Manfred Mann
Anyone cognizant during the 1970’s surely remembers the perplexing hit “Blinded by the Light”. It was an infectious little ditty that lodged itself in your brain like a hungry parasite. Indeed by the Spring of 1977 every kid with a radio was running around singing “wrapped up like a douche!”, usually incessantly, especially during long car rides to Disney World or while rollerskating backwards.
Now as you probably suspected, those aren’t the actual lyrics. Correct answer: “revved up a like a deuce” (we have mumbly singer Chris Thompson to thank for this misperception). Here’s the real stinger though. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band neither wrote this memorable tune nor followed its original lyrics. The composer? If you don’t know, you’ll never guess because it’s Bruce Springsteen. And the correct line? “cut loose like a deuce”. Still not sure what it is to cut loose or rev a deuce. Perhaps that’s a car thing?
But all criticisms of accuracy and annoyance withstanding, whenever this song came on the radio I turned it up. But it wasn’t to revel in lyricus absurdum. I was struck dreamy-eared over those glorious synthesizer sounds.
The Earth Band had a jazz pianist, a fellow from South Africa named Manfred Lubowitz, at its helm. He fashioned the moniker Manfred Mann(e) in honor of drummer Shelly Manne. He opposed Apartheid and later moved to London to get away from it. He became a busy player on the scene up there. When the Earth Band finally got rolling, he opted not to sing in his band. He just took long prog rock synth solos and made groovy sound effects with his MiniMoog. MMEB is still around, confusing a whole new generation of listeners with those confounded lyrics.
Manfred Mann, winner of my cool-dude-of-the-day award. I leave you with more poetry from this bizarre tune:
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone
rolling stone preacher from the east
Says, “Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in it’s funny bone,
that’s where they expect it least”
And some new-mown chaperone was standin’ in the corner,
watching the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin’ with his frozen zone,
reminding him of romance
