In The Ghetto – Candi Staton

This song is epic. Sadly it's writer Mac Davis died this week, so I thought it fitting to feature it, it's best known as a huge hit for Elvis. He also penned other Elvis hits such as 'Don't Cry Daddy' and 'A Little Less Conversation.'

Here's Candi Staton's version of In The Ghetto, I was watching a documentary about Soul music and they told the story of how she ended up recording this. Her husband of the time, Clarence Carter, was recording his own album and was thinking of covering this song. At some point they decided to try a women's voice on the track and Candi smashed this in one take. When you hear it with a women's voice, it sounds like that poor boys Momma crying for her son. I think it adds another layer to an already emotional song.

To sit down and write a social comment like this takes guts, opening the world's eyes to it's problems is never going to make you friends. But music is a brilliant way of getting people to think about stuff outside their own lives and comfort zone, when it's wrapped up in a tune like this it's almost trickery using it to get that powerful message across.

Favorite lyric : He buys a gun, steals a car / Tries to run, but he don't get far

Click on here to see Mac Davis tell the story of the song