Manfred Mann – Blinded by the Light

“Blinded by the Light” – Single by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band from the album The Roaring Silence
B-side “Starbird No. 2”
Released August 6, 1976
Warner Bros. (USA)
Songwriter Bruce Springsteen
Producer Manfred Mann and Earth Band
Charted No.1 in US, No.1 in Canada

This is Manfred Mann’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded By The Light,” though you’d hardly recognize Springsteen’s version after being familiar with this one. And familiar you must be – it has gotten monster airplay on radio stations throughout the English-speaking world, and continues to be played daily. It is one of the most triumphant covers ever recorded.

Manfred Mann altered some of the lyrics, changing “cut loose like a deuce” to “revved up like a deuce,” which results in one of the most notorious mondegreens in rock history as generations of fans misheard it as “wrapped up like a douche.” Springsteen has even joked that his song didn’t become popular until it was re-written to be about feminine hygiene products. Said Springsteen: “Deuce was like a Little Deuce Coupe, as in a 2-seater Hot Rod. Douche is a feminine hygienic procedure. But what can I say, the public spoke.”

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s version of “Blinded by the Light” became a big hit in the UK, then across Europe, and then it started to do well in the US. “One day Warner Brothers told us that they had a problem,” Mann recalled to Mojo. “The radio stations in the Southern Bible belt were very reluctant to play the record because the chorus line sounded like ‘douche’ not ‘deuce. They were hearing the phrase ‘wrapped up like a douche.’ This was a problem because it seemed to be possibly referring to a well-known sanitary product. After several more weeks the record climbed to #1. Many months later we toured the States, and on many occasions, people said to me, the reason that the record made it all the way to the top was because everyone is discussing whether it is ‘douche’ or ‘deuce.’ It seems ridiculous, but it may be true.”