The World Is a Ghetto (War song)

"The World Is a Ghetto"
Single by War
from the album The World Is a Ghetto
B-side	"Four Cornered Room"
Released	October 1972 (1972-10)
Genre	Psychedelic soul[1][2]
Length	3:59 (single version) 10:10 (album version)
Label	United Artists
Songwriter(s)	War
Producer(s)	Jerry Goldstein
War singles chronology
"Slippin' into Darkness" (1971) "The World Is a Ghetto" (1972) "The Cisco Kid" (1973)

"The World Is a Ghetto" is a song written and performed by War. The song was produced by Jerry Goldstein,[3] and was featured on the band's album of the same name.[4]

Background

The single version radio edit was less than 4 minutes. The album version, over 10 minutes long, featured a third verse, a longer intro, a saxophone solo in the instrumental section, and an extended coda featuring an electric guitar solo while War repeatedly sang the song's title before the fade.

Chart performance

It reached #3 on the U.S. R&B chart and #7 on the U.S. pop chart in 1973.[5] It also reached the Top 40 in Canada.[6] The song ranked #94 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1973.[7]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8]	Gold	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other charting versions

• Will Downing released a version of the song as a single in 1991 which reached #83 on the UK Singles Chart.[9]

Other versions

• Ahmad Jamal released a version of the song as a single in 1973, but it did not chart.[10]
• Charles Kynard released a version of the song on his 1973 album Your Mama Don't Dance.[11]
• James Moody released a version of the song on his 1973 album Sax & Flute Man.[12]
• Sonny Stitt released a version of the song on his 1973 album Mr. Bojangles.[13]
• George Shearing released a version of the song on his 1974 album The Way We Are.[14]
• George Benson released a version of the song as a single in 1977, but it did not chart.[15]
• The Sax Pack released a version of the song on their 2008 album The Sax Pack.[16]
• DJ Spinna released a version of the song on his 2009 compilation album The Boogie Back: Post Disco Club Jams.[17]
• The Paragons released a version of the song on their 2015 re-release of the album On the Beach with The Paragons.[18]
• Kandace Springs released a version of the song on her 2016 album Soul Eyes.[19]

Sampling

• War's version was sampled in the 1996 song "The World Is a Ghetto" by Geto Boys on their album The Resurrection.
• ASAP Mob, ASAP Nast and Method Man sampled the song of their 2013 single, Trillmatic.
• George Benson's version was sampled by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk for his 1996 single "Spinal Scratch".

References

1. Don Wallace (1 November 2007). One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game. Simon and Schuster. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-1-4165-8641-8.
2. Sacher, Andrew (March 2, 2017). "30 essential psychedelic soul songs". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
3. "War, "The World Is a Ghetto" Single Release". Retrieved April 3, 2019.
4. "War, The World Is a Ghetto". Discogs. 1972. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
5. "War, "The World Is a Ghetto" Chart Positions". Retrieved April 3, 2019.
6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-02-17. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
7. "Billboard Top 100 – 1973". Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
8. "American single certifications – War – The World Is a Ghetto". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
9. "Will Downing, "The World Is a Ghetto" Chart Position". Retrieved April 3, 2019.
10. "Ahmad Jamal, "The World Is a Ghetto" Single Release". Discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
11. "Charles Kynard, Your Mama Don't Dance". Discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
12. "James Moody, Sax & Flute Man". Discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
13. "Sonny Stitt, Mr. Bojangles". Discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
14. "George Shearing, The Way We Are". Discogs. 1974. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
15. "George Benson, "The World Is a Ghetto" Single Release". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
16. "The Sax Pack, The Sax Pack". Discogs. 18 March 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
17. "DJ Spinna, The Boogie Back: Post Disco Club Jams". Discogs. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
18. "The Paragons, On the Beach with The Paragons". Discogs. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
19. "Kandace Springs, Soul Eyes". Discogs. 24 June 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2019.