| Ghetto Child | |
| Cover: | File:The Spinners Ghetto Child German Release.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Spinners |
| Album: | Spinners |
| B-Side: | We Belong Together |
| Released: | July 1973 |
| Recorded: | 1972–1973 |
| Studio: | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genre: | Philadelphia soul, R&B |
| Length: | 3:47 |
| Label: | Atlantic |
| Producer: | Thom Bell |
| Prev Title: | One of a Kind (Love Affair) |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Mighty Love |
| Next Year: | 1973 |
"Ghetto Child" is a 1973 song recorded by American R&B music group the Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK) for the Atlantic label. It was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. It was produced by Bell, and recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios with the house band MFSB providing the backing instrumentation. It is notable for being one of few songs that all three main leads, Bobby Smith, Philippé Wynne and Henry Fambrough sing lead (Wynne and Fambrough on the verses and Smith on the song's bridge).[1] Although some think the song focuses on racial injustice broadly and the injustice of the 1967 Detroit Riot more specifically, the lyrics suggest that the song may be about intra-racial discrimination—the song is written from the perspective of a black child who is derided not (primarily) due to his skin-color but due to his class status.
The group's fifth hit at Atlantic, the song peaked at number four on the R&B chart and number twenty-nine on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.[2] [1] [3]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 29 | |
| US Best Selling Soul Singles | 4 | |
| US Easy Listening | 20 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 7 |