“House of Broken Love” – Single by Great White from the album …Twice Shy
B-side: “Bitches and Other Women / Red House (live)”
Released: 1989
Label: Capitol
Songwriters: Jack Russell, Michael Lardie and Alan Niven
Producers: Alan Niven, Michael Lardie
“House Of Broken Love” was the last single from the Twice Shy album, issued in early 1990 about nine months after the album had been out. This was a high-water mark for the band, which had emerged from the Los Angeles glam-metal scene to become a headline act with two multi-Platinum albums. But soon after, they started to sink. Their sales gradually declined, and by 2013 they had broken off into two acts, with Mark Kendall leading the original Great White and Jack Russell forming an offshoot called Jack Russell’s Great White.
The full-length version on the album runs 5:58, with an intro that goes 1:44. The single was cut down to 4:13.
Great White’s lead singer Jack Russell stated in an interview with the BBC’s The Friday Rock Show that the song is about being alone. He had recently gone through a divorce and was with bandmate Mark Kendall—who had also recently broken up—when the band’s manager walked in and said, “What is this, the house of broken love?”
The band consists of Jack Russell (vocals), Mark Kendall (guitar), Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards), and Tony Montana (bass guitar).
