Tina Turner - Ball Of Confusion - Single

Ball Of Confusion

Single / Guest Vocals (1982)

Ball Of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) is a soul song and was originally a hit single from The Temptations in 1970. Tina covered it for the B.E.F. album Music For Quality And Distinction, with a very modern sythesizer instrumental background. Released as a single, it surprisingly charted in Norway. Tina promoted the song at the Australian TV-Show Countdown on July 18, 1982. The single was not released in America.

This is the very first single from Tina Turner with a music video, filmed during the spring of 1982 as a live performance on stage together with her female dancers and musicians. In fact, the music comes from tape and Tina is lip-syncing the song. David Mallet, who directed and produced the video, used some special effects like slow-motion. Tina made history with this video as one of the first black artists to appear on MTV, when the burgeoning network added it to its programming schedule.

  1. Ball Of Confusion 3:56
  2. Ball Of Confusion (Instrumental) 3:45

Writer: N. Whitfield, B. Strong
Producer: Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Walsh
Photographer: Lynn Goldsmith
Release: April (Germany) / May (UK)
Label: Virgin
Format: 7“ Vinyl
Charts: Norway: #5
Music Video: 3:50 / David Mallet (Director)

Music Of Quality And Distinction is a album from the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.) with newly interpreted versions of classic songs. Tina was asked to record a new version of the Temptations hit Ball Of Confusion from 1970 with a modern instrumental background. The CD contains a remixed version of the song, which is also available on the 1994 box set The Collected Recordings. The album was also available as a box set with all the tracks on five vinyl singles and a booklet. The following year, Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh produced Tina's comeback single Let's Stay Together.

  1. Ball Of Confusion 3:56
  2. From the Vinyl & Cassette release
  3. Ball Of Confusion (Remix) 4:11
  4. From the CD release

Release: 1982 / 1991 (CD)
Format: Vinyl / Cassette / CD