| What Human Tragedy Inspired Stuart Hamblen's "This Old House"? |
| Written by Oliver Woods | |
| Sunday, 16 May 2010 | |
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"There's No Place Like Home" and Stuart Hamblen drove that point home over 50 years ago with his bouncy "This Old House." Few people have heard of the tragic discovery that inspired Hamblen's poignant tune. Read on to learn how death assumed the metaphor of an old house.
"There's No Place Like Home" and Stuart Hamblen drove that point home over 50 years ago with his bouncy "This Old House." Few people have heard of the tragic discovery that inspired Hamblen's poignant tune. Read on to learn how death assumed the metaphor of an old house. Hearth & Home Perhaps the earliest example is the Greek goddess Hestia. Family, domesticity, and the correct ordering of the household were all concerns of Hestia. Vestia was her Roman counterpart. From Vestia comes the Latin vespers, or evening prayers. Likewise, Venus is the evening star. The modern concept of home economics and the nurturing, protecting aspects of family all fall within the domain of Vestia. But even more, "there's no place like home" is a Biblical ideal, which finds its highest expression in the husband/wife relation and the traditional family. Modernist sensibilities to the contrary, man is depicted in the Bible as "defender of the faith" and woman as "keeper at home." Husband, wife, and children -- the nuclear family -- is presented in the Bible as the cornerstone of society. Nonetheless, woman occupies a prominent position as provider at the side of her husband. Chapter 31 of Proverbs portrays her as a shrewd real estate investor and tiller of the soil. Her roots are in property, which she transforms into a home. She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night. All of this is wrapped up in the idea of "home." That haven to which man retires for contentment and revitalization. This conjures images of wood burning stoves and families finding happiness together in the simple pleasures. We see it in countless colloquialisms and clichs: * Home is where the heart is * There's no place like home * Keep the home fires burning * Keep the home fires burning * Home is where you hang your hat * Home sweet home This Old House Rosemary Clooney tapped into this vein of sentiment when she thrilled the musical world of 1954 with her lively presentation of "this old house." It was the #1 hit in both America and Britain that year and was also picked up by Shakin Stevens who had his own English rendition. In the next half century the song enshrined itself as one of our most treasured songs of remembrance. But very few are aware of the tragic tale behind the descant. Stuart Hamblen was a radio personality of the 1920's who sang and acted with stars like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne. The song was born in an old house that Hamblen and a friend stumbled across on a hunting trip. Inside they were shocked to discover the dead body of the homeowner. In a moment of inspiration Hamblen scribbled the song on his brown paper lunch bag. The melody came to him later in the week. The deteriorating house is an analogy of the aging process in the human body and the approach of death. The tune is at the same time somber and upbeat, capturing both the elements of fear and of hope that animate the Christian as end of life approaches and heaven beckons. Hamblen was singing out of his deep Christian faith in the words of Jesus at John 11: 23-26: Jesus said to her: "Your brother shall rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" The Article Author: Oliver Woods is a real estate consultant offering some of the best deals possible for residential and commercial investors today. Or he can assist in finding the strongest return possible when selling your property through his nationwide home marketplace for sellers |
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