| "In the Ghetto" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byElvis Presley | ||||
| from the albumFrom Elvis in Memphis | ||||
| B-side | "Any Day Now" | |||
| Released | April 14, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | January 20, 1969 | |||
| Studio | American Sound,Memphis | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter | Mac Davis | |||
| Producer | Chips Moman | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "In the Ghetto" (audio) onYouTube | ||||
"In the Ghetto" (originally titled "The Vicious Circle") is a 1969 song written byMac Davis and recorded byElvis Presley.[5] It was released in1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album,From Elvis in Memphis, and was also released as a single, with "Any Day Now" as itsB-side.
The lyrics to the song were written by country music singer-songwriterMac Davis. The version recorded by Elvis Presley is played in the key of B flat. "In the Ghetto" was recorded during Presley's session for hisFrom Elvis in Memphis album at theAmerican Sound Studio inMemphis, Tennessee. It was Presley's first creative recording session after his 1968 comeback specialElvis. Other hits recorded at this session were "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain", and the Davis-written "Don't Cry Daddy".
The song was published by Gladys Music, Inc., Elvis Presley's publishing company, and was Presley's firstTop 10 hit in the United States in four years, peaking at number 3 on theBillboard Hot 100, and number 2 in Canada. It was his first UK Top 10 hit in three years, also peaking at No. 2 on theUK Singles Chart. It hit No. 1 onCashbox and No. 8 Easy Listening.[6] It was a number-one hit in West Germany, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and on theIrish Singles Chart.
A boy is born to a mother who already has more children than she can support in aChicagoghetto. The boy grows up deprived, and turns to a life of delinquency through adolescence. Eventually in adulthood, the man purchases a gun and steals a car to begin a crime spree, but he is killed shortly after. The song ends with another child being born the same day in the ghetto, implying that the newborn could meet the same fate, continuing the cycle of poverty and violence.
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set)[7] | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 1 |
| Canada (RPM)[10] | 2 |
| Denmark (Hitlisten)[11] | 3 |
| Germany (GfK)[12] | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[13] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 4 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[15] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[16] | 1 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[17] | 1 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[18] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[20] | 2 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[21] | 3 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | — | 4,200[22] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
After Elvis Presley, the song has been performed by many other artists. Dolly Parton sang the song on her 1969 albumMy Blue Ridge Mountain Boy. Songwriter Mac Davis recorded his own version of the song for his 1970 albumSong Painter. In 1991,Norman Cook issued adance version with hisBeats International collective, which reached number 44 on the UK chart.[26] In 1996, the 'Fugees-esque'hip-hop trio Ghetto People had a top ten hit on the German charts with a version recorded with local singerDetlef Malinkewitz [de].[27] As Malinkewitz was recording under the pseudonym L-Viz at the time, some broadcasters in the UK credited the record toEl Vez by mistake.[28]
Gospel recording artist ReverendJames Cleveland recorded a gospel version of the song, and won his firstGrammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance at the17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975 with theSouthern California Community Choir for his 1974 album release,In the Ghetto.[29]
Following the death of Mac Davis,Reba McEntire andDarius Rucker recorded a duet version of the song to honor him. It was released on November 11, 2020, immediately following a live performance at the54th Annual Country Music Association Awards.[30]
| "In the Ghetto" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byNick Cave and the Bad Seeds | ||||
| from the albumFrom Her to Eternity | ||||
| Released | June 18, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | March 1984 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Songwriter | Mac Davis | |||
| Producer | Flood | |||
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"In the Ghetto" was covered byNick Cave and the Bad Seeds as their debut single. It was recorded atTrident Studios inLondon and released as a 7-inch single on June 18, 1984, with theB-side "The Moon Is in the Gutter".[31] It reached No. 84 on theUK Singles Chart[32] and No. 1 on theUK Independent Singles Chart. While originally not present on any album, it was later included on the CD reissue of the band's first album,From Her to Eternity.
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[33] | 1 |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Studio albums |
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| Cave and Ellis | |
| Grinderman | |
| Related articles | |
