A Cottage for Sale
Appearance
"A Cottage for Sale" | |
---|---|
Song by The Revelers | |
Published | 1929 |
Composer(s) | Willard Robison |
Lyricist(s) | Larry Conley |
"A Cottage for Sale" is a popular song. The music was composed by Willard Robison, and the lyrics were written by Larry Conley.[1] The song was first published in 1929,[2] and over 100 performers have recorded versions of "A Cottage for Sale."[3] The first versions of the song were released by The Revelers in January 1930 and Bernie Cummins with the New Yorker Orchestra in March 1930.[4]
Lyrics and Themes
The song uses an empty cottage as a metaphor of a failed relationship or the end of a long relationship perhaps in death.
- Our little dream castle
- With every dream gone
- Is lonely and silent
- The shades are all drawn
- And my heart is heavy
- As I gaze upon
- A cottage for sale
- The lawn we were proud of
- Is waving in hay
- Our beautiful garden has
- Withered away.
- Where we planted roses
- The weeds seem to say...
- A cottage for sale
- Through every window
- I see your face
- But when I reach that window
- There's empty space
- The key's in the mailbox
- The same as before
- But no one is waiting for me anymore
- The end of our story
- Is there on the door
- A cottage for sale.[5]
Recordings
The song has become a standard, with artists from a variety of genres creating many notable recordings. A partial list follows:
- 1930: Victor vocal quartet The Revelers
- 1930: Ruth Etting
- 1930: Grey Gull Studio Dance Band with vocalist Jack Parker (Piccadilly 616 / 3990-B)
- 1930: Guy Lombardo
- 1945: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra went to number three on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart and number eight on the pop chart.[6]
- 1947: Mel Torme
- 1956: Dinah Washington ("Dinah!" album)
- 1957: Nat King Cole ("Just One of Those Things" album)
- 1957: Coleman Hawkins with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser ("The Gilded Hawk" album)
- 1958: Tony Bennett with Frank De Vol and his Orchestra ("Long Ago and Far Away" album)
- 1958: Frankie Laine
- 1959: Frank Sinatra ("No One Cares" album)
- 1959: Roy Hamilton ("Have Blues Must Travel" album)
- 1959: Chris Connor ("Nina Simone and Her Friends" album)
- 1960: Little Willie John ("Sure Things" album)
- 1960: Billy Eckstine ("Once More with Feeling" album)
- 1961: Howard McGhee ("Dusty Blue" album)
- 1963: Julie London ("Love on the Rocks" LP album Liberty Records LST 7249)
- 1963: Judy Garland
- 1965: Jack Teagarden ("Think Well Of Me" Verve Records V6 8465 album)
- 1968: Kay Starr and Count Basie ("How About This" album)
- 1968: James Brown ("Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things" album)
- 1969: Bette McLaurin ("The Masquerade Is Over" album)
- 1978: Bill Farrell ("Lush Life" album)
- 1987: Chuck Berry sings the song, accompanied Johnnie Johnson on piano, in an intimate moment during rehearsal in his concert film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
- 1992: Buddy Montgomery ("Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Fifteen" album)
- 1995: Etta Jones ("At Last" album)
- 1996: Jackie McLean ("Hat Trick" album)
- 2001: Dave Van Ronk ("Sweet & Lowdown" album)
- 2003: Jerry Jeff Walker ("Jerry Jeff Jazz" album)
- 2003: Holly Cole ("Shade" album)
- 2005: Les Deux Love Orchestra ("King Kong" album, featuring Bobby Woods on vocals and Page Cavanaugh on piano)
- 2005: Johnny Mathis ("Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album")
- 2017: New Fangled Four ("The Newfangled Four" album)
- 2021: Willie Nelson ("That's Life" album, Nelson's second tribute album to Frank Sinatra[7])
![]() |
Other performances, date unknown:
References
- ^ Cf. website dedicated to Larry Conley
- ^ "New Songs of Larry Conley". 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
- ^ "Willard Robison - Biography". Billboard. 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-27.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Victor 22000 - 22500". 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
- ^ The Sinatra recording
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 181.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Announces 'That's Life' Frank Sinatra Tribute Album, Shares "Cottage For Sale" [Video]". L4LM. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2021-01-03.