WAS (NOT WAS) "KNOCKED DOWN, MADE SMALL (TREATED LIKE A RUBBER BALL)"

Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)   (Don Was - David Was) - 3:05 

 

With Sweat Pea Atkinson handling the lead vocal, the soul-meets-rock mash-up results were staggering. I remember hearing the tune on the radio one afternoon and wondering who the world these guys were.  I then saw the MTV video and was equally stunned.  I may be way off target, but I always thought the tune was about spousal and child abuse and I remember the original MTV video (with some serious bad mid-'80s production work), having a plotline that seemed to support that contention.  The video was subsequently edited deleting the abuse part of the story, 

Regardless of the song's intent, one of the classic '80s tunes.  By the way, YouTube has both of the promotional videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgRipOH0nY 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nqKOFNA6dg


The tune was tapped as a single:
   7" format
- 1983's 'Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)' b/w 'Man Vs. The Empire Brain Building' (Geffen catalog number 7-29407)

  12" format
- 1983's 'Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)' and 'Bow Wow Wow Wow' b/w 'Smile' and 'Shake Your Head (Let's Go To Bed)' (Geffen catalog number PRO-A-2079)