Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Autumn Forever | SL Letter of the Day: Pegging Under… »

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Music / At Large Perfect In Every Way

Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 2:59 PM

I don't know if the Mac Davis Lane I'm staying on was named for the Mac Davis—I sure hope so—but it inspired me to go and download a Mac Davis album, something I should've done a while ago. Two of my favorite Mac Davis songs after the jump...

Muppet Show version here!

Yeah, the second one's a cover. But it's great. But I'll bet you didn't know he wrote this one:

Dina, of course, did the ultimate "In the Ghetto." Anyone got a link to a video of Dina's cover?

Comments (17) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Holy shit, I had no idea Mac Davis wrote "In the Ghetto." I always thought Donny Hathaway wrote it, but even as I write this, I realize I'm thinking of two different songs.

Whoa. Thanks for the evening head-scramble.

Also: I haven't even thought about Mac Davis for a good 20 years.

Posted by piminnowcheez on December 1, 2011 at 3:11 PM

OMG THE INTERNETS JUST TOLD ME HE WROTE "A Little Less Conversation" TOO!!!

Dude.

Posted by piminnowcheez on December 1, 2011 at 3:13 PM

Assuming you're in Lubbock then yes, that's his hometown.

Posted by bigyaz on December 1, 2011 at 3:19 PM

Shouldn't that "one way" arrow be pointing straight up to the top!

Posted by saxfanatic on December 1, 2011 at 3:33 PM

Since you're in Lubbock, I think this one is more appropriate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igq5BjEaS…

Posted by Lubbocker on December 1, 2011 at 3:44 PM

Huh? "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" isn't a cover.

It does remind me of those dark days in the PE gym where the sadistic Texas football coach would play soft country radio in the background while he tortured me and my fellow pencil-necks. "If You Happen To See The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'", ad infinitum.

Posted by Fnarf

on December 1, 2011 at 3:56 PM

Wow. Took me back longer than I care to mention, to the wilds of Wyoming with a bunch of people including a dark-haired hottie from Texas who played that song and a bunch of Jerry Jeff Walker tunes around the campfire.

Posted by rob!

on December 1, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Like Mac Davis, I'm from Lubbock. Being from Lubbock, I'm having a reeeally hard time picturing Dan Savage making an appearance there.

Maybe a speech at Texas Tech about IGB. Maybe.

Posted by kitschnsync on December 1, 2011 at 4:47 PM

Whoa, looks like Dan is in Lubbock to film for his new show.

Let me just apologize in advance for your experiences there, Dan. We aren't all bad.

Posted by kitschnsync on December 1, 2011 at 4:54 PM

@8, remember, contrasts make for the sorts of programs MTV buys more than just a few of...

Dang, Mac Davis. I remember seeing the movie North Dallas Forty on teevee as a wee lad and suddenly wanting more than anything to be his best friend forever who slept over every nght and stuff.

Posted by gloomy gus on December 1, 2011 at 4:55 PM

@1 you're probably thinking of Donny Hathaway's classic "The Ghetto", or my personal fave of his "Little Ghetto Boy".

Mac Davis = hawt

Mac Davis remembers his days in Lubbock

Posted by MarkyMark on December 1, 2011 at 5:48 PM

I think I'm going to be sick.

Posted by tomsj on December 1, 2011 at 7:03 PM

Anyone else remember the Mac Davis Christmas special with Bernadette Peters (!), set in a futuristic dystopia (!!) where evil toymaker billionaire Ted Knight (!!!) has brainwashed everyone into celebrating an all-secular "Commerce Day" in place of Baby Jesus's birthday? It was kind of the "Red Nightmare" of the War On Christmas crowd.

Posted by Pope Buck I on December 1, 2011 at 8:13 PM

Damn, the 70's fucking ruled.

Posted by seandr on December 1, 2011 at 10:30 PM

He was so fucking hot in the 1970s and 80s! I've got every album he ever released. The country twang, his folksy personality -----hot, hot, hot. Bottom, top, whatever he wanted. Hell, I'd even let him do some of the kinky shit that appears in Savage's column. Mac Davis fucking rocks.

Posted by igub on December 1, 2011 at 11:04 PM

Everyone knows Nick Cave's version of "In the Ghetto" was the best, Dan. Sorry.

Posted by FonsieScheme on December 2, 2011 at 11:20 AM

Who the hell is "Dina"? Did you mean Dinah, as in Dinah Shore? Or Dino, as in Dean Martin? They do it just live on one of their TV shows? Nothing recorded on LP as far as I can see...

from coversproject.com:
The Elvis Presley song "In the Ghetto" was covered by Natalie Merchant
Leatherface
Beats International
Susan Cadogan
Joe Simon
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Dolly Parton
Candi Staton
Ghetto People
Swat
The Mac Davis song "In the Ghetto" was covered by Elvis Presley
Paul de Leeuw
The Elvis Presley song "In the Ghetto" was covered by Skrewdriver
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Posted by Dino or Dinah? on December 2, 2011 at 12:16 PM