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In The Ghetto |
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Written by: Mac Davis Recorded: January 20, 1969, American Studios, Memphis TN Released master is take 23. Single:w/ "Any Day Now", 47-9741, April 14, 1969 Also re-released as Gold Standard Series, 447-0671, December 1970 RIAA Certified: Platinum (as of 03/27/1992) Highest U.S. Charts Positions: #3 on Billboard Hot 100 #1 on Cash Box Top 100 #1 on iTunes, duet version w/ Lisa Marie Presley, 2007 1st LP release: From Elvis In Memphis - June 1969 |
Click to download or buy "In the Ghetto" now from Amazon!  or download from iTunes: For other versions, see Lyrics and Downloads section below. |
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Elvis may not have sung overtly political songs, but he had already shown with "If I Can Dream" that he could deliver topical and inspirational music when given the opportunity. But in the spring of 1969, he took it a little further with "In The Ghetto". Probably the finest song Mac Davis ever wrote, this story of inner city hopelessness comes full circle at the end, and Elvis brings all of his emotional reverence and authority to the vocals. Even after repeated listening, it still brings chills to hear that line repeated at the end. |
Other Spins(What did the critics and fans say?)When we come to "In The Ghetto", we encounter a classic Presley recording. It is essentially a protest song and nobody listening to this performance can remain unmoved. Every word is crystal clear, and Presley's manly voice has both authority and tenderness. The subject of the song is the plight of those who live in ghettoes, and the bare, insistent, unchanging harmonies mirror this, as the singer is trapped by their pull. Robert Matthew-Walker, Elvis Presley: A Study in Music, 1979 The most emotionally moving release by Elvis of the Sixties (or perhaps, his career); a searing, touching ballad of black urban despair which gave Elvis his first smash single in a long time and put Mac Davis on the map. Every word is phrased with uncanny feeling. The recording, with the Memphis Strings, is a bit overproduced, but no matter. The Complete Elvis, edited by Martin Torgoff, 1982 ...A hauntingly lovely, dirge-like ballad rooted in gospel, "In the Ghetto" is by no means a protest song, which is no doubt why it works... Read more at AllMusic: In The Ghetto Check out other Elvis fans' opinions on the Elvis News page for In The Ghetto Check out other opinions at Rate Your Music "In The Ghetto" Links
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As the snow flies On a cold and gray Chicago mornin' A poor little baby child is born In the ghetto And his mama cries 'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need It's another hungry mouth to feed In the ghetto People, don't you understand The child needs a helping hand Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day Take a look at you and me Are we too blind to see Do we simply turn our heads And look the other way Well the world turns And a hungry little boy with a runny nose Plays in the street as the cold wind blows In the ghetto And his hunger burns So he starts to roam the streets at night And he learns how to steal And he learns how to fight In the ghetto Then one night in desperation The young man breaks away He buys a gun, steals a car Tries to run, but he don't get far And his mama cries As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man Face down in the street with a gun in his hand In the ghetto As her young man dies On a cold and gray Chicago mornin' Another little baby child is born In the ghetto ...And his mama cries |
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