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Cover of Express by Love and Rockets
Cover: Express

Song · Love and Rockets

“Ball of Confusion” by Love and Rockets

From the album Express (1986)

“Ball of Confusion” by Love and Rockets appears on 41 radio countdowns from 13 stations between 1985 and 2024. It was first released in 1986 on the album Express. Its best result is #19 on the WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #151 alternative song of 1985, #591 alternative song of all time and #403 of the '80s.

41countdowns
13stations
#19best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1985–2024years charted

Watch

Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) (Single Version/Mono)

Video from YouTube (The Temptations - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Love and Rockets put their own spin on "Ball of Confusion" and it turned up on their 1986 album Express. The song belongs to Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who wrote it for the Temptations' 1970 hit during that group's psychedelic soul period, a rapid-fire roll call of the world's troubles, from crime to taxes to drugs, all bundled into one big mess.

Where the original was a Motown production built around a big vocal group, Love and Rockets make it a rock band's song, and its list of everything going wrong sounds no less urgent for the change of clothes.

It proved a durable pick for modern rock radio, which kept it on its countdowns for decades.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1985 64 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1985 91
1987 102 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1987 107

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 121 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 378 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 64 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 123 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 25 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 19 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 229 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1994 474 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1996 480 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 493 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 354 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 458 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 536 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 209 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 315 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 654 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 411 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 866 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 180 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 387 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 917 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 388 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 886 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 372 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 886 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 860 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 396 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 882 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 882 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 882 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 1239 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1172 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1184 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1219 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1272 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1316 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1365 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2021 657 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2024 85 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850

Also listed as: Ball of COnfusion; Ball Of Confusion.

Charting alongside it in 1985

Best songs of 1985 →
  1. 1Alive and KickingSimple Minds
  2. 2The Perfect KissNew Order
  3. 3In Between DaysThe Cure
  4. 4Take On Mea-ha
  5. 5Road to NowhereTalking Heads
  6. 6Shake the DiseaseDepeche Mode

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