CMA Awards: Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker’s ‘In the Ghetto’ Performance Gives Viewers Chills

CMA Awards hosts Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker just delivered a beautiful performance of “In the Ghetto,” and it left viewers with chills. The classic song was written by late country singer-songwriter Mac Davis and was originally recorded by Elvis Presley in 1969. McEntire and Rucker’s version of the song will be a tribute to Davis, following his death in September.

The song tells the story of a baby born in a Chicago ghetto, who grows up to turn to a life a crime, which costs him his life. The cycle then begins again, as another baby is born, implying that this child, too, will be a victim of poverty and violence due to systemic issues. While it is an incredibly emotional song, the song’s perspective is that the singer is drawing attention to the tragic circumstance and pleading for something to be done.

Presley had a massive hit with “In the Ghetto,” and it was very much seen as Davis’ big break in the music business. The iconic song has gone on to be covered by other award-winning artists such as Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Sammy Davis Jr. and Natalie Merchant. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds also covered the tune back in the mid-1980s, and their recording of it served as the band’s debut single. Scroll down to see what CMA fans are saying about McEntire and Rucker’s haunting rendition.

​

One Twitter user wrote, “@reba and @dariusrucker sounding SO soulful!”, and a second person tweeted, “I was waiting all night for this performance.”

​

A third person wrote, “I have nothing but goosebumps!! I need more @reba and @dariusrucker duets in my life!!!” A further Twitter user added, “@reba
 and @dariusrucker are absolutely killing it tonight! #CMAawards I guess.. 2020 has some good things.”

​

Another viewer hoped for a studio version, writing, “I would love to hear this song released with @reba and @dariusrucker.” Others loved that McEntire could still pull off a stunning performance. “@Reba is just the queen,” one fan wrote.

​

A second McEntire fan tweeted, “Y’all! @reba still got it!,” and a third wrote, “In case anyone forgot, @reba is a QUEEN.”

​

Some people thought back to the Elvis Presley version of the song. “I remember my grandfather listening to the Elvis version of ‘In The Ghetto.’ Amazing songwriting. Classic song,” one person wrote. Another viewer wrote, “This is a nice version w @reba and @dariusrucker but it’s hard to beat the #elvis version.”

Watch the Performance:

You can watch the performance in question above. The CMA Awards ceremony is currently airing on ABC and is scheduled to run until 11 p.m. ET.