WCSX Classic Cuts
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band: “Blinded by the Light”
The Hook: A nightmare to record, they got the words wrong and Bruce probably didn’t like it. The consolation? It went to number-one.
Album: The Roaring Silence
Year: 1976
Writer: Bruce Springsteen
Stats: Topped the Billboard Hot 100 and went to number one in Canada, as well.
Background: Former Manfred Mann’s Earth Band singer-guitarist Chris Thompson says recording their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light” was a long and difficult process. He tells us that even after it was released and on its way to number-one, not everything about the experience was positive.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band singer-guitarist Chris Thompson on their hit cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light” being difficult to record. OC:…meant no. :24\
“It was a nightmare that song, really. I mean, it was an absolute nightmare. And then, finally, when it was out and I listened to Springsteen’s — I think I might have heard it on the radio — we’d got the words wrong. And I said to Manfred, ‘How come you didn’t get the words right?’ He said, ‘Ah, gee, I thought I got them right.’ So Bruce Springsteen fans have hated me forever for getting the words wrong on that thing, but what can I say? ‘I’m sorry, Bruce.’ I asked him if he liked the version and he never answered me, so I guess that meant no.”