What is "a house is not a home"

prov. A home is not merely a building but requires inhabitants and a friendly atmosphere.

A House Is Not a Home is a 1964 drama film loosely based on the 1953 autobiography by madam Polly Adler. The film stars Shelley Winters, Robert Taylor, Cesar Romero, and Kaye Ballard. Raquel Welch made her film debut in a small role as a sex worker. The song written for the film by Burt Bacharach & Hal David has become a standard.

"A House Is Not a Home" is a 1964 song recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick, and written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1964 film of the same name, starring Shelley Winters and Richard Todd. The song was a modest hit in the United States for Warwick, 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.

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 song 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.

A House Is Not a Home may refer to:

• A House Is Not a Home, a 1953 autobiography by Polly Adler
• A House Is Not a Home (film), a 1964 American film
• "A House Is Not a Home" (song), a 1964 song by Dionne Warwick and the 1981 cover version by Luther Vandross

A House Is Not a Home is a TVB television series, premiered on 1 August 1977. It is a very successful classic series boasting the likes of stars Liza Wang, Simon Yam, Ha Yu and also veteran actors like Bak Man-biu, Tang Pik-wan and Lee Heung-kam. The show became a 1970s drama classic, well-known also for its theme song, "A House Is Not a Home"; 家變, which was composed and arranged by Joseph Koo, with lyrics by the late Wong Jim and sung by Roman Tam.