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"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]
| "The World Is a Ghetto" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by War | ||||
| from the album The World Is a Ghetto | ||||
| B-side | "Four Cornered Room" | |||
| Released | October 1972 | |||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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.
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]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
- Will Downing released a version of the song as a single in 1991 which reached #83 on the UK Singles Chart.[9]
- 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]
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- 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".
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