A Heart Is a House for Love
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A Heart Is a House for Love (title often confused with "A Heart Is A House Of Love") is a 1991 hit Soul original song written by George Duke and recorded by The Dells originally featured in the movie and on the soundtrack of The Five Heartbeats film (which coincidently is based on the real lives of numerous classic male Soul groups such as The Dells, The Temptations, and The Four Tops). The song originally only climbed to number 94 on the R&B/Hip Hop section of the Billboard American charts, however after the release of the movie the song peaked at number thirteen. It was The Dells most successful, recognizable, and notable hit of the 90's.
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[edit] History
[edit] The Five Heartbeats
The song was originally featured in the 1991 feature film The Five Heartbeats, which follows the lives of the fictional singing group of the same name. In the scene the song is first featured in the group is about to perform when the announcer tells them backstage that a new house rules demands they use a piano player hired by the owners of the building. The members of the group are offended by the gesture as they had not practiced with him and quickly realized this would harm their performance, but their only options are to either perform with this particular piano player or leave. As a result of both the argument and the announcer's personal fondness for The Heartbeat's rival group he misleads the audience at the concert hall by telling them The Heartbeats claimed they where better than both their rival group and The Temptations right before the Heartbeats are about to go on. The audience boos them as soon as they get on stage and throws different objects at them, the group begins to perform but the crowd is reluctant to stop their rambunctious behavior and continue to ridicule the band. Robert Townsend's character (Duck), realizing they're going to lose the competition if they continue to perform with the house player in the style their choreographer had previously taught them and tired of his music being altered, then throws the piano player of the stage and plays in his own style while Eddie (the lead singer of the group, portrayed by Michael Wright) sings. The crowd soon applauds as The Heartbeats perform together and the group manages to win the contest despite the announcers previous attempts.
[edit] Song Information
The Dells had performed the song while the actors lip synced the vocals in the movie, however the film increased The Dells popularity with a new audience and as a result the song peaked at number 13 on the charts. The song is well known for the bass lead vocals and harmonic melody of the background vocalist who repeat the title of the song as the chorus.
[edit] Credits
- Composed by George Duke
- Lead Vocals by Johny Carter and Marvin Junior
- Background Vocals by Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Michael McGill, Chuck Barksdale, and Johnny Carter
