Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 79^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Blinded By The Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 79^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Blinded By The Light”, performed by 🎙 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. 

Theme & Lyrics ✍ 

“Blinded by the light / Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.” Classic English rock band 🎙 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band is renowned for one particular record: 🎵 “Blinded By The Light”. Something that should be noted about “Blinded By The Light” is it’s a Bruce Springsteen cover. That said, 🎙 Manfred Mann and company hold the rare distinction of transforming and usurping the original! “Blinded By The Light,” which appears on their 1976 album, 💿 The Roaring Silence, spent one week at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Interestingly, Mann had a solo no. 1 hit 12 years earlier with 🎵 “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”.

“And go-kart 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!”

Okay! On The Roaring Silence, there are two versions of “Blinded By The Light.” The LP commences with the seven-minute-plus version. It concludes with a more accessible, sub-four-minute single edit.  Besides the elite songwriting of Mr. Springsteen (“Some brimstone, baritone, anticyclone, rolling stone preacher from the east…”), what else makes “Blinded By The Light” a surefire vibe? How about colorful production and a palette of sounds including backing vocals, guitars, keys, fat bass line, etc.? Throughout the course of the epic seven-minute original, the listener is blessed by superb lead vocals, an epic groove, which arrives at the beginning, and fantastic guitar riffs and soloing.

Final Thoughts 💭

If, by chance, 🎵 “Blinded By The Light” blinds you, the listener, it blinds you with its greatness! Amazingly, Springsteen, who wrote this gem, doesn’t have a no. 1 hit to his name.  Manfred Mann’s Earth Band took his song to the penthouse on the charts.  It’s crazy how that works, sometimes. “Blinded By The Light” is an incredibly memorable, surefire rock classic.

🎙 Manfred Mann’s Earth Band • 💿 The Roaring Silence • 🏷 East Central One Limited • 📅 1976

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Blinded By The Light”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 79 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Gerhard G., JL G via Pixabay,  Karl Hörnfeldt via Unsplash,  The Musical Hype]