Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1976-77) 3/4/22

Deuce.

The word in question is "deuce." It's a slang term for a1932 Ford hot rod.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dig a little deeper into today's "Great Song of 1976-77:" Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

As most of you probably know, the song was written by Bruce Springsteen, who recorded it for his 1973 debut album, "Greetings from Asbury Park." It was his very first single...and unfortunately, it flopped.

When Manfred Mann covered it in late 1976, he made a slight lyric change.

Bruce had written, "cut loose like a deuce." Manfred changed it to "revved up like a deuce,' and then slurred the vocal so it sounded like...something else. To this day, he claims it wasn't on purpose... that it was a glitch in the tape they tried to correct, but

couldn't, so they released it as-is.

Bruce initially hated it, but after the residual checks started pouring in, he changed his tune--so to speak. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Bruce told an interviewer that changing "deuce" to a feminine hygiene product is probably why the song skyrocketed to #1--where it landed in both Canada and the US!

Many of the other lyrics included personal references to people Bruce knew and

autobiographical memories...all cleverly constructed with help from a rhyming dictionary. Examples include:

"Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer" references Vinnie "mad Dog" Lopez, the first E-Street Band drummer...and Bruce's Little League Baseball team.

"Some Silicone Sister with her manager mister" references a stripper at club in Asbury Park. (and possibly the first mention of breast implants in a song").

There are several others.

It all adds up to make "Blinded by the Light" a "Great Song of the '70s" with a great backstory, all revved up like a...deuce...to go with it!

Manfred Mann:

Bruce Springsteen (1973):