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. ^[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. ^[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]
• Billy Valentine released a version of the song on his 2023 album Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth. ^[20]

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". ^[21]

Sources

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.
20. "Billy Valentine, Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth". Discogs . 24 September 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
21. "Thomas Bangalter's 'Spinal Scratch' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2025-08-29.