what does the song blinded by the light mean

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song changes the lyrics. 1 was as part of the USA for Africa ensemble that recorded ' We Are the World'. 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.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of 'Blinded by the Light' is Springsteen's only No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian RPM charts. Their version includes the ' Chopsticks' melody played on piano near the end of the bridge of the song. Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version of the song on their 1976 album The Roaring Silence. Springsteen's version was commercially unsuccessful and did not appear on the music charts.Ĭash Box said that it was 'much like early Dylan, but especially like ' My Back Pages,'' and that Springsteen 'lets loose with a lyrical barrage of images and pictures.' Manfred Mann's Earth Band version 'Blinded by the Light' 'Blinded by the Light' was the first single from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. 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'.

'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 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, 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. Springsteen wrote this and ' Spirit in the Night' in response.Īccording to Springsteen, he wrote the song by going through a rhyming dictionary in search of appropriate words. The song came about when Columbia Records president Clive Davis, upon listening to an early version of Greetings from Asbury Park N.J., felt the album lacked a potential single.

What does the song blinded by the light mean