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In the Ghetto

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(Davis)

Information:
In The Ghetto was written by Mac Davis and first offered to Bill Medley (of the Righteous Brothers) and then to Sammy Davis Jr., neither of whom decided to record it. Elvis recorded In The Ghetto on January 21, 1969, at American Sound Studios. His single release had a 13-week stay on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, reaching # 3. On the country chart, In The Ghetto peaked at a disappointing # 60. It was a # 2 hit in England. The RIAA certified the song as a Gold Record on June 25, 1969. The full title of the song is In The Ghetto (The Vicious Circle), but RCA was granted permission to release it without the subtitle.

Dolly Parton covered Elvis’s recording of In The Ghetto later in 1969 (RCA 47-0192). Her version reached # 50 on the country chart. In 1972 Candi Staton recorded a version (Fame 91000) that reached # 48 on the Hot 100 chart.

Lyrics:

As the snow flies on a cold and grey 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 annd 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, he tries to run, but he don't get far
And his mama cries as a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto

As her young man dies, on a cold and grey Chicago mornin'
Another little baby child is born in the ghetto

And his mama cries

Where it was released:

Released for the fist time on single »

Singles:

- In the Ghetto / Any Day Now (RCA 47-9741) April 5, 1969. Standard release. The first 300,000 picture sleeves read, “Coming Soon – FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS Album”. The sleeves printed from May 1969 on read, “Ask for FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS Album.” »

- In The Ghetto / Any Day Now (RCA 447-0671) December 1970. Gold standard series reissue.

- In The Ghetto / Any Day Now (RCA PB-11100) October 1977. One of 15 singles in the boxed set 15 Golden Records – 30 Golden Hits (RCA PP-11301), and in the 20 Golden Hits in Full Color Sleeves (RCA PP-11340) boxed set that was released two months later.

- In The Ghetto / If I Can Dream (RCA PB-13890) October 1984. One of six singles in the boxed set Elvis’ Greatest Hits – Golden Singles, Volume 1 (RCA PP-13897). The single was pressed on gold vinyl and had a special gold “50^th” anniversary label.

LPs/CDs:

- From Elvis in Memphis (1969) »

- Elvis In Person at the International Hotel Las Vegas (1969) »

- Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Volume 1 (1970) »

- Elvis Forever (1974) »

- Pure Gold (1975) »

– Elvis - A Legendary Performer, Volume 3 (1976) »

- Elvis - A Collectors Edition (1976) »

- The Elvis Presley Story (1977) »

- Elvis: Memories (1978) »

- Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Parts 3 & 4 (1978) »

- Elvis! His Greatest Hits (1979) »
– Elvis Aron Presley (1980) »
– Pure Gold (1980) »

– The Legendary Magic of Elvis Presley (1980) »

– Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada (1981) »

- The Collection, Volume 4 (1986)

- The Memphis Record (1987)

- The Top Ten Hits (1987)

- From Nashville to Memphis – The Essential 60’s Masters (1993)

- The Essential Collection (1994)

- Gold – The Very Best of the King (1995)

- Platinum – A Life in Music (1997)

- All Time Greatest Hits (1997)

- Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 5 (1997)

- Always Elvis – The Dutch Album (1997)

- Elvis Aron Presley (1998)

- A Touch of Platinum, Volume 2 (1998)

- All The Best (1999)

- Elvis The Concert (1999)

- Artist of the Century (1999)

- Suspicious Minds (1999)

- That’s the Way It Is – Special Edition (2000)

- Too Much Monkey Business (2000) - FTD »

- Best of Artist of the Century (2000)

- The Swedish Hit Collection (2000)

- Elvis 2000: Best of the King (2000)

- The 50 Greatest Hits (2000)

- Elvis Hits (2001)

- The Live Greatest Hits (2001)

- Greatest Hits (2001)

- From Elvis in Memphis; Promised Land; Moody Blue (2001)

- 50 Years 50 Hits (2001)

- Live in Las Vegas (2001)

- Memphis Sessions (2001) - FTD »

- Elvis 30#1 Hits (2002)

- Elvis at the International (2002) – FTD »

- Today, Tomorrow and Forever (2002)

- Elvis 30#1 Hits (2003) – Deluxe edition

- Elvis Forever (2004)

- Polk Salad Annie (2004) - FTD »

- All Shook Up (2005) – FTD »

- Elvis by the Presleys (2005)

- Hitstory (2005)

- Made in Memphis (2006) - FTD »

- Writing For the King (2006) - FTD »

- Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas (2008) - FTD »

- The Wonder of You (2009) »

– Live in Las Vegas (2011) - FTD »

– From Elvis in Memphis (2013) - FTD »

– Hot August Night (2013) - FTD »

– The On Stage Season (2013) - FTD »

– From Elvis at American Sound Studios (2013) - FTD »

- The Return to Vegas (2014) - FTD »

– American Sound 1969 (2019) - FTD »

– That's The Way It Is - 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (2020) - FTD

Bootleg Releases:

- The Legend Lives On (1976) - Presley Collection Series

- Superstar Outtakes (1976) - E. P. Records

- The Complete Kid Galahad Sessions, Volume 3 (1987) - TCB Records

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