It was written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, and was his first single. He released it in 1973 and appeared on his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. He wrote the song by going through a rhyming dictionary in search of appropriate words. The first line of the song, "Madman drummers, bummers, and Indians in the summers with a teenage diplomat" is autobiographical—"Madman drummers" is a reference to drummer Vini Lopez, known as "Mad Man" (later changed to "Mad Dog"); "Indians in the summer" refers to the name of Springsteen's old Little League team; "teenage diplomat" refers to himself. The remainder of the song tells of many unrelated events, with the refrain of "Blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". Misinterpreted by many, the reference to "a duece" is the Ford Model 18; the 1932 coupe model was referred to as a "deuce coupe". The deuce coup was a favorite car to heavily modify into a "hot-rod". Mann made a fateful lyrical error, singing about being “revved up like a deuce” instead of “cut loose like a deuce.” The lyric was supposed to be allude to a two-seater hot rod, but everyone heard it as “wrapped up like a douche.” Springsteen has even joked that his song did not 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 was probably an unlikely candidate to take Springsteen’s music to the American masses, even if he had a history of hitting #1 with covers of unappreciated American gems. Mann, a South African-born keyboardist, had moved to London in 1961, at the age of 21, to work as a jazz critic. He’d formed a blues band, and his band, also called Manfred Mann, became a part of the art-school scene that also produced the Animals and the Rolling Stones. By the time they recorded their “Blinded By The Light” cover, the Earth Band had already cranked out six albums in quick succession. They were not exactly an instant sensation; before “Blinded By The Light,” none of their singles had charted higher than #69 in the US. @Weinerowner