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A House Is Not a Home (song)
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Wikipedia article
"'A House Is Not a Home'" is a 1964 ballad written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1964 film of the same name, starring Shelley Winters and Robert Taylor. The song was recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and was a modest hit in the United States for the singer, peaking at #71 on the pop singles chart as the B-side of the top 40 single, "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)". Another version of the song, by Brook Benton, which was the version that appeared in the film, was released at nearly the same time. It debuted two weeks earlier on the 'Billboard' Hot 100. Benton's version split airplay with Warwick's, and ultimately peaked at #75.
Warwick's version of "A House Is Not a Home" fared better in Canada, where it was a top 40 hit, peaking at #37. The ballad made the R&B top 10 in Cashbox by both Warwick and Benton, with neither artist specified as best seller.
Despite its modest initial success, the song went on to achieve greater renown through frequent recordings by other artists, including a hit version in 1981 by Luther Vandross.
Production
The Warwick single was performed in the key of F major, and it is most often played in that key in jazz interpretations. Bacharach recorded and performs the song in the key of A-flat major.
Luther Vandross version
The song was recorded by R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross on his 1981 debut album 'Never Too Much'. The track, which was recorded at seven minutes long, was released as a single and became an R&B hit, and later one of Vandross's signature songs. His performance of the song at the 1988 NAACP Awards telecast would bring Warwick to tears.
In 2009, 'Essence' magazine included Vandross's version of the song in their list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time".
Vandross's version was sampled by Kanye West on "Slow Jamz", from his 2003 studio album 'The College Dropout'.
Certifications
Other versions
* Following the original singles by Warwick and Benton, Bacharach himself recorded the song for his 1965 debut 'Hit Maker!: Burt Bacharach plays the Burt Bacharach Hits'.
*Ella Fitzgerald included this on her 1969 live album "Sunshine of Your Love"
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* The Temptations and The Supremes recorded a version for their joint album
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* Julie Rogers recorded the song for her 1964 debut album 'Julie Rogers' (which also featured her rendition of "The Love of a Boy").
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* Ronnie Carroll recorded the song for his 1965 album 'Carroll Calling'.
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* The Anita Kerr Singers recorded an a cappella arrangement on their 1969 album 'Reflect'.
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* Della Reese recorded a version for her 1967 album 'Della on Strings of Blue'.
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* Lainie Kazan recorded a version for her 1968 album 'Love is Lainie'.
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* Cher released a version on her 1968 album 'Backstage'.
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* Shirley Bassey included a version on her 1968 album '12 of Those Songs'.
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* Mavis Staples recorded the song for her 1969 album 'Mavis Staples'.
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* British singer Lulu recorded the song for her 1969 album 'Lulu's Album'.
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* English rock duo The Marbles performed the song and was released on the group's 1970 self-titled album.
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* Dusty Springfield performed the song with Bacharach on the 1970 television special 'Another Evening With Burt Bacharach' (a performance she was "quite proud of").'Dusty: Full Circle' Taragon Video
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* Barbra Streisand recorded a medley of the song with "One Less Bell to Answer" (the 5th Dimension hit) for her 1971 album 'Barbra Joan Streisand'.
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* Dakota Stanton recorded the song for her 1972 album with organist Groove Holmes '"Madame Foo-Foo"'.
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* In 2001, Japanese reggae artists Reggae Disco Rockers, released a reggae version of the song that very closely follows the melodies and styles of the original.
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* In 2002, Lynne Arriale recorded the song on her album 'Inspiration'.
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* Ronald Isley would record his own version with Bacharach, in 2003, using essentially the same template as Luther Vandross, for the album 'Here I Am: Isley meets Bacharach'.
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* In 2005, Aretha Franklin recorded it for the tribute album 'So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross'. The song won her the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards, her second in the category.
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* In 2007, Marcia Hines recorded the songs for her album 'Life'.
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* In 2010, the song was reused in the revival of 'Promises, Promises'.
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* In 2012, Steps included the song on their festive themed album, 'Light Up the World'.
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* In 2014, Warwick released a duet version of the song with singer Ne-Yo on 'Feels So Good'.
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Instrumental versions
* Various jazz musicians have performed and recorded the song, and it has thus acquired the status of a jazz standard.*
* Sonny Rollins recorded a version at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival, released on 'The Cutting Edge'.
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* Bill Evans recorded the song for his 1977 album 'I Will Say Goodbye' in the key of B flat major
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* Ramsey Lewis recorded the song for his 1983 album 'Les Fleurs'.
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* In 1993, pianist Joe Sample included the song on the album 'Invitation'.
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* In 1995, another instrumental rendition was released on saxophonist Nelson Rangell's album 'Destiny'.
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* In 2004, Eliane Elias included the song in her album 'Dreamer'.
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*In 1968, Stevie Wonder recorded an instrumental version of this song on his album "Eivets Rednow".
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*In 1972, alto saxophonist Karl "Cannonball" Bryan, with the Soul Vendors featuring Jackie Mittoo on keyboards, recorded the song as a reggae instrumental released as a single on Studio One with a B-side dub version called "A House is Not a Dub".*
*In 2011, the Blue Devils played the song as the opener and closer to their 2011 show, "The Beat My Heart Skipped". The show fully consisted of Burt Bacharach's music.
In popular culture
*Psychedelic band Love parodied the song's title on their album 'Forever Changes' in 1967, by naming one of their songs "A House Is Not a Motel".
*The song is parodied in SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Welcome to the Chum Bucket".
*Peter Hammill parodied the title on his album 'The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage' in 1974, naming the lengthy final number "A Louse Is Not a Home".
*In the song "Coming Home" by P. Diddy, the song is referenced.
*"A House Is Not a Home" was one of several Bacharach/David hits added to the score of the 2010 Broadway revival of 'Promises, Promises' (a Bacharach/David musical from 1968). It was performed by Kristin Chenoweth and later recorded again for her album "The Art of Elegance".
*The song was performed twice in "Home", the sixteenth episode of the television series 'Glee', once by Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith, and once by Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenoweth as part of a medley with "One Less Bell to Answer".
References
Category:1964 songs
Category:1964 singles
Category:1981 singles
Category:Aretha Franklin songs
Category:Barbra Streisand songs
Category:Brook Benton songs
Category:Dionne Warwick songs
Category:Luther Vandross songs
Category:Perry Como songs
Category:Songs written for films
Category:Songs with lyrics by Hal David
Category:Songs with music by Burt Bacharach
Category:Viola Wills songs
Category:Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Category:1960s jazz standards
Category:The Marbles (duo) songs
Category:Jazz compositions in F major
Category:Scepter Records singles
Category:Soul ballads
Category:Rhythm and blues ballads
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