Blinded by the Light
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| “Blinded by the Light” | |||||
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| Single by Manfred Mann's Earth Band from the album The Roaring Silence |
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| B-side | Starbird No. 2 | ||||
| Released | August 6, 1977 | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 1976, Workhouse Studios, London | ||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | ||||
| Length | 7:08 (album version)
3:48 (single edit) |
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| Label | Bronze Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Bruce Springsteen | ||||
| Producer | Manfred Mann and Earth Band | ||||
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band singles chronology | |||||
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| “Blinded by the Light” | |||||
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| Song by Manfred Mann's Earth Band | |||||
| Album | The Roaring Silence | ||||
| Released | August 27, 1976 | ||||
| Recorded | 1976, Workhouse Studios, London | ||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | ||||
| Length | 7:08 | ||||
| Label | Bronze Records | ||||
| Producer | Manfred Mann and Earth Band | ||||
| The Roaring Silence track listing | |||||
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"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and originally recorded by New Jersey based singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was the first song on, and first single from, Springsteen's debut album Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. (1973).
Springsteen's version was initially unsuccessful, and failed to appear on the music charts, though it did later gain airplay on progressive rock radio.
[edit] Other versions
A version of the song recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band was a major hit, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 on 19 February 1977. As of 2007, the Manfred Mann's Earth Band recording of "Blinded by the Light" is still Springsteen's only Number 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100.
Additionally, a version of the song has been released by the "Northern Southerners" using the chorus as its hook. Springsteen and Mann both have given permission for its use.
[edit] Lyrics
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
Springsteen wrote "Blinded by the Light" after most of the others on Greetings were finished and is also one of the few songs for which Springsteen wrote the words before arranging the music.
The song's swiftly-paced, jumbled lyrics are stream of consciousness descriptions of a series of bizarre individuals he met while a young artist in New Jersey. Playing small venues, such as bars along the Jersey Shore, Springsteen recounts various characters from these events. He alludes to Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, then his drummer, in the opening line "Madman drummers", as well as the "silicone sister" (bartender, possibly referring to an erotic dancer) who encourages him to play a particular, unknown song. United by the chorus: "And (s)he was blinded by the light/cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night/Blinded by the light/(S)he got down but (s)he never got tight, (s)he's gonna make it (alright) tonight", the song goes on to chronicle Springsteen's trouble to get the bar patrons, who rarely cared about or even heard the music, to get excited by his performance.
[edit] External links
- "Blinded by the Light" lyrics from Bruce Springsteen's official site
- "Blinded" Northern Southerners official site (use by permission of Bruce Springsteen and Manfred Mann)
| Preceded by "Torn Between Two Lovers" by Mary MacGregor |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 19, 1977 |
Succeeded by "New Kid in Town" by Eagles |
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