"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, a which first appeared on his 1973 debut album '' Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' A cover by British rock band

Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's " For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a ...

reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States in February 1977 and was also a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.

History

The song came about when Columbia Records president Clive Davis, upon listening to an early version of ''

Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. ''Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos from June through October 1972 at the budget-priced 914 Sound Studios. The album was rel ...

'', felt the album lacked a potential single. Springsteen wrote this and "

Spirit in the Night "Spirit in the Night" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen for his debut album ''Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' (1973). It was also the second single released from the album. A cover versi ...

" in response. According to Springsteen, he wrote the song by going through a rhyming dictionary in search of appropriate words. The first line of the song, "Madman drummers, bummers, and Indians in the summers with a teenage diplomat" is autobiographical—"Madman drummers" is a reference to drummer

Vini Lopez Vincent Lopez (born January 22, 1949), nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albu ...

, known as "Mad Man" (later changed to "Mad Dog"); "Indians in the summer" refers to the name of Springsteen's old Little League team; "teenage diplomat" refers to himself. "As the adolescent pumps his way into his hat" recalls his aunt Dora Kirby claiming "Bruce never took his baseball hat off." A "merry-go-round" is baseball slang for when a pitcher keeps walking batters. The remainder of the song tells of many unrelated events, with the refrain of "Blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". "Blinded by the Light" was the first single from ''Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' '' Cash Box'' said that it was "much like early Dylan, but especially like '

My Back Pages "My Back Pages" is a song written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan''. It is stylistically similar to his earlier folk protest songs and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Howeve ...

,'" and that Springsteen "lets loose with a lyrical barrage of images and pictures."

Manfred Mann's Earth Band version

released a version of the song on their 1976 album ''

The Roaring Silence ''The Roaring Silence'' is the seventh studio album by English rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released on 27 August 1976, by Bronze Records in the UK and by Warner Bros. Records in the US. Like other Earth Band albums, this incl ...

''. Their version includes the "

Chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of Chinese origin that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East and Southeast Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the do ...

" melody played on piano near the end of the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

of the song. The track reached No. 1 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the Canadian ''RPM'' charts. Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of "Blinded by the Light" is Springsteen's only No. 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100; his highest charting single as a solo performer was " Dancing in the Dark" in 1984, which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, and his only No. 1 was as part of the

USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...

ensemble that recorded "

We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album '' We Are the World''. Wi ...

". Mann, who appeared on the Sonny and Cher show shortly after the success of the song, claimed: "Me and the band didn't really see the song ending. We wanted to keep rocking, so we did. Interestingly enough though, we painted ourselves into a proverbial corner. It was at that point I realized I didn't know how to end the song."

Lyrics

's recording of the song changes the lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce." The lyric is a reference to the 1932 V8-powered Ford automobile, which enthusiasts dubbed the " deuce coupe". Springsteen was fond of classic hot rods in his youth, hence the line "cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". As the line is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a

douche A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself. Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing ...

", Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that it was not until

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...

rewrote the song to be about a

feminine hygiene Feminine hygiene products are personal care products used during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva and vagina. Products that are used during menstruation may also be called menstrual hygiene product ...

product that it became popular. According to Manfred Mann, it was the idea of drummer

Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh musician, best known for playing for the Australian rock band AC/DC. He drummed for the band from 1989 to 1994, performing on their 1990 album '' The Razors Edge'' along wit ...

to use the chords of "Chopsticks" (the tune had at that point already been integrated into the arrangement) as a transition between song parts. The "deuce"/"douche" confusion stems from technical problems (which can be confirmed by comparing to live recordings).

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: Original version * Bruce Springsteen – vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass * Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez – drums *

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...

– saxophone, backing vocals * Harold Wheeler – piano * Unknown musicians – organ, tambourine Manfred Mann's Earth Band cover *

– organ, piano, Minimoog, backing vocals, lead vocals * Chris Hamlet Thompson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

Dave Flett David Flett (born, 2 June 1951) is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known for performing with Manfred Mann's Earth Band and Thin Lizzy. Career Early years and Manfred Mann Flett began his career with local groups in Aberdeen such as Cat Squirre ...

– lead guitar *

Colin Pattenden Colin Roy Pattenden (born November 1947, Farnborough, Kent, England) is an English bass guitarist, chiefly known for his membership of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Pattenden was taught guitar but learned to play bass from tuition books, chiefly th ...

– bass *

– drums, backing vocals with *

Doreen Chanter Doreen Chanter is a British singer best known as a member of the Chanter Sisters, and for her work as a backing vocalist and session vocalist, primarily during the 1970s and 1980s. Chanter Sisters Chanter started as a member of a group called ...

– backing vocals *

Irene Chanter Irene Chanter is a British singer best known for her career as a member of the Chanter Sisters and for her work as a session singer, working with a number of musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. Irene Chanter has worked with Elton John, Long John Ba ...

– backing vocals *Susanne Lynch – backing vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blinded By The Light 1973 debut singles 1976 singles 1977 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Bruce Springsteen songs Manfred Mann songs Mondegreens Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Mike Appel 1972 songs Bronze Records singles Warner Records singles