Songfacts®:

• Dazzle Ships is the fourth studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on March 4, 1983, by Virgin Records. The album is notable for its experimental and avant-garde approach, a departure from the more commercial sound of their previous albums. It features a mix of electronic music, ambient soundscapes, and political and social commentary.
• Dazzle Ships uses shortwave radio recordings to explore Cold War and Eastern Bloc themes. This song is a montage of various speaking clocks from around the world. Time zones are a way of dividing the world into different regions, each with its own time. This division can be seen as a metaphor for the division of the world during the Cold War.
• "Time Zones" was inspired by a Kraftwerk track.
  
  "On Radio-Activity, Kraftwerk did a song called 'News' which was basically recordings of newscasters," OMD singer Andy McCluskey told Uncut magazine. "I used that as a seed kernel that germinated into 'Time Zones,' to get people from our record companies from all around the world to record their speaking clocks at the same time, saying different times but actually at the same time of day. And then, without the aid of a computer, got those quarter- inch tapes to synch up. I think that was one of the biggest coups that we pulled off, was to take a Kraftwerk idea and actually make it better!"
• The Dazzle Ships title and cover art reference a painting by Edward Wadsworth called Dazzle-ships in Drydock at Liverpool.
  
  "Dazzle camouflage" was a type of naval camouflage used during World War I. With bold, abstract, and contrasting geometric patterns, it confused the enemy's perception of a ship's size, speed, and direction.
• Dazzle Ships received mixed reviews upon its release, with some fans and critics finding it difficult to embrace its unconventional sound. The album has since gained a cult following and is now considered a groundbreaking and influential work in the realm of electronic and experimental music.