“Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Bruce Springsteen is a legendary musician who has been professionally active going on 60 years now. And as with such artists, his life and works have been thoroughly researched. That may be why for instance some analysts can put together elaborate arguments explaining what the various characters and events mentioned in “Blinded by the Light” actually point to.
And the first two lines of the first verse are in fact autobiographical in nature. But by and large, when writing this, Springsteen was freestyling. And yes, in this case the term freestyle can be loosely interpreted in the rap-music sense of the word. For instance, the Boss actually used a rhyming dictionary when putting the lyrics together.
And yes, if you actually read these lyrics on paper there are certain junctures where you will find yourself rapping (especially in the condensed Manfred Mann version).
But the above paragraph is not to imply that the wording is all willy-nilly. Indeed most freestyles have their foundation in some type of experiences of the writer. And such is the case with certain parts of “Blinded by the Light”. Moreover Manfred Mann’s Earth Band made some slight modifications in wording when covering the song.
But lyrics remain fundamentally the same, with some sections even being omitted from the original. The biggest difference in wording between the two is rather the arrangement.
“Blinded by the Light” does have a Meaning
Now all of the above is not to imply that the song doesn’t have a meaning. Rather it doesn’t have a comprehensive one per se. Or as the Boss himself has advised, “don’t overthink the whole thing”. And all things considered, we will take that to mean that, once again, there isn’t a uniform narrative running throughout.
However, that does not mean that the individual metaphors are not discernable. And in putting them all together, what this reads like is the musings of a hot-blooded young man. Dude is on fire not only in a sensual sense but also because it seems like his thoughts and observations are all over the place.
This is a judgment of the song that has been made before in terms of Greetings from Asbury Park in general, and it definitely rings true in this particular song. The singer is not afraid of the world, but at the same time he’s obviously not that experienced in it either.
Indeed such a notion is ultimately what the title points to, not only for the singer but also others like him (i.e. an unnamed female character). He’s out exploring the world, having the time of his life. But at the same time, being enlightened by the words of his mother for instance, he knows that there are unforeseen dangers of operating at full speed. However, the exhilaration of the lifestyle he is living has him “blinded by the light”, once again unable to actually perceive these hazards. Or as Jay-Z would say, he’s caught up in the allure.
In Conclusion…
Or another way of looking at the song in its entirety is as the verses being representative of the singer’s experiences. Then the chorus represents his overall analysis of said experiences. And conclusively, he’s enjoying himself thoroughly and is not worried about the consequences.
Or stated otherwise, even though he knows there’s a high-risk factor associated with his lifestyle, he is more optimistic than pessimistic. And so is the mysterious female character referred to throughout.
Who wrote “Blinded by the Light”?
This song was written by the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, being originally featured on his debut breakthrough album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” (1973). He wrote it, under the commands of Clive Davis, to be a single from the aforementioned project. And Columbia Records did in fact release his version as the lead single from Greetings from Asbury Park, but it failed to chart.
The Version of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Meanwhile Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s rendition is a completely-different story. It was officially released on 27 August 1976, once again as a lead single (from their album “The Roaring Silence”). Their version went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the Cash Box Top 100 and Canada Top Singles. And the tune also performed impressively across the pond, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart.
And with their cover performing so exceptionally well, Manfred Mann and co. did the Boss justice beyond monetary royalties. For as legendary of a musician as he is, Bruce Springsteen has never had a Billboard Hot 100 number 1 (still as of 2021). And the Earth Band’s cover of “Blinded by the Light” marks his only number one as a songwriter. (But for the record, Springsteen did reach number 2 on the Hot 100 in 1984 with the platinum-selling “Dancing in the Dark“.)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band is a crew from London that formed in 1971 and is still active well into the 21st century. Between 1972 and 2004 they have released 16 studio albums. “The Roaring Silence” earned them 10th place on the Billboard 200 – the highest any of their full-lengths have charted. Also as far as singles go, “Blinded by the Light” has proven to be their most-successful.
More Facts about “Blinded by the Light”
The success of this song also accounted for what may be considered a Hot 100 record. You see Manfred Mann (the name of a former band fronted by the same musician) topped said chart in 1964 with the song “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (which you likely heard before).
So if one were to count Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band as the same entity, then that would make 13 years between their number ones, which again was a record at the time. (As of 2019, the record is held by Mariah Carey, who went almost 30 years between number ones.)
In light of their version of “Blinded by the Light” blowing up, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band decided to once again look to the Boss. This resulted in them dropping a cover of Springsteen’s track “Spirits in the Night”, shortly after the release of this one, as a non-album single. In fact they released a couple of versions of it, ultimately reaching a peak position of number 40 on the Hot 100.
This is a song which is highly regarded due to its instrumental. For instance, the bridge transitions into the verse afterwards via the rendering of a well-known musical arrangement known as Chopsticks (1877). And the guitar solo, as rendered by Dave Flett, has been celebrated by the likes of Guitar World.
Many music publications have dubbed this tune one of the most successful covers in recorded music’s history. And it should be noted that the Earth Band made major alterations (such as omissions) from Springsteen’s original.
The Band
At the time of the release of this track, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band consisted of the following:
- Keyboardist Manfred Mann
- Singer Chris Hamlet Thompson
- Guitarist Dave Flett
- Bassist Colin Pattenden
- Drummer Chris Slade
There is a part of this song that is commonly and one can say humorously misheard. It is a phrase in the intro and chorus which reads “revved up like a deuce”, an allusion to a classic door. But many people are actually under the impression that the singer is saying “wrapped up like a douche”, especially in the Manfred Mann version.
In fact this misunderstanding is so ubiquitous that Springsteen believes it contributed to the cover’s success.
