"House at Pooh Corner" is a song written by

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

, based on the

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

of the same name. It was first performed by the

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constan ...

on their 1970 album ''

Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy ''Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy'' is the 1970 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that contains the hit song " Mr. Bojangles". The album reached No. 66 on US charts. Three singles charted: "Mr. Bojangles" reached No. 9, "House at Pooh Corner" ...

''.

Background

It is told from the perspective of both

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book ''Win ...

and

Christopher Robin Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney ...

, and serves as an allegory for loss of innocence and nostalgia for childhood. Loggins was a 17-year-old senior in high school when he wrote the song.

Reception

Loggins & Messina recording

It was later recorded by

Loggins and Messina Loggins and Messina was an American rock-pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, who achieved their success in the early to mid-1970s. Among their well-known songs are "Danny's Song", "House at Pooh Corner", and " Your Mama Don't D ...

on their 1971 album '' Sittin' In''.

Personnel

- lead vocals, classical acoustic guitar * Jim Messina - harmony vocals, acoustic guitar * Jon Clarke - oboe * Al Garth - recorder * Larry Sims - bass, backing vocals * Merel Bregante - drums, backing vocals *

Michael Omartian Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He spe ...

- Moog synthesizer, Hammond organ, piano *

Milt Holland Milton Holland (born Milton Olshansky; February 7, 1917 – November 4, 2005) was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percus ...

- shakers, temple blocks, congas, cabasa, gong

Other versions

*In 1977, CCM singer

Scott Wesley Brown Scott Wesley Brown (born June 4, 1952) is an American CCM singer and songwriter. He has recorded 25 albums and toured in over 50 countries. Biography Brown was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He recorded for Sparrow Records for much of h ...

covered the song for his album ''I'm Not Religious, I Just Love the Lord''. *In 1994, Loggins re-recorded the song (with an additional verse) under the title "Return to Pooh Corner", a duet with

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

, featuring backing vocals from Grant's then-husband, Gary Chapman. It appears on his album of the same title. *The song was recorded in 2007 by Australian artist

Josh Pyke Joshua Jon Pyke (born 18 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, producer, musician and children's book author. Biography Josh Pyke is a prolific songwriter, with a successful and critically acclaimed career both domestically and ove ...

for radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

. The live recording was then released on the third volume of the station's ''

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

'' compilation CDs.

Phillip Sandifer Phillip Sandifer (born 10 May, 1959) is an American writer, musician, recording artist and music producer. His music is primarily known within the Americana and Inspirational music field. Personal life Phillip Sandifer was born in Baltimore, M ...

also recorded the song for Disney's ''Winnie the Pooh Lullabies'' in 2004. *

The Boxmasters The Boxmasters is an American rock band founded in Bellflower, California, in 2007 by Academy Award-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew. The group has released eleven albums, with another one being released on April 15, 2022 Befor ...

, featuring

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

, included it on their album ''The Boxmasters''. *It was also recorded by the folk rock duo

The Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of ...

Samples

*This song was sampled in

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

's " Face to Face".

Popular culture

*The song was also recorded in three-part harmony by the characters Jesse (

John Stamos John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera '' General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the ...

), Joey (

Dave Coulier David Alan Coulier ( ; born September 21, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, and television host. He played Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom '' Full House'', voiced Peter Venkman on '' The Real Ghostbusters'', and v ...

), and Danny (

Bob Saget Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'' (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fulle ...

) on the 1980s television series ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

'' in Season 8: episode 15, "My Left and Right Foot" (183rd episode of the series) on January 31, 1995.

References

1971 singles Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs Kenny Loggins songs Winnie-the-Pooh songs Songs written by Kenny Loggins Liberty Records singles Columbia Records singles Loggins and Messina songs 1970 songs Songs about fictional male characters {{1970s-single-stub