Home (''The Wiz'' song)

"Home" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical, The Wiz. It was written by Charlie Smalls and was performed by Stephanie Mills in the stage production and by Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation and released on the soundtrack album in 1978.

Stephanie Mills recorded the song for her 1989 album Home, and eventually scoring her another number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. The single would be the last of five number ones for Mills on the R&B Singles chart.^[1]

Track listing

US 7" 45 RPM Single^[2]

A1. "Home" - 4:34

B1. "Love Hasn't Been Easy on Me" - 4:44

Charts

Personnel

• Arranged By – Donald Lawrence, Donald Robinson, Nick Martinelli, Stephanie Mills
• Background Arrangement – Mervyn Warren
• Strings and Horns Arrangement – The Brothers Kerber
• Backing Vocals – Take 6
• Bass – Douglas Grigsby
• Drums, Percussion, Emulator, Synthesizer – Jim Salamone
• Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Curtis Dowd
• Assistant Engineer – John Sullivan, Sal Viarelli
• Guitar – Randy Bowland
• Keyboards – Donald Robinson
• Producer – Nick Martinelli
• Recorded By – Bruce Weeden
• Written-By – Charlie Smalls

Cover versions

In 1978, Andrea McArdle sings the song in Christmas at Walt Disney World.

Whitney Houston made her world debut on The Merv Griffin Show on April 29, 1983 performing this song. She has covered the song several times in concert during her US Tour 1985, Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa 1994 HBO TV special, and her My Love Is Your Love Tour in 1999. Her 1983 performance on The Merv Griffin Show was included in the CD/DVD release Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and as a bonus on the DVD Whitney: The Greatest Hits and the 25th anniversary deluxe edition of her debut album.

In 2010, the song was used in an episode of Glee's first season called "Home", sung by Kristin Chenoweth.

In 2012, a version by Barbra Streisand recorded in 1985 for The Broadway Album but not initially released was finally included on Release Me.

In 2003, this song was sampled in the song "Homies 2 Smoke With" by Violent J recorded for his second EP called Wizard of the Hood.

In 2015, Shanice Williams performed this song live in the broadway/television adaptation of both the film and broadway version of The Wiz.

In 2018, the characters Blanca Evangelista and Pray Tell sang the song as a duet in the episode "Love Is The Message" of the television series Pose.

References