| Living in a House Divided | |
| Cover: | Cher - Living in a House Divided.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Cher |
| Album: | Foxy Lady |
| B-Side: | One Honest Man |
| Released: | February 1972[1] |
| Recorded: | 1972 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Length: | 2:57 |
| Label: | Kapp |
| Producer: | Snuff Garrett |
| Prev Title: | The Way of Love |
| Prev Year: | 1972 |
| Next Title: | Don't Hide Your Love |
| Next Year: | 1972 |
"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.[2] 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.
An Italian version of the song, called Stare Insieme Separati is included in Primo Incontro, the debut album of the Italian singer Marisa Sacchetto.
Allmusic editor Joe Viglione noted that this song stands the test of time.[3]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[4] | 61 | |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 17 | |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[5] | 14 | |
| Quebec (ADISQ)[6] | 42 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 22 | |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[8] | 2 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 21 |
. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 61.