A House Is Not a Home (song)

This article is about the Dionne Warwick song. For the Deborah Cox song, see House Is Not a Home.

"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.

"A House Is Not a Home"
Side B of the US single
Song by Dionne Warwick
from the album Make Way for Dionne Warwick
A-side	"You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)"
Released	1964
Recorded	1964
Studio	Bell Sound (New York City)
Genre	Soul
Length	3:08
Label	Scepter
Songwriter(s)	Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer(s)	Burt Bacharach, Hal David

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

"A House Is Not a Home"
Single by Luther Vandross
from the album Never Too Much
Released	1981
Genre	Quiet storm R&B soul
Length	7:07
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer(s)	Luther Vandross

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 for "Slow Jamz", from Twista's 2004 album Kamikaze, as well as Kanye's own 2004 studio album The College Dropout.

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other notable 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.
• In 2014, Warwick released a duet version of the song with singer Ne-Yo on Feels So Good.

Parodies

• 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".
• 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".