BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover version

Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night

Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground

The calliope crashed to the ground, but she was
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night

Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on, sonny, to something strong, play the song with the funky break"
And Go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride

Asked me if I needed a ride, yeah she was
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light

She got down but she never got tight
She's gonna make it through the night
She's gonna make it through the night

But mama that's where the fun is
But mama that's where the fun is

Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun
But mama that's where the fun is

Some brimstone baritone anti cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Says Dethrone the Dictaphone hit it in his funny bone and that's where they expect it least
And some new mown chaperone was standing in the corner watching the young girls dance
And some fresh sewn moonstone was messing with his frozen zone reminding him of romance

The calliope crashed to the ground, well she was
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat)
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat)
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round)
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground)
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (Now Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand)
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (And some bloodshot forget-me-not says, "Daddy's within earshot save the buckshot, turn up the band")
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night (Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I go what it takes)
Blinded by the light (She said "I'll turn you on, sonny, to something strong")

She got down but she never got tired
She's gonna make it through the night

Info

The above lyrics are for Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT. The song was released on their 1976 album The Roaring Silence.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Roaring Silence

LP - Warner Bros. (BS-2965) - USA, 1976
LP - Bronze/Island (ILPS 9357) - UK, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band recorded a version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT in 1976 during Bruce Springsteen's litigation with his now-former Mike Appel. They released it on 27 Aug 1976 on their album The Roaring Silence. The track was the album opener and the leading single.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band have recorded three Bruce Springsteen songs, all from his debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.: SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT in 1975, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT in 1976, and FOR YOU in 1980. Manfred Mann's Earth Band did Springsteen quite a service by covering some of his songs during the period when he was a virtual unknown in most of Europe. The Hollies and their band leader Allan Clarke also helped in during the same period.

Allan Clark was one of the first acts in Britain to champion the work of Bruce Springsteen, and the first ever to release a Springsteen cover. He released BLINDED BY THE LIGHT in 1976 on his fourth solo album, I've Got Time. According to him, "the record company did not agree that 'Blinded By The Light' was the kind of material that would be played on the radio." Manfred Mann was a neighbor of Clarke in Hampstead, London, and Clarke told Mann that he was not going to release BLINDED BY THE LIGHT as a single. As a result, Manfred Mann's Earth Band did a version of the song which became a major hit in Europe the US.

The Track

The above lyrics are for Manfred Mann's Earth Band's studio version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT as found on The Roaring Silence album. The lyrics in bold are edited out on the single version. The album version clocks at 7:05 and the single edit clocks at 3:48.

Chris Thompson is the lead vocalist on this track, and drummer Chris Slade sings towards the end where the chorus (Thompson) is heard from the left channel, and the verse (Slade) is simultaneously heard from the right channel. Manfred Mann sings the spoken lyrics of "she got down, but she never got tight, she's gonna make it through the night" at the very end of the song.

The tracks features Chris Thompson on vocals and guitar, Manfred Mann on keyboards and end vocals, Dave Flett on guitar, Collin Pattenden on bass, Chris Slade on drums, percussion, and backing vocals, Suzanne Lunch on backing vocals, Doreen Chanter on backing vocals, Irene Chanter on backing vocals, and Mick Rogers on backing vocals.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT features a snippet of "Chopsticks," a simple piano piece very well known by any piano player or student. According to Manfred Mann, the song was very difficult to arrange and record and many versions were attempted.

Misheard Lyrics

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT features several changes in the lyrics, the most prominent being in the chorus where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce." A deuce is a 1932 Ford hotrod, but this is commonly misheard as "wrapped up like a douche." Springsteen himself has joked about the controversy during the DoubleTake magazine benefit shows in February 2003 and later on his episode of VH1'sStorytellers in April 2005. He said, "I have a feeling that that is why this song skyrocketed into number one", referring to "douche", which, in his own word, "is of course a feminine hygienic procedure".

Single Releases

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT was released as a single before The Roaring Silence album was released. The single was released on 06 Aug 1976 and became a Billboard Hot 100 charts hit peaking at #1 on the week of 19 Feb 1977. At the time the group set a Billboard Hot 100 chart record with the longest time between #1 hits; they previously had a #1 hit in 1964 with DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY. Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT is the only Bruce Springsteen song to top the American charts. Near misses for Springsteen have been DANCING IN THE DARK (#2 in 1984) and The Pointer Sisters' cover version of FIRE (#2 in 1979).

The single was released worldwide in 1976, with STARBIRD NO. 2 on the B-side. In Spain, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT was the B-side to PREGUNTAS on a promo-only 7-inch release. The single was re-released in 1977 in the U.S. (and probably other countries too), this time with SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT on the B-side. In 1979, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (the album version) was used as the B-side for DON'T KILL IT CAROL in Europe. In 1990, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT was released on the B-side to DAVY'S ON THE ROAD AGAIN in the UK, promoting the 20 Years Of Manfred Manns Earthband 1971-1991 compilation album.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (WBS 8252) - USA, 1976

Two label variants exist for this single.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (WBS 8252) - USA, 1976

Two label variants exist for this single.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Blinded By The Light"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (WBS 8252) - USA, 1976

Promo issue.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (WB 8252) - Canada, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (BRO 29) - UK, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (17 194 AT) - Germany, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (BRO 29) - Italy, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (BRZ 014) - France, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (5000 029) - Portugal, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze / Jugoton Zagreb (SBRO 88919) - Yugoslavia, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (P-61B) - Japan, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (21 027) - Australia, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Starbird No. 2"

7" single - Bronze (21 027) - New Zealand, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Preguntas / Blinded By The Light"

7" single - Bronze (17.092 A) - Spain, 1976

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Spirit In The Night"

7" single - Warner Bros. (GS 45151) - Canada, 1977

Stock copy, no picture sleeve.

A1- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
B1- SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Spirit In The Night"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (GWB 0350) - USA, 1977

Stock copy, no picture sleeve.

A1- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
B1- SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Blinded By The Light / Spirit In The Night"

7" single - Warner Bros. / Bronze (GWB 0350) - USA, 1977

Stock copy, no picture sleeve. This is a "Back To Back Hits" series issue.

A1- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
B1- SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Don't Kill It Carol / Blinded By The Light"

7" single - Bronze (BROP 77) - UK, 1979

Picture disc.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Don't Kill It Carol / Blinded By The Light"

7" single - Bronze (100.457) - Holland, 1979

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- "Don't Kill It Carol / Blinded By The Light"

7" single - Bronze (100 457-100) - Germany, 1979

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Davy's On The Road Again

7" single - Cohesion (COMMES 1) - UK, 1990

A1- DAVY'S ON THE ROAD AGAIN
B1- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Davy's On The Road Again

12" EP - Cohesion (COMMEST 1) - UK, 1990

A1- DAVY'S ON THE ROAD AGAIN
B1- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
B2- CALIFORNIA

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Davy's On The Road Again

CD EP - Cohesion (COMMESC 1) - UK, 1990

01- DAVY'S ON THE ROAD AGAIN
02- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
03- CALIFORNIA
04- TRIBAL STATISTICS

Other Official Releases

Besides its availability on singles and some later compilations, the "Single Version" of Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT was also released as a bonus track on the European 1999 and Japanese 2005 reissues of The Roaring Silence album.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Roaring Silence

CD - Cohesion (MANN 009) - Europe, 1999

European remastered edition with four bonus tracks, including the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Roaring Silence

CD - Air Mail Archive (AIRAC-1129) - Japan, 2005

Japanese remastered "LP replica" reissue with four bonus tracks, including the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Both versions of the track were included on many Manfred Mann's Earth Band compilations albums.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- 20 Years Of Manfred Manns Earthband 1971-1991

LP - Cohesion (BOMME 1 LP) - UK, 1990
MC - Cohesion (BOMME 1 CASS) - UK, 1990
CD - Cohesion (BOMCD 1 CD) - UK, 1990

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Spotlight

CD - Cohesion (COMME-CD13) - UK, 1992

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Blinded By The Light: The Very Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band

CD - Arcade (8800068) - Germany, 1992

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Blinded By The Light: The Very Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band

CD - Arcade (8800068) - Holland, 1992
MC - Arcade (8800069) - Holland, 1992

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Very Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band

CD - Arcade (9100003) - Norway, 1993

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Very Best Of Vol. 1 & 2

2xCD - Arcade (88 00 184) - Germany, 1993

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Best Of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Featuring Blinded By The Light

CD - Warner Archives (9 46231-2) - USA, 1996
MC - Warner Archives (9 46231-4) - USA, 1996

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Re-Mastered

CD - Cohesion (MANN018) - UK, 1999

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Blindin'

CD - Music Club (MANN019) - EU, 2000
CD - Music Club (MCCD 414) - UK, 2000

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann -- The Complete Greatest Hits Of Manfred Mann: 1963-2003

2xCD - Cohesion (MANFRED1DE) - Germany, 2003

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann -- The Evolution Of Manfred Mann

2xCD + DVD - Cohesion (MANFRED1) - UK, 2003

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- World Of Mann: The Very Best Of Manfred Mann & Manfred Mann's Earth Band

2xCD - Universal Music TV (9839162) - UK, 2006

Contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- The Ages Of Mann: The Manfred Mann Story Album Sampler

CD EP - Universal Music TV (MMN01) - UK, 2006

Promotional EP sampler, contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT. The first three tracks are by Manfred Mann and the remaining two tracks are by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

01- 5-4-3-2-1
02- PRETTY FLAMINGO
03- MIGHTY QUINN
04- DAVY'S ON THE ROAD AGAIN
05- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Blinded By the Light & Other Hits

CD - Flashback Records (R2 74820) - USA, 2007

Contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

The song also appeared on many various artists albums, including three soundtrack albums, and three Bruce Springsteen tribute albums:

Various artists -- Songs From The Boss

LP - Dover Records (ADD 3) - UK, 1988
MC - Dover Records (ZDD 3) - UK, 1988
CD - Dover Records (CCD 3) - UK, 1988

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Various artists -- Child In Time: Rock Giants

CD - BR Music (BX 401-2) - Holland, 1992

This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- Let's Rock Together

CD - New Sound (NSCD 001) - UK, 1994

This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- The Bruce Springsteen Songbook

CD - Connoisseur Collection (VSOP CD 224) - UK, 1996

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. This release contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- Blow

CD - EMD / Virgin (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2001

This is a soundtrack album for the film Blow. This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- Dad Rocks!

2xCD - Virgin/EMI (VTDCD 720) - Europe, 2005

This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- Running With Scissors

CD - EMI America Records (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2006

This is a soundtrack album for the film Running With Scissors. This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- If I Were The Boss: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen

CD - Castle (CMQCD1422) - UK, 2006

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Various artists -- The Best Rock Anthems ...Ever!

3xCD - Virgin/EMI (VTDCD 978) - Europe, 2009

This release contains the "Album Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- Friendship!

CD - Sony Uk/Zoom (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2010

This is a soundtrack album for the film Friendship!. This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Various artists -- The Lords Of Salem

CD - Universal (0602537335411) - EU, 2013

This is a soundtrack album for the film The Lords Of Salem. This release contains the "Single Version" of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT.

Appearance in Movies

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover version of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT appears in five movies. It is probably the Springsteen composition that has appeared the most in motion pictures.

Art For Teachers Of Children

It was used in the 1995 film Art For Teachers Of Children, directed by Jennifer Montgomery and starring Lisa Anomaiprasert. No soundtrack album was released for this film.

Blow

It was used in the 2001 film Blow, directed by Ted Demme and starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. It was also included in the film's soundtrack album.

The song plays during a scene in which Johnny Depp's character tells of how in the late seventies cocaine took over the United State "like an atomic bomb".

Running With Scissors

It was used in the 2006 film Running With Scissors, directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Annette Bening, Brian Cox, and Joseph Fiennes. It was also included in the film's soundtrack album.

The song plays during a scene in which Deidre Burroughs (Annette Bening) starts hallucinating and seeing snow falling inside the house.

Friendship!

It was used in the 2010 German film Friendship!, directed by Markus Goller and starring Matthias Schweighöfer and Friedrich Mücke. It was also included in the film's soundtrack album.

The Lords Of Salem

It was used in the 2012 film The Lords Of Salem, directed by Rob Zombie and starring Sheri Moon Zombie and Bruce Davison. It was also included in the film's soundtrack album.

The song appears at the beginning of the movie, where it was used as the ringtone for the alarm clock to which Sheri Moon Zombie's character wakes up.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT that's not mentioned on this page. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT on this website:

Page last updated: 26 Mar 2017