"This Ole House" (sometimes written "This Old House") is an American

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

written Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

Stuart Hamblen Carl Stuart Hamblen (October 20, 1908 – March 8, 1989) was an American entertainer who became one of radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host, and songwriter. He underwent a Christian conversion ...

, and published in 1954.

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. The song again topped the UK chart in 1981 in a recording by

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...

Stuart Hamblen version

Hamblen recorded the song in March 1954 and released it as a single in May 1954. It became very successful, peaking at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Country & Western chart, as well as being a Top 30 hit on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, known then as the ''Best Sellers in Stores''. It was his last hit on the country charts and with the royalties he bought the mansion that had been owned by the late

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

Composition

Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition in the Sierra with guide Monte Wolfe, when he and his fellow hunter, actor

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

, came across a hut in the mountains. Inside was the body of a man, and the man's dog was still there, guarding the building. This inspired Hamblen to write "This Ole House". The song describes the

last words Last words are the final utterances before death. The meaning is sometimes expanded to somewhat earlier utterances. Last words of famous or infamous people are sometimes recorded (although not always accurately) which became a historical and liter ...

of an old man living in an old house that has fallen into such disrepair that it is no longer structurally sound. The man tells of how the house "once knew his children" and "once knew his wife," but that he was not going to need it any longer nor did he have time to repair the house's numerous flaws because he is dying and going to heaven very soon ("ready to meet the saints").

Reception

The single was reviewed twice in ''Billboard'' magazine. It was described as "a powerful religioso item with a message and an infectious beat. Hamblen sells it with fervor." and that it "could easily break thru into country and pop". In the following issue, it was described as "a sacred item which re-esablishes Hamblen as the top man in his field" and "a sock debut for Hamblen on the label."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Rosemary Clooney version

Soon after Hamblen released his version,

recorded a version of "This Ole House" with Buddy Cole & His Orchestra. It featured

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was also ...

and topped the charts in the US and the UK. In the US, it was released as the flip side to "

Hey There "Hey There" is a show tune from the musical play ''The Pajama Game,'' written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It was published in 1954. It was introduced by John Raitt in the original production. In the show, Sid sings it to a recording dev ...

", which also reached number 1. However, in the UK, it was released as the A-side, with the flip side "My Baby Sends Me". When reviewed in ''Billboard'', it was described as "a bright, bouncy rendition from the thrush, supported solidly by an unbilled male singer and the Buddy Cole ork. Tho not as strong as the flip. it has a sparkle that could make It grab juke loot."

Track listings

7" (US) # "

" – 2:57 # "This Ole House" – 2:18 7" (UK) # "This Ole House" # "My Baby Sends Me"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Shakin' Stevens version

In 1981, Welsh singer

covered the song for his album of the same name. It became very successful, topping the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for three weeks, as well as being a hit in several other countries. It was re-released in 2005 as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

with a cover of Pink's "

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

" after his appearance in the TV show '' Hit Me Baby One More Time'' and reached No. 20 in the

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Other notable recordings

*1954: Billie Anthony's version was a hit in the UK, peaking at number 4 in October *1954:

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

recorded the song in 1954 for use on his

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netwo ...

and it was subsequently included in the CD ''Bing & Rosie: The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions'' (2010). *1998: The Brian Setzer Orchestra on ''The Dirty Boogie'' *2010:

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Ernie Haase & Signature Sound is an American Southern Gospel quartet founded in 2002 by Ernie Haase, former Cathedral Quartet tenor and Garry Jones, former Gold City pianist. As of November 2021, the group consists of Dustin Doyle (lead/bariton ...

on their DVD/CD ''A Tribute to The Cathedral Quartet''

References

External links

Lyrics to "This Ole House"
{{Authority control 1954 singles 1981 singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Songs written by Stuart Hamblen Shakin' Stevens songs Rosemary Clooney songs Stoney Cooper songs Wilma Lee Cooper songs Stuart Hamblen songs 1954 songs Songs about old age Songs about death