It's My House

"It's My House"
Single by Diana Ross
from the album The Boss
B-side"Sparkle"
Released20 October 1979
Recorded1979
Genre
Length4:34
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)
  • Nickolas Ashford
  • Valerie Simpson
Producer(s)Ashford & Simpson
Diana Ross singles chronology
"No One Gets the Prize"
(1979) 		"It's My House"
(1979) 		"Upside Down"
(1980)

"It's My House" is a ballad composed by the rhythm and blues writing team of Ashford and Simpson, recorded by Motown icon Diana Ross for her 1979 album release The Boss, from which it was issued as the second single on 20 October 1979.

Background and commercial reception

Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson described "It's My House" with the following: "The song is about a modern woman who tells her lover: 'I'm independent and may fit you into my space - but on my terms.' Those are Diana's ideas."[1]

The song peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard R&B chart, and (the Record World Pop Singles No. 101-No. 150 ranking ranked "It's My House" as high as No. 106).

The UK Singles Chart afforded a No. 32 peak to "It's My House", which was the third UK single from The Boss album - following the title cut and "No One Gets the Prize", both of which fared less well on the UK charts than "It's My House" (the UK chart peaks of "The Boss" and "No One Gets the Prize" being respectively No. 40 and No. 59). Ross' version of "It's My House" also statistically bested a reggae-styled cover version by Storm which despite debuting on the UK Top 75 singles ranking a week prior to the Ross single rose no higher than No. 36.[2]

Reaching No. 71 on the Australian national singles ranking,[3] "It's My House" had its best global chart showing in South Africa where the Springbok Radio hit parade ranked "It's My House" as high as No. 7.[4]

Personnel

  • Lead vocals by Diana Ross
  • Background vocals by Stephanie Spruill, Maxine Waters and Julia Waters
  • Produced by Ashford & Simpson

Charts

Chart performance for "It's My House"
Chart (1979) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 71
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[4] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 32
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[5] 27

Covers and sampling

Besides the cover by Storm which reached No. 36 UK, reggae-style recordings of "It's My House" have also been made by Salena Jones (from the 1980 album Love is in the Air) and Billy Biggs (from the 1980 album What's Your Sign).[6] Latin singer La Lupe covered a Spanish language version of the song ("Es Mi Casa") on her 1980 album "En algo nuevo," which also happened to be her final original album shortly before she announced her retirement.[7] Lady Gaga's song "Replay" from her 2020 album, Chromatica, features a sample of "It's My House".[8]. Mejja from Kenya also sampled the song with his hit Niko poa produced by Clemo of Calif records.

John Mayer performed an acoustic guitar version of the song for presenter Andy Cohen on his birthday in 2018.[9]

References

  1. ^ New York Daily News 13 January 1980 "Diana" by Pablo Guzman pages=327, 331
  2. ^ a b "Diana Ross: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-11917-5.
  4. ^ a b "Diana Ross: Chart History". South Africa's Rock Lists. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Cover versions of It's My House written by Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  7. ^ Matos, Israel (2012). La Lupe, Reina Poseída: Como Surge En La Cuba De Batista, Como Escapa De La Cuba Comunista, Como Triunfa En Una Sociedad Capitalista, Y Como Se Destruye Sirviendo a Los Orishas (in Spanish). Palibrio. ISBN 978-1463328443.
  8. ^ Nolfi, Joey. "Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' team reveals the history and future of her new era". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "John Mayer Surprises Andy Cohen With A Diana Ross Cover". Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, YouTube. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2024.