Neha Patil (Editor)

Living in a House Divided

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B-side
  
"One Honest Man"

Recorded
  
1972

Length
  
2:57

Released
  
May 1972

Genre
  
Pop

Label
  
MCA

"Living in a House Divided" is a song by American entertainer Cher, released as the lead single from her album Foxy Lady. The song's lyrics discuss the separation of a couple, as a rather poignant descriptor of Cher's marriage to then-husband, Sonny. Due to Cher's feelings of resentment over Sonny's control of both her life and her career, their marriage soured. They divorced two years after this song became a hit.

The record peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number 21 on the Cash Box chart. "Living in a House Divided" was a Top 20 hit in Canada. The song did, however, fail to reach the success of "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", despite the fact that this was also the first single to be lifted from a Cher album.

"Living in a House Divided" closely parallels "I've Lost You", a Top 40 hit describing the break-up of yet another supercouple, Elvis and Priscilla Presley. The couples were contemporary, both together approximately 10 years, with Sonny and Elvis each being more than 10 years older than their wives. The songs were released less than two years apart, charted similarly, and foretold the struggles that the famous couples were facing.

Allmusic editor Joe Viglione noted that this song stands the test of time.

References

Living in a House Divided Wikipedia