Song of the Day 1/15: Brook Benton, “A House Is Not a Home”
In honor of Sen. Dave McBride (h/t El Somnambulo), whose house in New Castle County is not his home, though we never need an excuse to showcase a Burt Bacharach/Hal David tune. The song was first recorded in 1964 by Dionne Warwick, who made a career of turning Bacharach compositions into hits, but it was written for the film of the same name, which starred Shelley Winters as a madam, and it was sung for the film by Brook Benton. The two versions were released almost simultaneously, Warwick’s as a B-side, so both stalled in the lower reaches of the charts.
The tune was quickly recognized as a uniquely beltable ballad and was soon covered by everyone from Dusty Springfield to Lanie Kazan. Nobody made it a hit, though, until Luther Vandross recorded it for his first solo LP, “Never Too Much.” He slowed the tempo and turned it into a show-stopper that clocked in at over 7 minutes.
The song won a Grammy for Aretha Franklin when she sang it at Vandross’ memorial concert after his death in 2005.
Burt Bacharach is, of course, one of the master craftsmen of American popular music. After more than a decade of writing hits for stage, screen and other singers, Bacharach finally released an LP of his own in 1967. He played piano on all the tracks, but sang only one — “A House Is Not a Home.”
Burt Bacharach is one of the great songwriters. If I were naming a ’60s non-rock pop pantheon, which I guess am, I’d put him at the top along with Henry Mancini, Jimmy Webb, unless you think he’s too “rock,” and Antonio Carlos Jobim, unless you think he’s too “jazz” or are not including South Americans. Burt probably shouldn’t sing, though.
He’s untrained, yes. Jimmy Webb is no singer, either, but when he interprets one of his own lyrics, you have to pay attention.
A song like this requires commitment to the sentiment to really succeed (sorry, Aretha), and Burt provides that a-plenty. I thought it interesting that he chose this particular song; it’s not the easiest of his compositions to sing, so he must have had another reason. One possibility, at least to my ear, is that he wanted future singers to know how it should sound.
I think Webb is better at it. But I do think Burt’s version is of archival interest. And the emotion comes through for sure. I don’t at all mind listening to his renditions. All Bacharach is good Bacharach.
Enjoyed this post, Al. Thanks.
You’re welcome.