group into national acclaim, and marks the first of many songwriting collaborations between Daisy and Billy. The success, however, didn't come without some resistance.
In fact, "Honeycomb" hints at the growing passion between Daisy and Billy, the latter of whom originally wrote the song for his wife, Camila. Though the Prime Video adaptation tweaks Jenkins Reid's original lyrics and changes the title to "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)", the show still captures the duo's creative and romantic tension.
The highly-anticipated song (which is included in the now real-life Aurora album that dropped on streaming platforms yesterday) arrives at the end of Episode 3. Like the book, the show portrays Billy's hostility to Daisy, who arrives in the studio with lyrical changes to his song.
Billy wrote "Honeycomb" for Camila after she forgave him for going off the rails on a drug and alcohol-filled bender, cheating on her while on tour, and missing the birth of their first daughter. As Billy says in the book, "I’d written it about the life that I promised Camila. ... It was a pledge I’d made her. That I would give her that one day. A big farmhouse, lots of kids. Some peace and quiet after all the storms I’d put her through. That’s what 'Honeycomb' was about. It didn’t make any sense to have someone else come in on it."
Come in on it, Daisy did. In the book, she changes the lyrics from:
The life we want will wait for us / We will live to see the lights coming off the bay / And you will hold me, you will hold me, you will hold me / until that day
to
Will the life we want wait for us? / Will we live to see the lights coming off the bay? / Will you hold me, will you hold me, will you hold me until that day?
In the series, the song gets reworked by producer Blake Mills, plus songwriting team Jason Boesel, Jonathan Rice, Marcus Mumford, and Stephony Smith. The chorus, as originally written by Billy, is now, "I know we can get it all back." Daisy then tweaks the lyrics to, "We can make a good thing bad."
He isn't pleased. When Daisy implores him to uncover the true meaning of the song, he reacts, "What do I think the song is about? The song that I wrote? What do I think the song that I wrote is about?"
He admits the song is about "redemption." Daisy interprets this to mean "guilt," which Billy immediately rejects with vehemence.
The book explains his frustration, noting, "Billy was writing songs trying to tell himself he had got it all under control, that decades out he’ll still have his sobriety and his wife and his family. And in about two minutes of singing, Daisy pulled the tablecloth from under the dishes."
Unfortunately for Billy, his record label is uninterested in the sappy song unless Daisy is on it. With some convincing from their producer, Teddy Price, he returns to the mic to sing her version.
Other verses from the show's version of the song not only references the breakdown between Camila and Billy, but also hints at the dangerous effect that Daisy has on Billy's sobriety and fidelity. "This thing we've been doin' ain't workin' out / Oh, how did we get here? How do we get out? / We used to be something to see" the two repeatedly belt out together. The words cut at Camila's faltering trust in her husband as well as Billy's desperation to remain faithful—even if he can't help falling in love with Daisy.
View full post on YoutubeActors Riley Keough and Sam Claflin sing their own vocals on the song. Instrumental credits include Tyler Chester on the piano and synthesizer, Abe Rounds on the drums, Matt Chamberlain on percussion, and Blake Mills and Madison Cunningham on guitar and background vocals.
Below, the full lyrics to "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)."
I don't know who I am
Baby, baby, baby
Do you know who you are?
Is it out of our hands?
Tell me, tell me, tell me
How we made it this far
Did we unravel a long time ago?
Is there too much we don't wanna know?
I wish it was easy, but it isn't so
Oh, we could make a good thing bad
Oh, we could make a good thing bad
Now, where do we stand?
Baby, baby, baby
No one knows who you are
And if this was your plan
Tell me, tell me why
You've been cryin' in the dark
We unraveled a long time ago
We lost and we couldn't let it go
I wish it was easy, but it isn't so
So, baby
Oh, we could make a good thing bad
Oh, we could makе a good thing bad
Oh, we could make a good thing bad
Oh, we could makе a good thing bad
How did we get here? How do we get out?
We used to be somethin' to see
Oh, baby, look at us now
Oh, baby, look at us now
This thing we've been doin' ain't workin' out
Why can't you just admit it to me?
Oh, baby, look at us now
Oh, baby, look at us now
Oh, baby, look at us now
Oh, baby, look at us now
Oh, baby, look at us now
How did we get here? How do we get out?
This thing we've been doin' ain't workin' out
Oh, how did we get here? How do we get out?
We used to be something to see
Oh, baby, look at us now
Baby, look at us now
This thing we've been doin' ain't workin' out
Why can't you just admit it to me?
Oh, baby, look at us now
Baby, look at us now
How did we get here? How do we get out?
We used to be something to see
Oh, baby, look at us now
Baby, look at us now
This thing we've been doin' ain't workin' out
Why can't you just admit it to me?
Oh, baby, look at us now
Baby, look at us now
