In 1970, The Temptations released “Ball Of Confusion,” recorded during the Motown’s group exploration of psychedelic soul via writer/producer Norman Whitfield. The song lists out a litany of the world’s ills (war, segregation, drug abuse, etc.) without taking a firm stance against them (“…and the band played on.”). No matter, the masses got the message, with “Ball Of Confusion” spending five weeks at #2 on the R&B chart, beginning June 20, 1970, with a three-week run at #3 over on the Pop chart beginning a week later.

In 1985, the newly formed Love And Rockets (featuring three-quarters of the disbanded Bauhaus) released “Ball Of Confusion” as their debut single. I’m not sure why they chose to cover The Temptations their first time out (a bit of a left-field choice for the former goth-rockers), but here’s why I selected their version as today’s feature.

Love And Rockets’ “Ball Of Confusion” was one of the first songs I heard just after getting my Sirius antenna replaced yesterday afternoon. Considering very recent events both here in the U.S. and around the world, it remains a crazy, mixed-up world out there, folks, whatever the decade. So with “Ball Of Confusion” coming through crystal clear on my previously broken satellite-radio connection—well, that was all the sign I needed:

New Tales To Tell: A Tribute To Love And Rockets, featuring contributions from Frank Black, The Flaming Lips, The Dandy Warhols, and other admirers, will be available digitally on July 28, with a CD release on August 18. There will be no cover of “Ball Of Confusion” (cover of a cover?), but Shepherd Fairey is doing the artwork.

Purchase Love And Rockets – “Ball Of Confusion” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.