Ball of Confusion

By Ann Parenti

Music and art have been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. These forms of creativity have carried the human race throughout time from petroglyphs on caves to chant songs from many centuries ago. Art and music play a very powerful role in recording historical moments in time.

This past week, I had a flashback of a few songs where the lyrics have stayed in my head to this day.  The very talented Earl Turner did a heart-breaking version of one of these songs called Abraham, Martin, and John.  Another song that has always touched me and that Lannie Counts, a fabulous vocalist, performs in his shows, is a classic that Sam Cook made famous called, A Change is Gonna Come.  That song sends shivers down my spine every single time he performs it.

However, the one song that really hit me hard this week was a song from April of 1970 performed by the ever-popular group, The Temptations.  Not only was this R&B song written for the times of the late 60s and early 70s, I feel it had the beginnings of a “vibe” that represents the Rap or Hip-Hop genre, which later found its voice in today’s music.  The lyrics used and what the song represents touched me profoundly as a young teen living not far from Chicago and witnessing the riots in the 60s.  These situations in history are burned into my memory bank forever.

The song I am referring to is Ball of Confusion.  This song sounds as if it were written for today and what we are experiencing.  Here we are 50 years later, and I cannot tell you how much this hurts my heart to realize that we have hardly moved much as a society since those fateful days, let alone the years before my birth.  Now, let’s just say this is not just a problem in America but a problem for the world.  We, as a nation, are only mirrors to the world now.  A very sad and powerful mirror but still a mirror of the racism that still exists in our country. We must not allow racism to continue in the matter it has been. I only can hope that our country and the next generation will now stand up and speak out for what is the proper thing to do. This week has given us all a glimpse that the current and the next generation’s desire to be heard on this issue will no longer be silenced.  Sadly, the peaceful demonstrators were upstaged by so many bad actors that used it an opportunity to create chaos and destruction. Perhaps a new awareness has begun and will bring light on a subject that has repeatedly been ignored for way too long.  When another 50 years have come and gone, may this song not be repeating itself as it is today.  That is my genuine desire.

I leave you with the link to the song (Spotify, Apple Music, PlayMusic, iHeartRadio) and its lyrics (Lyrics.com), and I am praying for our world to wake up to the fact that racism has got to be eliminated once and for all.  May kinder times prevail for us all beginning now. I wish all of you a safe and well future ahead.