Burning House of Love
by X

Album: Ain't Love Grand (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Los Angeles punk band X took a hard sound on their album Ain't Love Grand, replacing their longtime producer Ray Manzarek with Michael Wagner, who was known for his work with Dokken and Great White. The song was predominately written by the group's bass player/vocalist John Doe, who said in a 1986 Rock Scene interview: "It's taken me about 15 years to be able to write a song that's as simple and direct as 'Burning House of Love'"
  • The album title is a reference to the relationship between John Doe and X lead singer Exene Cervenka, who were married from 1980-1985. When we spoke with Doe in 2010, he told us about continuing his working relationship with Exene. Said Doe: "It wasn't easy at first. During Ain't Love Grand! it was pretty hard. But it certainly was friendship based on respect first, and then it became more of a romantic relationship. We started on a good footing and it hasn't always been easy, but we've been able to maintain it." (Check out our full John Doe interview.)

Comments: 1

  • John from Los AngelesOne of the best things about X is they respect their audience to use their imaginations. On this song, there are a lot lf lyrics that describe half a picture, and they leave it to us to fill in the blanks. I love the lyrics about the horseshoe. Like the guy was close to the end of a relationship, and in this song, he really reached the end.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.