On this date, September 10, 1976, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band released the single “ Blinded by the Light”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcWVL4B-4pI&pp=ygUhbWFuZnJlZCBtYW5uIGJsaW5kZWQgYnkgdGhlIGxpZ2h0 The lead guitar on this,,,,,,,,,,,,frickin' epic!!!!
Chart (1976-1977) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13][14] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] 44
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[21] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[22] 42
Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version of the song on their 1976 album The Roaring Silence. Their version includes the "Chopsticks" melody played on piano near the end of the bridge of the song. The track reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian RPM charts. Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of "Blinded by the Light" is Springsteen's only No. 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100.
Record World said that "After a synthesized intro reminiscent of 'Won't Get Fooled Again', the group is in full throttle."[7]
The interesting story regarding the change of lyrics from Bruce Springsteen’s version:
Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song changes the lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with either "revved up like a deuce"[8] or "wrapped up like a deuce".[9][10] The lyric is a reference to the 1932 V8-powered Ford automobile, which enthusiasts dubbed the "deuce coupe" (the "deuce" coming from the 2 in 1932, the first year the V8 was available). Springsteen was fond of classic hot rods in his youth, hence the line "cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". As the line is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche", Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.[3]
According to Manfred Mann, it was the idea of drummer Chris Slade to use the chords of "Chopsticks" (the tune had at that point already been integrated into the arrangement) as a transition between song parts. The "deuce"/"douche" confusion stems from technical problems[11] (which can be confirmed by comparing to live recordings).
I don't think Springsteen liked our Blinded by the Light, 'cos we sang 'wrapped up like a douche', and it wasn't written like that and I screwed it up completely. It sounded like 'douche' instead of 'deuce', 'cos of the technical process – a faulty azimuth due to tape-head angles, and it meant we couldn't remix it.
Warners in America said, 'You've got to change 'douche', 'cos the Southern Bible belt radio stations think it's about a vaginal douche, and they have problems with body parts down there.' We tried to change it to 'deuce' but then the rest of the track sounded horrible, so we had to leave it. We just said, 'If it's not a hit, it's not.'
But in the end, it was No.1 in America, and so many people came up to us after and said, 'You know why it made No. 1?... Everyone was talking about whether it was deuce or douche.' Apparently Springsteen thought we'd done it deliberately, which we hadn't, so if I ever saw him I'd avoid him and cringe away like a frightened little boy.
— Manfred Mann, Record Collector interview (August 2006), [12]
Manfred was given the album by a deejay in Philadelphia called Ed Sciaky [...] he knew Manfred and loved Manfred’s Earth Band and he just brought the record and gave it to him and said listen to this, I think you could do something with a couple of these tracks. When I joined the band, Manfred was fiddling around with “Blinded by the Light” and I never had heard Springsteen’s version until I went and saw him live in 1977 in Montreal. So Manfred just sang me the song and said this is how it goes. I didn’t want to listen to the original and be swayed by it in any way. So I never heard it at all, we just sat around a piano and Manfred said this is the way it goes. Then we worked it out with the band and the rest is history.
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