1978,16 years old & smoking pot in my neighbours basement and this song is played and I hear it for the first time, the good old days ! ,before cell phones and internet, the simpler times where people went out more and made friends through the art of conversation, Now everyone's at home lying on date sites and wired on video games...LOL
I am a black 32 year old woman from Mississippi I was riding with my husband and a car passed by blasting this!!! We spents about the next 30 mins searching for the song! This is the best date night we have had LOL! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SONG EXSISTED IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT BROUGHT A TEAR TO OUR EYES! I can see why we protect our classics my mom is probably dancing her behind off in heaven I feel like she is proud I found this!!! I can't wait to play this for our 10 year old autistic son😍
Dear mrs Hudson! Greetings from geir Røssaak, jessheim Norway! I grew up with the fantastic american soulmusic, but I listen to all sorts of music. Merry Christmas!
I was a 16 year old boy in 1978 and riding a yak running an errand for my parents in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. While passing my friend's yurt, I heard he fired up this song on his spanking new radio. I spent the next 30 years searching for this song, and, today, I finally found it on RUclips. This is the best day I have had. LORD! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SONG EXISTED ON RUclips. IT IS SO DELICIOUS, IT WHETS MY APPETITE AND BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES every time I listen to. I can't wait to play this for all my village people.
I was 6 in 1975 and this song still caught the attention of a 6 year old...and my other 6 year old friends. After witnessing 5 decades of music, this song still has it.
Saw them in a bar/nightclub in Atlanta in the summer of '73. I was into them before then but they blew the doors off my girlfriend of the time. One of the most under appreciated bands of all time.
I've been hearing the version of this with the epic guitar solo for well over 40 years on the radio and its still one of my top favorite songs ever. This is probably the best performance of this song I've ever heard! We took music like this for granted growing up. I always thought it would keep getting better but most of that stopped decades ago.
@@GeirRssaak I always wondered that too, but I guess someone else in the comments said it was about the possible end of life in a nuclear war. I guess 'blinded by the light' makes sense in that case. I still don't know what the hook is saying! lol
saw em at ebbits field the denver bar had Klipsch loud speakers hanging from the ceiling they were so fucking loud it was great that guitar player skinny fuck maybe the best i have ever seen blinded by the light still Remember godamn around this time godamn they did cook
Just one of the best live versions of a cut song.. True to the recording but also the live content just adds another "level" to the great artistship that the whole band command.. Just amazing and imo the best cover song that ever existed !!!. So much better and on another level than Springsteen's..
Extraordinary! I love this band. Completely ahead of its time. In my opinion, Manfred has been underrated. Yet the sound is so crispy and cristal clear. "Watch" is one of the best R&R albums of all times. But this song is simply awesome!!
I didn't realise that bears lived that long.. Unless you are related to Paddington.. I just wish he would f##k off.. He doesn't share your sense of humour 😂😂😂😂
I’m 73. I thank my lord for being born when I was. The new music can’t hold a candle. Thank u lord for the best music ever! Beatles , Stones, Led Z and on.
I'm 173 so exactly a century older than you. I agree, although I liked the music hall acts of the late Victorian period in the 1880's and 1890's. I guess it's the music of our youths we like. This reminds me of being in my early 100's when life was simpler and more fun.
Yep. Went to an Alice Cooper concert (mid 70s), little old lady and a 10 year old beside me. She came along because his parents wouldn't allow him to go on his own so his grandmother volunteered to take him. Talked to her near the end of the concert, she honestly loved it!
And here it is.. 2023, This song and that piano riff is riveting! such a timeless Classic, and NOW more than ever, a Great Time to be "Blinded by the Light".. as more of us are waking up and allowing the Inner Light of our own Divinity to BlaZe its Way into our Hearts, minds, and bodies. Thank you Manfred Mann!
I hadn’t heard this song in a VERY long time but I woke up in the middle of the night last night and this tune was loud and clear in my head. How do these things happen? This tune, like all good music, has certainly passed the test of time.
Written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, in 1972 for his 1973 album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.". The song came about on the insistence of Clive Davis, president of Columbia Records, who felt the album needed a single. Springsteen used a rhythmic dictionary, and that explains the somewhat cryptic meaning. Three years later, Manfred Mann's Earth Band included it as a cover, and their main single on the titular album "Blinded by the light" in 1976, and it was released in 1977. The song went on to become a much bigger hit for MMEB, charting at #1 that year, making it bigger for them, then it ever was for Springsteen. The "Mad man drummer" in the lyrics is a reference to Vini Lopez (later Mad Dog), Bruce Springsteen and the East Streets band first drummer. In a positive review for Rolling Stone, music critic Lester Bangs (played so beautifully by Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Almost Famous") hailed Springsteen as daring new artist who sets himself apart from his contemporaries with songwriting that either have a serious meaning or showcase his uninhibited gift for verbose, overloaded lyrics and rhyme schemes. My Personal feelings about song: Great music in a song. Springsteen's song is much more raw and stripped, while Manfred Manns' version is musically extravagant. Chris Thompson was at the peak of his vocal capacity, and its heard in this song.
+Lars Grimstad I found similar info! History The song came about when Columbia president Clive Davis, upon listening to an early version of Greetings from Asbury Park N.J., felt the album lacked a potential single. Springsteen wrote this and "Spirit in the Night" in response. According to Springsteen, the song came about from going through a rhyming dictionary and looking for rhymes. 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. 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". "Blinded by the Light" was the first song on, and first single from Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. Springsteen's version was commercially unsuccessful and did not appear on the music charts. Lyrics Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song features several changed lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce."[2][3][4] This is commonly misheard as "wrapped up like a douche (the V sound in "revved" is almost unpronounced, and the S sound in "deuce" comes across as "SH" due to a significant lisp)."[5][6] Springsteen himself has joked about the controversy, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.[7] Cover versions and reissues Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version of the song on their album The Roaring Silence. Their version includes the "Chopsticks" melody played on piano. The song reached #1 on both Billboard's Hot 100 and on the Canadian RPM chart on 19 February 1977. The Manfred Mann's Earth Band recording of "Blinded by the Light" is Springsteen's only Number 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100. In 2002, Danish act Funkstar Deluxe released its disco version of this song. In 2012, the song was covered by Tim Armstrong within his "Tim Timebomb" project. A "jazzified" version can be found on Springsteen's Live in Dublin album, recorded with the Sessions Band.
These midnight special performances made musicians bring their A games to rock. It was like a battle of the bands every weekend they came on. It was live performances like it was done in the studio. Just raw talent and people who believed in themselves and their music how they played and sang from their hearts. The good ol days of music. It will never be duplicated.
Isn't that the truth! My son is 28 and what he listens to now embarrasses me, but once in a while I catch him listening to my shit. Pretends he isn't. 😂
I was just a kid when i first heard this great song in the 1970's. I have loved Manfred Mann ever since.then. They are an excellent rock band. An excellent rock band indeed.
Dave Fleck at 3:40. This has to be one of the greatest & under-rated guitar solos of all time! The tone, feel, emotion & expression are all there, subtle but devastating, he ripped the airwaves apart while keeping the mood & spirit of the song intact. Just saying 😉 xxx
Dave Flett briefly played for Thin Lizzy after one of the times Brian Robertson got kicked out. Great guitarist... I've always loved this version of this song (and I'm old enough to remember when it came out).
I was 11 years old in 1976 and wasn't allowed to listen to rock or country music. My grandmother gave me a set of headphones and I discovered a whole new world.
Takes me back to 1978 in my local , a quiet summer evening 18yrs old sitting on my own when this came on . I was mesmerised with it and I put it on every chance I got......great days.
They'll unfortunately never do so. Everything is terrible pop and hip hop that use auto tune and backing tracks now. All sounds exactly the same too. Just be fortunate we lived in better era's with real music and talent.
32 years old, nice I’m 55 and grew up with these classics. Many more on RUclips. Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, the sound of silence! Good luck in your search,don’t quit looking. I was amazed when my daughter, your age was into the music I grew up with
+MrUtubePete 16 mile is Quarton on the West and Big Beaver on the East but I don't remember anything at that intersection in the 70s. I do remember Ted's at Square Lake rd when I rode around sometimes with my brother in the late 60s.
What a treat to see these guys play live! We used to cruise up and down the main street listening to the radio. And when this song came on we would all sing it to the top of our lungs; I still sing it loud whe I hear it!
I remember listening to this song on the radio late at night courtesy of WLS Chicago. One of the things that gave me joy during an unhappy time in my life.
One of the greatest songs of all times period. The guitar solo is just out of the world so emotional!. When I knew this was a cover from B Springsteen with all my respects Mr S this is THE version.
I'm sixty two,and sitting in the dark blasting this old face along with a ton more there isn't enough time to ever hear enough of real old goodies!But I'm sure trying!
Holy cow. Done live, a song of such technical difficulty sounding just like the studio edit. Awe inspiring. Musicians of this caliber are a dying breed unfortunately.
No artist today captures the spirit and unbelievable talent back then. The 70s rocked. This live performance is eerily similar to the studio recording....no artist today can touch that!
Naw man This was definitely when music was real and pure talent No damn computer srap that changes voices This era was the best music hands down Motown was good
Easily one of the best songs ever made if you really listen to it. Music like this from the 70s is rarely beaten today. Idc what you say older artists had so much more talent than most of today’s artists.
Brooohhhh...3rd of June '23' just me drinking with budweiser and southern comfort. This is outstanding. Reminds me of better times, friends and family both alive. Bless from Aotearoa/New Zealand brother ❤❤🙏🏽🙏🏽
No doubt! the entire arrangement, the layering of music, vocals, tempo change, etc... masterful . I wore out the 45 of this in the mid '70s, and then wore out the album
They actually paved the way for Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band. Bruce Springsteen helped them in the studio as a back up musician.They were excellent friends with Clarence Clemens and Max Weinberg.
Awesome still. Stood the test of time. 500 years from now people will be listening to this in other galaxies the way we listen to Mozart outside of Central Europe!
Probably the one song that has woven itself into my DNA.. the 70’s, with all the coolnes, weirdness, joy, bad color palette, social evolution and decay.. a young 5 yr old, at my dad’s for the weekend and going to sleep in my older big brother’s bed. ..all the “now” classics playing quietly on the clock radio on the shelf, near my head. Then this song!.. The Electric piano driving that percolating chord progression that keeps you hanging on, and never wanting to let it go.. transitioning to the organ pad, making sure you don’t. Those perfectly woven guitar solos, dancing around and in the groove of the drums. And oh, that otherworldly synthesizer.. how cool was that?.. So fitting. Manfred’s great voice, belting out a fantastic tale over a musical voyage, for a sleepy young boy. ..the memorable guitar solos, so perfect.. Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics were a beautiful mystery that painted dreamscapes, while I drifted into slumber.., it would be another 25 years before I learned who actually wrote and recorded it originally.. didn’t matter though, Manfed Mann and his Earth band made it there’s, with no apologies needed! At 52, i can still be thrown back into a time.. A time that seemed simpler, and yet wondrous. When the Slinky was cool, G.I.Joe was big and had a Kung-fu grip, and a Star Wars Jedi, was what I wanted to be.. 😂 Dear God..,what happened?..I know, but still.😢
All true, youngster. I have 10 years on you and it's all the same for me. I JUST learned who wrote this song I've been playing for all these years. Manfred Mann is still the king on this one regardless.
I'm leaving my comment here so when someone likes it, I can play this masterpiece again 😊
😊
Come back
72 and still rocking
And again and again
Play it again Joe!
When I was a kid, I watched The Midnight Special as often as I could. This is why.
Me too bro 😎 I would have to stay up late to see it, but it was always a joy to me..
1978,16 years old & smoking pot in my neighbours basement and this song is played and I hear it for the first time, the good old days !
,before cell phones and internet, the simpler times where people went out more and made friends through the art of conversation,
Now everyone's at home lying on date sites and wired on video games...LOL
Dear Brother! I like your attitude! We are both musical dinosaurs from the same period! Greetings from geir Røssaak, jessheim Norway!
The 80s.
Dear Don! I have tried to understand Springsteen s text! What is it about?
So züchtet der Staat Lemminge...
lol
I can’t believe how well they play this live, such an amazing performance
Yes they are do gifted it’s beyond imagining.
You are so right!
Absolutely. This live performance is amazing!
It's AI
@@ShredFlintsTone-lc9tn hahahahaha
I am a black 32 year old woman from Mississippi I was riding with my husband and a car passed by blasting this!!! We spents about the next 30 mins searching for the song! This is the best date night we have had LOL! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SONG EXSISTED IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT BROUGHT A TEAR TO OUR EYES! I can see why we protect our classics my mom is probably dancing her behind off in heaven I feel like she is proud I found this!!! I can't wait to play this for our 10 year old autistic son😍
God bless Diana. Hearing this will hopefully enhance his life 10 fold, through the incredible power of music and all of the emotions that it unlocks🙏👍
Glad you liked it, my uncle wrote some of the scores for Manfred
Bruce Springsteen
Awesome. Dian’s, this song resonates something beyond words.
U are AWESOME
I’m a 61 yr old Black women loved this song during the 70’s in high school. This song always gave me good feelings ❤️
Dear mrs Hudson! Greetings from geir Røssaak, jessheim Norway! I grew up with the fantastic american soulmusic, but I listen to all sorts of music. Merry Christmas!
Good music doesn’t care what color you are.
@@The.Original.Potatocakes you are so right!
Jacque🥰♥️57 and still celebrating this gem🎶🇨🇦
SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT
I was a 16 year old boy in 1978 and riding a yak running an errand for my parents in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. While passing my friend's yurt, I heard he fired up this song on his spanking new radio. I spent the next 30 years searching for this song, and, today, I finally found it on RUclips. This is the best day I have had. LORD! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS SONG EXISTED ON RUclips. IT IS SO DELICIOUS, IT WHETS MY APPETITE AND BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES every time I listen to. I can't wait to play this for all my village people.
He nailed the vocal live!!!! Great performance!!!!!
Yeah
YEAH 🎉🎉🎉🎉😤😤
Can someone tell me please what is this song talking about
@@bigchieftheman-fi1zf You'd have to ask "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen
As a teen in the 70s didn't realize at the time how awesome it was.miss those great days so much now!
Yes! Damn Right!!
Me too
Absolutely Agree
Bloody well right
Me too ! 😅
I'm 68 and still rollin and rockin to this stuff. Its in me blood🍺
I,m 72 & hear ya brother. One of the best bands I ever saw.
I'm a young guy here at 59 but I'll still be rockin' this one to my grave.
I'm 73 and still getting after it.
I am 57 and reading these posts inspire me. Rock on brothers, Keep the faith.
@@Playingwith3D me too and I'm 53 fond childhood memories. Keep the faith and keep.rockin
I was 15 in 1975 and this was always on the radio, it got more play than more famous bands, such a great song. Thank you for ride back in time.
I was 6 in 1975 and this song still caught the attention of a 6 year old...and my other 6 year old friends. After witnessing 5 decades of music, this song still has it.
Same here 15 in 1975, we had the best music in the 70's!
I was also 15 and the seventiess music was the best
I also was 15.
Sophomore year in HS.
I was also 15 and lived in Germany. Heard this on AFN..
Bruce wrote lyrics and music, and Manfred Mann turned it into a song. Brilliant!
Never thought growing up between the 70’s and the 90’s that I was experiencing the best musical generation that humanity produced
And don't forget the 60's.
Funny how time flies and we never know what we have until it’s gone
Lol
Totally
Yes!
The piano 🎹
The vocals 🎤
The guitar 🎸
The drums 🪘
Music like this is art. Timelessness 🤍
What about the bass?
No auto tune....just pure talent!
@@terry21651
Absolute talent!!
This is such a feel good tune! Have a great day from the U.K. 🇬🇧😁
Music is art!
@@Fretless99 It's all about that bass!
Saw them in a bar/nightclub in Atlanta in the summer of '73. I was into them before then but they blew the doors off my girlfriend of the time. One of the most under appreciated bands of all time.
Totally agree
Did they blow her back door out
I've been hearing the version of this with the epic guitar solo for well over 40 years on the radio and its still one of my top favorite songs ever. This is probably the best performance of this song I've ever heard! We took music like this for granted growing up. I always thought it would keep getting better but most of that stopped decades ago.
We all remember the Rock Drought of the 1990's and early 2000's. *Lights a candle* -.-
A.G.
Well stated. RIP rock.
Totally agree, but what is the song about?!
@@GeirRssaak I always wondered that too, but I guess someone else in the comments said it was about the possible end of life in a nuclear war. I guess 'blinded by the light' makes sense in that case. I still don't know what the hook is saying! lol
saw em at ebbits field the denver bar had Klipsch loud speakers hanging from the ceiling they were so fucking loud it was great that guitar player skinny fuck maybe the best i have ever seen blinded by the light still Remember godamn around this time godamn they did cook
I refused to believe this was live.
When I realized it was:
This is one of the best performances I have ever seen.
they nailed it for sure
You can tell it’s live for many reasons, not the least of which is the one and only bum note Mann plays at 5:07. But yeah- phenomenal performance
@@mattthrun-nowicki8641, it may have been a bum note, but I think that made the performance a little better. That's just me, though.
One of the greatest recording artists of all, underrated
Just one of the best live versions of a cut song.. True to the recording but also the live content just adds another "level" to the great artistship that the whole band command.. Just amazing and imo the best cover song that ever existed !!!. So much better and on another level than Springsteen's..
13 years old in 1975, this song epitomises that time in my life when the music was the best!
Ive got to agree with you, I was 21 back in 79, the 70's were the best years 😊
I was 15 , remember this masterpiece. Was in high school, and meet some nice girl, today my wife! 👍🏴
Can’t believe how good this sounds live. Amazing
Amazing sound!
They should have opened by saying “we’re gonna play BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S song from his debut album Greetings From Asbury Park”
Extraordinary!
I love this band. Completely ahead of its time. In my opinion, Manfred has been underrated. Yet the sound is so crispy and cristal clear. "Watch" is one of the best R&R albums of all times.
But this song is simply awesome!!
How many agree??? One of the GREATEST SONG EVER!!!!
very good but not great.but thats only my opinion,you are very welcome to yours.
It's not one of the best, it is the best. No discussion needed!!
I'll say 1 of my top shelf favs for sure 🏃🔊✴🏃🔊✴🏃🔊✴🏃✴💜🏃💚✴🏃🔊✴🏃🔊✴
@@freespirit21newyork Great song please check out Manfred Mann`s Earth Band Debut Album Review on my channel
@@nigelarbury1042 Great song please check out Manfred Mann`s Earth Band Debut Album Review on my channel
What a guitar solo that was. Brilliant.
Reminds me of Schenker ... both the Flying V and the style.
Solo is fucking awesome! so pleasant guitar tone also
Trying to find it
Extraordinary
My fave rock/pop solo of all time.
I'm 145 years old. I was 97 when this song came out nearly 50 years ago, and I'm still listening to it to this day.
looking good for 145 :-)
I like your sense of humor!
Bs
I didn't realise that bears lived that long.. Unless you are related to Paddington.. I just wish he would f##k off.. He doesn't share your sense of humour 😂😂😂😂
where ???
in hell with lucifer ?? 😅😅😅
I’m 73. I thank my lord for being born when I was. The new music can’t hold a candle. Thank u lord for the best music ever! Beatles , Stones, Led Z and on.
I'm 173 so exactly a century older than you. I agree, although I liked the music hall acts of the late Victorian period in the 1880's and 1890's. I guess it's the music of our youths we like. This reminds me of being in my early 100's when life was simpler and more fun.
I agree brother man. Between 50's and 90's...MUSIC WAS AWESOME
Thank you Bruce, for a Great Song. Thankyou Manfred Mann's Earth Band for doing it.
I'm glad to have been a teenager in the seventies.
Yep. Went to an Alice Cooper concert (mid 70s), little old lady and a 10 year old beside me. She came along because his parents wouldn't allow him to go on his own so his grandmother volunteered to take him. Talked to her near the end of the concert, she honestly loved it!
Luv it. The 70's were something else 🤯
And in 2020 you are even still going strong, right ? You go man.
The Music, Movies, TV, Sports and Food was awesome in the 70s.
Yes we are Mark. It’s great to be old now to have been young then
Incredible one of the greatest live performances ever.
One of the most unusual rock songs ever written in the history of mankind. And these guys nailed it note for note, word for word.
Agreed.
You do know they didn’t write it?
@@ernieels355 What difference does that make?
They also changed words/the arrangement from the original.
The Boss wrote the song
The 70s was hands down the greatest decade for music.
after the 60's ;)
after the 80s lol
@@belleooo Don't forget about Cardi B
@@belleooo 80s dont come close to 70s
The Seventies are a close second after the Ninetees.
So thankful I lived through the generations of the best musical poets of all time, that well never see again.
And here it is.. 2023, This song and that piano riff is riveting! such a timeless Classic, and NOW more than ever, a Great Time to be "Blinded by the Light".. as more of us are waking up and allowing the Inner Light of our own Divinity to BlaZe its Way into our Hearts, minds, and bodies. Thank you Manfred Mann!
Who's listening to this Gem in 2020👌👍.
Dave Saxon yeh brother
@@nikolauscascio269 😆👍
@@nikolauscascio269 😆👍
All day 👌🏾
Ohh yess
No autotune, no multiple takes, they all played their own instruments..it's no wonder music like this is timeless.
he has gorgeous pitch to his voice... edit: actually I meant tone, not pitch : P
@@blake121666 no it's not you fucking cretin
This is not lip synched! Practically none of the performances on the midnight special where lip synched!
@@blake121666 you my man are a tool.
The drummer's Style when plays introducing the "musical bridge" is very very marvelous, no words. Greetins from Mexico.
I hadn’t heard this song in a VERY long time but I woke up in the middle of the night last night and this tune was loud and clear in my head. How do these things happen? This tune, like all good music, has certainly passed the test of time.
One of the greatest songs ever......it's got everything......love it sooooo much
One of the greatest underestimated guitar solos of all time.
He owns it. Truth.
& that 70's Bowling Alley lighting is spot on
I don't see it...
yes one of the all time best, but he didn't do it all in this performance, disappointing.
Fuck yeah dude just blew me away!!!✌💛🤘
Nice guitar, but far away from what Prince was able to do with this instrument.
Written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, in 1972 for his 1973 album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.". The song came about on the insistence of Clive Davis, president of Columbia Records, who felt the album needed a single. Springsteen used a rhythmic dictionary, and that explains the somewhat cryptic meaning.
Three years later, Manfred Mann's Earth Band included it as a cover, and their main single on the titular album "Blinded by the light" in 1976, and it was released in 1977. The song went on to become a much bigger hit for MMEB, charting at #1 that year, making it bigger for them, then it ever was for Springsteen. The "Mad man drummer" in the lyrics is a reference to Vini Lopez (later Mad Dog), Bruce Springsteen and the East Streets band first drummer.
In a positive review for Rolling Stone, music critic Lester Bangs (played so beautifully by Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Almost Famous") hailed Springsteen as daring new artist who sets himself apart from his contemporaries with songwriting that either have a serious meaning or showcase his uninhibited gift for verbose, overloaded lyrics and rhyme schemes.
My Personal feelings about song: Great music in a song. Springsteen's song is much more raw and stripped, while Manfred Manns' version is musically extravagant. Chris Thompson was at the peak of his vocal capacity, and its heard in this song.
+Lars Grimstad Good stuff, you obviously like Bruce
+perrys passage I love it! Bruce is so underrated as a songwriter, everyone takes credit for his stuff
Nice copy and paste
+Lars Grimstad I found similar info!
History
The song came about when Columbia president Clive Davis, upon listening to an early version of Greetings from Asbury Park N.J., felt the album lacked a potential single. Springsteen wrote this and "Spirit in the Night" in response.
According to Springsteen, the song came about from going through a
rhyming dictionary and looking for rhymes. 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. 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".
"Blinded by the Light" was the first song on, and first single from Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. Springsteen's version was commercially unsuccessful and did not appear on the music charts.
Lyrics
Manfred Mann's Earth Band's
recording of the song features several changed lyrics. The most
prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a
deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce."[2][3][4] This is commonly misheard as "wrapped up like a douche (the V sound in "revved" is almost unpronounced, and the S sound in "deuce" comes across as "SH" due to a significant lisp)."[5][6]
Springsteen himself has joked about the controversy, claiming that it
was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.[7]
Cover versions and reissues
Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version of the song on their album The Roaring Silence. Their version includes the "Chopsticks" melody played on piano. The song reached #1 on both Billboard's Hot 100 and on the Canadian RPM
chart on 19 February 1977. The Manfred Mann's Earth Band recording of
"Blinded by the Light" is Springsteen's only Number 1 single as a
songwriter on the Hot 100. In 2002, Danish act Funkstar Deluxe released its disco version of this song. In 2012, the song was covered by Tim Armstrong within his "Tim Timebomb" project.
A "jazzified" version can be found on Springsteen's Live in Dublin album, recorded with the Sessions Band.
+Lars Grimstad Thanks for the knowledge, Lars. Ask me if I needed a ride
This song makes me cry.. It sums up my youth. Born in 63.
I am now 62,an Aussie, and this came out when I was about 14. I still remember all of the words and LOVE this song!! So many memories!!
Hi Karen💐💐
Te vez hermosa solo piensa que la vida es como esta canción
You look good for a 75 yr old
Hi from Moree NSW.
Every part of this song is KILLER!!!!!
These midnight special performances made musicians bring their A games to rock. It was like a battle of the bands every weekend they came on. It was live performances like it was done in the studio. Just raw talent and people who believed in themselves and their music how they played and sang from their hearts. The good ol days of music. It will never be duplicated.
How can a band be this good? Top 10 best live performances of all time. Seriously.
I'm 60 years old and when I heard this song for the first time I was still a child. But to this day, the song puts a smile on my face.
Fantastic song! Was it writtenby Dylan or Springsteen?
Me too ! 😊
me too i love this musik and i am 64 but still remember this times i cant forget
Yes, I absolutely loved the 60's and'70s. Much better times.
@@GeirRssaakWritten by Springsteen.1,000,000% better than his original version.
I can listen to the solo over and over . Pure ethereal epicness . Doesn't exist anymore.
Isn't that the truth! My son is 28 and what he listens to now embarrasses me, but once in a while I catch him listening to my shit. Pretends he isn't. 😂
Buckethead golden eyes...you'll thank me
You should check out jam bands like string cheese incident and moe.
This is a performance and a half. The voice, the keyboards, and THAT SOLO. Amazing.
Everything perfect. Great masterpiece! 🏴
Wow i am listening to this number after 1979 to June 2024. Thanks to youtube.
This still gives me goosebumps at 73!
This masterpiece is different then Mannfred Man opus from sixties. Great vocal Chris Thompson, great song...🏴
Brilliant song, brilliant band, brilliant singing and guitar work! And this is live. Wow.
I doubt any band nowadays could pull off a performance like this..and LIVE!!!!!
Absolutely insane performance!!!
NIGHTINGALE AND BOMBERS
SAW THEM DO THIS LIVE THEY ARE A TIGHT BAND
@@johneldridge8678 LOOK UP NIGHTINGALE AND BOMBERS
This is possibly the best live version of this ever.
Yes it is
I agree.even better than the studio version.
Blows studio version out the water by far i agree
Thr talent of this band is unprecedented.
I was just a kid when i first heard this great song in the 1970's. I have loved Manfred Mann ever since.then. They are an excellent rock band. An excellent rock band indeed.
Dave Fleck at 3:40. This has to be one of the greatest & under-rated guitar solos of all time! The tone, feel, emotion & expression are all there, subtle but devastating, he ripped the airwaves apart while keeping the mood & spirit of the song intact. Just saying 😉 xxx
Dave *Flett* tho...
Underated brilliant guitarist
Looks like Shona Laing playing that solo in this video
Dave Flett briefly played for Thin Lizzy after one of the times Brian Robertson got kicked out.
Great guitarist...
I've always loved this version of this song (and I'm old enough to remember when it came out).
Listen to his solos on road to Babylon absolutely brilliant
Dave Flett threw down a solo for the ages with this one. Very under appreciated
I would go as far as saying that it is overly under appreciated!
Remember "Quinn the Eskimo " released in 1968 by Manfred Man.
Love this song. A true classic. Mannfred Mann needs to be promoted more...
I was 11 years old in 1976 and wasn't allowed to listen to rock or country music. My grandmother gave me a set of headphones and I discovered a whole new world.
I was 15 and remember going camping at lake Tawakoni and hearing it in my tent listening to a radio outside!
Takes me back to 1978 in my local , a quiet summer evening 18yrs old sitting on my own when this came on . I was mesmerised with it and I put it on every chance I got......great days.
Unbelievable skill, power,completely giving their all, they should've got a lot more attention
Yup lets go back to the 20th century
Bring back the Midnight Special and Rock Concert!
YES, a show devoted to just live music. Bring it back.
And Wolfman Jack!! RIP.
They'll unfortunately never do so. Everything is terrible pop and hip hop that use auto tune and backing tracks now. All sounds exactly the same too. Just be fortunate we lived in better era's with real music and talent.
Still gives me goosebumps after 50 years.
(ME, TOO!)....
Gives me freaking chills... makes me think of the summer of 1975 I was going BUck wild that year haha
F**k yes 👍🏻👍🏻
This is a Bruce Springsteen song isn't it
I know ✌️
2024 and I still listen to the best music!!!
32 years old, nice I’m 55 and grew up with these classics. Many more on RUclips. Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, the sound of silence! Good luck in your search,don’t quit looking. I was amazed when my daughter, your age was into the music I grew up with
Opps Im back, one more suggestion, Sam the sham and the pharaohs, Wolly Bully. ❤
This was played to an audience that hadn’t heard it….I love that. This is a …….no words…..song of an era.
I'd give up an organ for Bruce but I prefer MM's version of this song more than the original.
Doubtful since it’s a Springsteen cover.
We use to drive down Woodward Ave in Detroit blasting this song on the radio. Weeeeeeeeee
+Ms K. Johnson and a U turn at Big Boys on 16 mile down to 8 mile road (if memory serves)
+MrUtubePete 16 mile is Quarton on the West and Big Beaver on the East but I don't remember anything at that intersection in the 70s. I do remember Ted's at Square Lake rd when I rode around sometimes with my brother in the late 60s.
+Ms K. Johnson Drove the back roads of Oakwood, Il doing the same.
+James Dinnan Big Boys must have been at 15 Mile Road, upon further review
+Ms K. Johnson We were on Gratiot Ave. Miller High Life ,Jensen Co-Axials and a power booster. It was in the good old days before mothers were mad.
An awesome live version , shows their talent.
Thanks for posting.
What a treat to see these guys play live! We used to cruise up and down the main street listening to the radio. And when this song came on we would all sing it to the top of our lungs;
I still sing it loud whe I hear it!
Great voice, no correction, nothing, just live! Totally brilliant.
I'm a hip hop junkie but I swear I was singing this at work and my supervisor was like wtf...I love all music especially music from the 70s and 80s...
i think we could be friends
I remember listening to this song on the radio late at night courtesy of WLS Chicago. One of the things that gave me joy during an unhappy time in my life.
How about 2022 !!!
I wish we still had The
Midnight Special Today!!!
In the age of covid 19, thank the lord for gems like this.
Man! When real musicians play real music, it is bliss, magic and heaven all mixed together...
Absofuckinlutely great.
Man I didn't know if I'd like the live version but they just killed it.
Genius song. My late Mum loved this song. Brilliant 1970s. Uk 🏴
One of the greatest songs of all times period. The guitar solo is just out of the world so emotional!. When I knew this was a cover from B Springsteen with all my respects Mr S this is THE version.
Any of us that grew up on the Midnight Special are better for it ...we were truly
blessed .........
I'm sixty two,and sitting in the dark blasting this old face along with a ton more there isn't enough time to ever hear enough of real old goodies!But I'm sure trying!
I'm 71 and am there with you. enjoy
I’m 35 and I’m right there with y’all.
Keep on truckin
I was 16 when they appeared and sang this! It, like soooooo many from back in the day will always hold a special place that will never be forgotten!
Thank you Bruce for writing the song, but thanks Manfred Mann for the BEST version .
@jameshisself no
@jameshisself ,
Yes- not better, just different. Both great!
@@Wolfwolveswolf It is better for him
I agree. This is the better version. What do you think BRUCE ?
TRIGGERED
The singer is great but that guitarist is underrated....loved his solo
SabuPtolemy Wow, I didn’t know he was a therapist.
the drummer, too
Undrrated by... who? You? Until now?
Why is there always someone with the obligatory `underrated ‘ comment on RUclips threads?! 🙄
Who’s the singer, I’m lovin him!
So brilliant, so thankful that I lived to see this.
Midnight Special. We couldn't wait for Friday night to party watching Midnight Special. Rock and Roll.
is it even possible to describe the feeling hearing these old 70s classics evokes??
I agree, VERY few songs do. this song is my all time favorite!
Holy cow. Done live, a song of such technical difficulty sounding just like the studio edit. Awe inspiring. Musicians of this caliber are a dying breed unfortunately.
James Hamilton 2019 “Respect and dignity.” Furthermore: (“Respect and dignity!”)
@@themanwnoname3454 Great song please check out Manfred Mann`s Earth Band Debut Album Review on my channel
Right!?! Great voice with soul too!
Prog mixed with hard rock. A great formula
many metal bands pull it off every week
Now THIS WAS A PERFORMANCE JACK,I remember seeing this when I was a kid,MIDNIGHT SPECIAL was my show!
This is the band with their best singer 🐒
No artist today captures the spirit and unbelievable talent back then. The 70s rocked. This live performance is eerily similar to the studio recording....no artist today can touch that!
Jeff Lynnes ELO makes the music sound every bit as good as it was intended to sound.
@@DerbyVillan One word...Eagles...Joe, Glenn, Don...
I like it even better than the studio version
Naw man
This was definitely when music was real and pure talent
No damn computer srap that changes voices
This era was the best music hands down
Motown was good
@v mah 77 100 percent!!
im 88yrs old and i love it, only thing i can remember is this kind of music/stories!
Easily one of the best songs ever made if you really listen to it. Music like this from the 70s is rarely beaten today. Idc what you say older artists had so much more talent than most of today’s artists.
When I was In the Navy, My first Westpac, We wore this cassette OUTTT!!! It still rocks Thank You MM!!!!! jeff F. ;-)))))))
Great childhood memories being a kid in the 70's ! Still to this day, THIS SONG warms my heart .
Fantastic song!
Will never get tired of playing this record!
A real classic!!!
YUP
It's 2023 and I still remember the lyrics this song word for word.......also one of the best guitar solo's of all time.
Isn’t that crazy? I can remember so many of these old song’s lyrics but I can’t remember where I put my glasses. Lol
Indeed
Brooohhhh...3rd of June '23' just me drinking with budweiser and southern comfort. This is outstanding. Reminds me of better times, friends and family both alive. Bless from Aotearoa/New Zealand brother ❤❤🙏🏽🙏🏽
Apparently Slash from GnR agrees with you. Its one of his top 3 most influencial guitar solos.
Yes!!! What is the song about?!
Dave Flett is one of the most underrated rock guitarists of all time - his solo on this song is an absolute masterpiece that rips your heart out.
No doubt! the entire arrangement, the layering of music, vocals, tempo change, etc... masterful . I wore out the 45 of this in the mid '70s, and then wore out the album
This would be one of my "Desert island disc" choices
Amen!!! 🎸
Do you know what he’s using on the solo the bit where it goes irattic like loads of high pitched destortion it’s just an incredible peace of music .
@@benharber8139 erratic piece of music.
This is just one of the most badass songs made with a killer riff love it
one of the few instances where a cover is 100x's better than the original
You damn right and I'm going to cover this hit.
Sooooo much better than original
@@christopherwood9225 Massive Springsteen fan, but yep. This is in my top 3 favourite songs of all time,
Agreed 100%!!
This group is a little underrated. When you listen to their deep tracks you realize how incredible they are.
They actually paved the way for Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band. Bruce Springsteen helped them in the studio as a back up musician.They were excellent friends with Clarence Clemens and Max Weinberg.
They had 3 Bruce Springsteen's covers on this album
Underrated. DJs hate them and they had to sell records door-to-door. So sad.
Overly underrated!
This song still rocks. You can’t go wrong with this song
Bruce Springsteen wrote this song in case anyone wants to know 👍
@@Imnotsure465 true!
Awesome still. Stood the test of time. 500 years from now people will be listening to this in other galaxies the way we listen to Mozart outside of Central Europe!
The good old days.. when musicians sounded as good as their records, live on stage. :)
Hopefully better days will come good music and more guitar
Olekzbc you are so right
Nothing better than a band that can pull off their songs live. Awesome!
I love his mini moog. Manfred Mann is from South Africa and he developed the first rock band there.
It would help if it was actually their song
Bruce !
Bruce the boss must have been high as kite when he wrote this man Fred Mann good Bruce awesome
Manfred Mann & the Earth Band! Ahhh memories of my childhood.
Probably the one song that has woven itself into my DNA.. the 70’s, with all the coolnes, weirdness, joy, bad color palette, social evolution and decay..
a young 5 yr old, at my dad’s for the weekend and going to sleep in my older big brother’s bed.
..all the “now” classics playing quietly on the clock radio on the shelf, near my head.
Then this song!..
The Electric piano driving that percolating chord progression that keeps you hanging on, and never wanting to let it go.. transitioning to the organ pad, making sure you don’t.
Those perfectly woven guitar solos, dancing around and in the groove of the drums.
And oh, that otherworldly synthesizer.. how cool was that?.. So fitting.
Manfred’s great voice, belting out a fantastic tale over a musical voyage, for a sleepy young boy.
..the memorable guitar solos, so perfect..
Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics were a beautiful mystery that painted dreamscapes, while I drifted into slumber.., it would be another 25 years before I learned who actually wrote and recorded it originally.. didn’t matter though, Manfed Mann and his Earth band made it there’s, with no apologies needed!
At 52, i can still be thrown back into a time.. A time that seemed simpler, and yet wondrous. When the Slinky was cool, G.I.Joe was big and had a Kung-fu grip, and a Star Wars Jedi, was what I wanted to be.. 😂 Dear God..,what happened?..I know, but still.😢
All true, youngster. I have 10 years on you and it's all the same for me. I JUST learned who wrote this song I've been playing for all these years. Manfred Mann is still the king on this one regardless.
And I want to know about all of the conspiracies in your box
@@ediewall6360 I could tell you, but then…well, you know. 😂