"A House Is Not a Home" is a 1964 ballad written by the team of

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

for the 1964 film of the same name, starring

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

and Robert Taylor. The song was recorded by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

Bell Sound Studios Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by ...

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) "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David. It was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1964, who charted at number 34 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with her version. ...

". Another version of the song, by

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better known as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960 ...

, 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 Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

Production

The Warwick single was performed in the key of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

, 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 A-flat major (or the key of A-flat) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats. The A-flat major scale is: : Its relative minor is F minor. Its parallel minor, A-flat minor, ...

Luther Vandross version

The song was recorded by R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer-songwriter

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 song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

s. 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 Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

on "

Slow Jamz "Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista featuring fellow American musicians Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. Produced by the latter, it was released in 2003, through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, as the lead single from Twista's fourth ...

", from his 2003 studio album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received pra ...

''.

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 Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

included this on her 1969 live album ''Sunshine of Your Love''. * *

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

and

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

recorded a version for their joint album * *

Julie Rogers Julie Rogers (born Julie Rolls, 6 April 1943, Bermondsey, London, England) is an English pop singer. She is best known for her multi-million selling song, " The Wedding". Career Rogers, the youngest of five children, had piano lessons and star ...

recorded the song for her 1964 debut album ''Julie Rogers'' (which also featured her rendition of "The Love of a Boy"). * *

Ronnie Carroll Ronnie Carroll (born Ronald Cleghorn; 18 August 1934 – 13 April 2015) was a Northern Irish singer, entertainer and political candidate. Career Carroll was born Ronald Cleghorn in 116 Roslyn Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1934, the son o ...

recorded the song for his 1965 album ''Carroll Calling''. * * The Anita Kerr Singers recorded an a cappella arrangement on their 1969 album '' Reflect''. * *

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

recorded a version for her 1967 album ''Della on Strings of Blue''. * *

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

recorded a version for her 1968 album ''Love is Lainie''. * *

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

released a version on her 1968 album '' Backstage''. * *

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...

included a version on her 1968 album ''12 of Those Songs''. * *

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

recorded the song for her 1969 album ''Mavis Staples''. * * British singer

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

recorded the song for her 1969 album ''Lulu's Album''. * * English rock duo The Marbles performed the song and was released on the group's 1970 self-titled album. * *

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

performed the song with Bacharach on the 1970 television special ''Another Evening With Burt Bacharach'' (a performance she was "quite proud of"). * *

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

recorded a medley of the song with "

One Less Bell to Answer "One Less Bell to Answer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally written in 1967 for Keely Smith, the song was rediscovered in late 1969 by Bones Howe, the producer for the 5th Dimension, and the song was included on the ...

" (

the 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

hit) for her 1971 album '' Barbra Joan Streisand''. * * Dakota Stanton recorded the song for her 1972 album with organist Groove Holmes ''" Madame Foo-Foo"''. * * 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. * * In 2002,

Lynne Arriale Lynne Arriale is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. She is Professor of Jazz Studies and Director of Small Ensembles at the University of North Florida. Awards and honors *"The Lights Are Always On" (2022) #3 on JazzWeek ...

recorded the song on her album ''Inspiration''. * *

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

would record his own version with Bacharach, in 2003, using essentially the same template as

, for the album ''Here I Am: Isley meets Bacharach''. * In 2005,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

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 The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. ...

at the 46th Grammy Awards, her second in the category. * In 2007,

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene ...

recorded the songs for her album ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

''. * The song is featured twice during the sixteenth episode of the first season of ''Glee'', ''Home'', both on its own and as a cover of the Barbra Streisand medley with "One Less Bell to Answer". * In 2010, the song was reused in the revival of '' Promises, Promises''. * In 2012, Steps included the song on their festive themed album, '' Light Up the World''. * In 2014, Warwick released a duet version of the song with singer

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

on '' Feels So Good''.

Instrumental versions

* Various jazz musicians have performed and recorded the song, and it has thus acquired the status of a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

. *

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

recorded a version at the 1974

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

, released on ''

The Cutting Edge ''The Cutting Edge'' is a 1992 American sports-romantic comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and written by Tony Gilroy. The plot is about a wealthy, spoiled figure skater (played by Moira Kelly) who is paired with an injury-sidelined i ...

''. *

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

recorded the song for his 1977 album ''

I Will Say Goodbye ''I Will Say Goodbye'' is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, recorded in 1977 but not released until 1980. Reception At the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981, ''I Will Say Goodbye'' won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental So ...

'' in the key of B flat major *

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...

recorded the song for his 1983 album '' Les Fleurs''. * In 1993, pianist

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, the band which shortened its name to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained ...

included the song on the album '' Invitation''. * In 1995, another instrumental rendition was released on saxophonist

Nelson Rangell Nelson Rangell (born March 26, 1960) is an American smooth jazz musician and composer from Castle Rock, Colorado. Although he is known for his work with the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, his primary instrument is the piccolo, which he beg ...

's album ''Destiny''. * In 2004,

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias
BrowseBiography.com, 20 November 2011; retrieved 10 September 2014. is a Brazilian jazz pianist, sin ...

included the song in her album '' Dreamer''. *In 1968, Stevie Wonder recorded an instrumental version of this song on his album "Eivets Rednow". *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 Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

parodied the song's title on their album ''

Forever Changes ''Forever Changes'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released by Elektra Records in November 1967. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-oriented sound and orchestration, while primary songwriter Arthur Lee ex ...

'' in 1967, by naming one of their songs "

A House Is Not a Motel "A House Is Not a Motel" is a song written by Arthur Lee and first released by Love on their 1967 album ''Forever Changes''. Lyrics and music The song was likely inspired by the song " A House Is Not a Home" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal Dav ...

". *The song is parodied in

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...

episode, " Welcome to the Chum Bucket". *

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer/songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

parodied the title on his album ''

The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage ''The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage'' is the third album by British singer-songwriter Peter Hammill. It was released on Charisma Records in 1974, during a hiatus in the activities of Hammill's progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. ...

'' in 1974, naming the lengthy final number "A Louse Is Not a Home". *In the song " Coming Home" by

P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

, 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 Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

and later recorded again for her album " The Art of Elegance". *The song was performed twice in "

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

", the sixteenth episode of the television series ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'', once by

Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical '' Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received cr ...

and

Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series '' Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series bef ...

, and once by

Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television show ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2009–2015). He has s ...

and

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

as part of a medley with "

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Is Not A Home, A 1964 songs 1964 singles 1981 singles Aretha Franklin songs Barbra Streisand songs Brook Benton songs Dionne Warwick songs Luther Vandross songs Perry Como songs Songs written for films Songs with lyrics by Hal David Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Viola Wills songs Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance 1960s jazz standards The Marbles (duo) songs Jazz compositions in F major Scepter Records singles Soul ballads Rhythm and blues ballads