Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.
She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".
In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)
Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.
Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.
Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.
"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.
That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.
The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.
Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.
Our House Is Not A Home
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shatters of sadness won't let happiness get in
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
Our bedroom has courtains of icy lace fine carpets where my restless feet have cased
To be so lovely yet so empty it must be a sin
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
It's never known a joy or the sound of tiny feet
In cold protection it looks down on the world like you look down on me
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
In the lyrics to Lynn Anderson's song "Our House Is Not A Home," the singer highlights the emptiness and loneliness that pervades her home. The song paints a picture of a house where sadness reigns, and where even the most beautiful objects, like crystal teardrops for a chandelier and fine carpets, cannot overcome the absence of love. The bedroom is described as lovely but empty, with curtains of icy lace that suggest a certain frostiness in the atmosphere. Despite all its outward appearances, the house is not a home because it has never known the warmth and joy of true love.
Throughout the song, the singer questions why she and her partner continue to pretend that their house is a home when it is so obviously lacking in love. Even though they try to "fool the world," the singer realizes that they are only fooling themselves. The final lines of the song drive home the message, as the repeats that "our house is not a home for there's never been love in." This powerful statement leaves no room for interpretation and underscores the central message of the song - that love is what makes a house a home, and without it, the most beautiful furnishings and decor are meaningless.
Line by Line Meaning
Our house is hushed with only lonely we had crystal teardrops for our chandelier
Our home lacks vibrancy and is filled only with loneliness. The crystal teardrops that adorn our chandelier symbolize the sorrow and tears that have filled our home.
Shatters of sadness won't let happiness get in
The sadness and heartbreak that have shattered our home prevent any happiness or joy from entering.
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
Our home cannot truly be considered a home because there has never been any love present within its walls.
Our bedroom has courtains of icy lace fine carpets where my restless feet have cased
Although our bedroom may appear luxurious with its icy lace curtains and fine carpets, my restless feet pacing around the room highlight the emptiness and discomfort of our relationship.
To be so lovely yet so empty it must be a sin
The beauty of our home is marred by its emptiness, which feels sinful in its contrast of external and internal appearances.
It's never known a joy or the sound of tiny feet
Our home has never experienced the simple joys of family and children, which are signified by the sound of little feet running around.
In cold protection it looks down on the world like you look down on me
Our home stands cold and isolated from the world, much like the way you look down on me with indifference and disdain.
Why do we try to fool the world why do we pretend
Despite the obvious emptiness and lack of love in our home, we continue to try and deceive others and ourselves with pretense and false appearances.
Our house is not a home for there's never been love in
Our home continues to be devoid of love, meaning that it can never truly be a place of comfort and belonging for us.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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