Posted on 02/24/2021 1:02:56 PM PST by nickcarraway
The elliptical lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light" have confused many, but according to its creator, the song was a depiction of his coming of age.
"I was 23 years old, I wanted to create my own ridiculous language," he said on a 2005 episode of VH1's Storytellers. "So it was really a young musician's tale, a litany of adventures and rather on the autobiographical side."
Springsteen then broke down the track, the opener and first single from his 1973 debut Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. The "madman drummer" mentioned in the opening line was drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez; the Indians were Springsteen's Little League team. He set the song on the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore by referencing a merry-go-round and calliope.
The second and third verses were about sexual frustration, not being liked by girlfriends' fathers and dances at the YMCA where the chaperone would make sure nothing remotely sexual happened. Hope arrived in the bridge, where playing music in bars put him in contact with a "silicone sister" - which Springsteen believed could be the first reference to breast implants in pop music history - and then "little Early-Pearly came by in her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride." "That's self-explanatory," Springsteen deadpanned.
His scope is expanded in the next verse, where he described how New Jersey was still stuck in the late '60s, with a cat-and mouse game played between campus radicals ("Some hazard from Harvard") and FBI agents ("Scotland Yard was trying hard"). As for the rest, "Don't overthink the whole thing."
The chorus, Springsteen added, presaged the escapist themes that would launch him to stardom a few years later on Born to Run. "I wanted to get blinded by the light," he said. "I wanted to do things I hadn't done and see things i hadn't seen."
In his autobiography Born to Run, Springsteen wrote that he composed "Blinded by the Light" late in the process, after Columbia Records head Clive Davis heard nothing on Greetings that would work on the radio ("Spirit in the Night" was also penned at this time). Even though it was deemed commercial enough to be released as a single on Feb. 23, 1973, more than a month after the album came out, "Blinded by the Light" failed to chart.
Still, the verbosity of "Blinded by the Light" and much of Greetings drew comparisons to Bob Dylan at a time when every talented wordsmith with an acoustic guitar, including such luminaries as John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III, was hailed as a "New Dylan." While that tag was an albatross around the neck for many up-and-coming singer-songwriters, including Springsteen, it also proved somewhat fortuitous in the form of Manfred Mann, who had a few big hits in the U.K. with Dylan songs.
In 2018, Mann told Louder Sound that a DJ in Philadelphia recommended Greetings, which led to him and his Earth Band to record "Spirit in the Night" on 1975's Nightingales & Bombers. It, too, flopped, as a single, but Mann tried again with "Blinded by the Light" a year later for The Roaring Silence. This time he took a Springsteen song all the way to No. 1. By then, Springsteen had his breakthrough with Born to Run, and the connection probably helped its commercial prospects. But it's also possible the perception of a lyric deemed too risque for radio did the trick.
The chorus of Springsteen's original refers to him being "cut loose like a deuce," as in a type of hot rod (think the Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe"). But between Mann's diction and what he claimed to Louder Sound was an issue with the tape head on the machine, it sounded like Mann sang "douche" instead of "deuce."
"I have a feeling that's why the song skyrocketed to No. 1," Springsteen joked on Storytellers. "The public spoke, and they were right."
Naw, man, it’s “dressed up like a dude”.
Perhaps a mind douche is in order.
Try humming the oscar meyer song....
I basically agree. Not a popular opinion around here. I think his first 4 albums are a remarkabe story arc.
Asbury Park: Young kid in the city, getting in trouble but just having a good time.
E Street Shuffle: Young man trying to grow up in the city
Born to Run: Young man scared that he’s down to his last chance and the city just might swallow him.
Darkness on the Edge of Town: Man who blew it and lost any chance he ever had.
To me, with The River, Springsteen segued into a rather ugly, “Wheeeeeeeeeee! I’m a superbig rockstar!” vibe and I stopped paying any attention to him.
Not the boss of me.
“57 channels and there’s nothing on”
Yes, very deep Springstine. Genius.
Leftist pr**k
“He’s fake Americana for fake Americans.”
Excellent description.
I have watched a number of those on Amazon Prime. Most are very good. The last one I watched was Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
I’ve heard his version exactly once. I can’t believe anyone thought that screeching pile of dung was good enough to rewrite and re-record. The Manfred Mann version is far far better.
Can you guess I can’t stand Springsteen. He’s a lousy human and a worse entertainer.
So true.
Blinded by Bud Light
Bruce Who????????
Bruce way good until’79. The River was the last thing worth listening to. Yeah, I know...but I thought Born in the USA was the beginning of Bruce being unlistenable. He became full of himself and tried to put out messages. He never go his Ashbury Park roots back.
Which is exactly what he did to his first wife. What he saw in that butt-ugly backup singer is beyond me but it showed just what sort of “man” he truly is...
At one time I would have read this story. Even after knowing what a democrap douche bag Bruce was I gave him a pass, one of very few artists I still enjoyed.
However .. .. ..... Events of the last few months involving Douche Springsteen have permanently put him in the circular file no matter what the topic.
He’s a rich elitist punk who can’t sing.
Dark Side of the Moon is a great one as well as Nevermind the Bullocks was great as well.
Whatever happened to Julianne Phillips?
“Stolen Car” from The River album is one of his five best songs, in my humble opinion. It probably belongs on another album.
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