Home Is Where the Hatred Is

Gil Scott-Heron wrote the song and recorded it for Pieces of a Man (Flying Dutchman, 1971; producer Bob Thiele) on April 19 and 20, 1971 at RCA Studios in New York, with Hubert Laws on flute, Brian Jackson on piano, Burt Jones on electric guitar, Ron Carter on bass and Bernard Purdie on drums; it was a radio single with "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" on the B-side and did not chart. It is an addict's account of hopeless surroundings, described as melodic and somber, and Kalamu ya Salaam calls it a pain-filled anti-paean about addiction. Toppermost says Scott-Heron's vocal is semi-chanted over a more intimate backing and the two versions differ considerably.

Phillips's version opens From a Whisper to a Scream and was her first Kudu single, backed with "'Til My Back Ain't Got No Bone". It was nominated for the 1972 Grammy for best R&B female vocal performance, which Aretha Franklin won and handed to her. Kalamu ya Salaam writes that she is not merely singing the lyrics but scouring the cage of her life struggles in a moving testimony, and that silent scream describes how she uses space and softness; Mtume ya Salaam, quoted there, says her quiet scream practically nails you to the floor. Kalamu says hers would be definitive were it not for Scott-Heron's longer version on Spirits.

Kanye West sampled the Scott-Heron original on "My Way Home", and Tucson Weekly says both the original and Phillips's cover have been sampled many times, though no specific Phillips sample was verified. No chart peak, music video or live performance of it was found, and nothing from Phillips herself was confirmed.