Elvis’ Songwriter Shot Down the Rumor That ‘In the Ghetto’ Was Meant for Sammy Davis Jr.

Elvis Presley‘s “In the Ghetto” is one of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll‘s most famous songs, so it’s difficult to imagine a world where another singer released it first. The writer of the song debunked a rumor that the tune was originally meant for Sammy Davis Jr. He also revealed why he thought the track would have worked for Davis. In contrast, one of Elvis’ girlfriends recalled Davis getting offered the song first.

The writer of Elvis Presley’s ‘In the Ghetto’ wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to sing it

Mac Davis was the writer behind several Elvis songs, including “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto.” During a 2010 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine, he was asked if the rumor was true that he originally pitched the track to Sammy. “That’s not true,” he said. “I took it to Sammy later.

“I was trying to get an artist of color to do the song because I thought it was an important song,” he added. “Back in my little stupid head, I thought that it was something an African-American artist should record. I took it to Sammy later on. But Elvis had already recorded it. 1969 was a good year.” That was the year Elvis released “In the Ghetto,” “Memories,” and “Don’t Cry Daddy” as singles. Mac wrote all those tunes.

Why Mac Davis had a hard time getting the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll to sing ‘In the Ghetto’

Mac was asked if it was difficult to sell the song to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. “No, not to Elvis,” he said. “It was a hard sell, I understand, to the Colonel [Tom Parker] and all of the people around him. Chips Moman, who produced the album, wanted to do it, and Elvis wanted to do it. I think they were the only ones. And they stuck to their guns, and it went No. 1.”

Mac noted that “In the Ghetto,” a protest song, was a change of pace for the “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” singer. “Yeah, it wasn’t in his image and he had never been into social commentaries … it was all about girls,” he said. “At any rate, that’s the story there.”

Elvis Presley’s girlfriend has some completely different memories about the song

Mac’s memories contradict those of someone who was close to Elvis. Linda Thompson was the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer‘s girlfriend from 1972 to 1976. She later became a songwriter herself, penning tunes for Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and the Backstreet Boys.

In her 2016 memoir A Little Thing Called Life, she wrote that Elvis told her that Sammy was offered the song but he turned it down because it didn’t reflect his life. She said Sammy thought the tune would work better for Elvis because Elvis grew up impoverished. Thompson said she loved Elvis even more when he shared this anecdote with her.

Regardless of whose memories are correct, Sammy did record his own version of “In the Ghetto.” However, Thompson still considers Elvis’ “In the Ghetto” the definitive version of the song. She said fans can feel the love Elvis had for his mother, Gladys Presley, when he sings the line “And his mama cried.”

No matter how Elvis came to record “In the Ghetto,” it’s still one of the best protest songs ever written.