House of Love is the eleventh studio album by Christian singer-songwriter Amy Grant, released on August 23, 1994 by Myrrh and A&M Records.
The album is the follow-up to her quintuple-platinum 1991 release Heart in Motion.
Although House of Love sold less than half of what its predecessor sold, it similarly combines pop music with Christian values. The album's lead single "Lucky One" was the album's biggest hit at No. 18 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the AC charts in Billboard magazine., followed by the title song with guest vocals by country music singer (and future second husband Vince Gill) and a remake of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi." "Say You'll Be Mine" was a U.K. Top 50 hit. When it was released in 1994, House of Love was the biggest initial release in Christian music history, shipping almost a half million copies on its first day alone. In the Christian radio market, songs like "Children of the World" and "Helping Hand" were Top 10 hits.
Copies of this album sold in Europe, Australia, and Japan featured an additional track "Politics of Kissing." Some of the album's other tracks garnered more notice later on when covered by other artists. "Oh How The Years Go By" would later be covered by R&B singer-actress Vanessa Williams in 1997 and be a Top 10 Billboard AC hit and the track "The Power" would be covered by American singer-actress Cher on her 1998 album Believe.
At the 1995 Dove Awards, Grant was nominated in six categories including Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist, Pop/Contemporary Album and Song of the Year for "Children of the World," which she co-wrote with Wayne Kirkpatrick and Tommy Sims, but losing in all categories.
Track listing
1. Lucky One (Amy Grant, Keith Thomas) -4:11
2. Say You'll Be Mine (Amy Grant, Keith Thomas, Wayne Kirkpatrick) -4:04
3. Whatever It Takes (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Keith Thomas) -4:10
4. House of Love (guest vocals by Vince Gill) (Wally Wilson, Greg Barnhill, Kenny Greenberg) -4:38
5. The Power (Tommy Sims, Judson Spence) -3:54
6. Oh How The Years Go By (Simon Climie, Will Jennings) -5:12
7. Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell) -3:01
8. Helping Hand (Amy Grant, Tommy Sims, Beverly Darnall) -4:39
9. Love Has a Hold On Me (Amy Grant, Keith Thomas) -3:55
10. Our Love (Amy Grant, Tom Hemby) -5:08
11. Children of the World (Amy Grant, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims) -5:16
Production credits
Keith Thomas -producer (tracks 1-5, 9, 11)
Michael Omartian -producer (tracks 6-8, 10)
Gold certified in 1994.
Platinum certified 2x in 1995.
Radio singles
1994 "Lucky One" -#18 Billboard Hot 100, #2 Billboard AC
1994 "Children of the World" -#1 Christian CHR, #1 Christian AC
1994 "House of Love" (with Vince Gill) -#37 Billboard Hot 100, #5 Billboard AC
1994 "Love Has a Hold On Me" -#6 Christian CHR, #3 Christian AC
1995 "Helping Hand" -#1 Christian CHR, #4 Christian AC
1995 "Oh How the Years Go By" -#11 Christian CHR, #12 Christian AC
Previous release: Home for Christmas (1992)
Next release: Behind the Eyes (1997)
Watch the playlist of music videos from House of Love here: