The World Is a Ghetto (War song)

"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 (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)

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".