Blinded By The LIght
This is actually a post about weather and not a popular beat combo. But before I regale you with tales of my near electrocution yesterday does anyone know:
(a) what or who Manfred Mann actually is ie: why a band decided to name themselves after someone that sounds like they are a German taxidermist?
(b) what on earth 'Blinded By the Light' is actually about? Ie: 'revved up like a deuce in the owner of the night'. God? Drugs? Motorbikes? All three? Answers on a grain of rice please.
So I am very pleased to announce that I am alive and well despite having started the school holidays as a single parent as of Tuesday last week. I don't want to go into it too much here as this is not going to suddenly turn into a 'my terrible broken life' blog. All I will say is that it is for the best albeit terrifying and extremely focussing. Almost as terrifying as being on the phone during a flash storm yesterday to a friend. Whilst 'telling her all about it'and as I was talking and just as I mentioned 'him who snores/d like a bison's' name there was a big white streak or ball of something so electrically fast culminating in a huge bang outside, around my head and in the other room. I felt a judder underneath my feet - luckily covered in life-saving Converse. Of course, all my friend heard was a quick shrill shriek from me, a bang and then the line went dead. It was all a bit surreal. The phone kind of popped bang while I was talking and on examination seems to have exploded the answermachine. The outside of the house is ok. There was also some sort of a flashflood at the front of the house which means my car is now sporting a nice scratchy tide mark around it. No doubt more rain and flash floods will wash it off over the next few days. The squidget and I are off to a swimming pool party at a posh friends house today. Nothing like swimming in the rain - as long as there is no lightning then all will be fine. I guess I could always swim in my Converse?
PS: Happy Birthday Annie.
posted by rockmother at 7:56 am
28 Comments:
"Blinded by the Light"?
Don't know what it's about (cocaine perhaps, as in "White lightening"?).
I never knew this was a Manfredd's song, I thought it was more Supertramp in style.
Glad to hear you survived the electrocution. Did you get a buzz out of it? How horrible it could've been re Local paper headline; "Zapped by telephone".
Hope you're well x
Manfred Man was the founder member, South African born keyboard player (not his real name though) as for the lyrics...drug induced I would say.
'kin hell! It's all go in the life of RoMo! So glad you were not struck by lightning - or were you? Maybe you now have superpowers.
Looking forward to seeing you when we get back to catch up - enjoy the swimming xxx
thanks for birthday wishes x
It's a Springsteen song from when the Boss got 100,000 words in each of his songs. I think the Manfreds just picked out the words they heard properly and had wild guesses at the rest. But theirs is the definitive version.
Glad the lightning missed you and you didn't get a free perm.
Bloody hell woman. Never a dull moment chez Rockmother.
Apparently rubber souled shoes (or wellies!) don't actually save you from being struck by lightening. So it may not have been the Converse after all - maybe you've got nine lives like a cat.
There is a running joke in our house about how those lyrics are really "blinded by the light/revved up like a dooshun of a Rhoda in the night". Not very funny but it's one of those in jokes ... ahem. Bloody Bruce Springsteen.
Electrocution! Glad to hear you escaped safe and sound. Hope all's well re: everything else.
I've been ignoring my blog but i put it down to being too bloody knackered with school. Still - six weeks off now. Wonder what i should do...
ps - happy birthday, Annie!
bloody hell! on so many levels!
first off, i thought it was 'loved up like a duke, savonarola in the night' though what it has to do with a 15th century florentine reformist dominican is anyone's guess.
second - oh blimey. is this for good (or bad)? has it been coming for a long time and are you ok?
third - ouch. and are you ok?
'revved up like a deuce' actually refers to an American car (stock car racing or some other motoring event) maybe that helps with the lyric clarification?
Ister - Thinking about White Lightening - isn't it that really disgusting gutrot that wino's drink on park benches? Or is that Diamond White. Ughhhh.
Jif - yes - I suppose 'revved up like a duece' could be a metaphor for speeding off one's tits in the middle of the night?
Annie Slammers - I hope I do have superpowers. I've just realised it has blown all the garden lights! Most inconvenient. I'll have to employ my She-Ra superpowers to make it all better. See you soon. x
Geoff - I've had one free perm thanks to the Alan School of Hairdressing on Hammersmith Broadway in 1985 - I never want one again.
Bettster - I know - it's been a bit of a week all in all. Bloody Loose Windscreen - he's got a lot to answer for.
The Whales - look forward to some more whalesian posts before long. Enjoy the hols!
Rivergirlie - bloody hell indeed.
First - it's one of those songs that you could really utter random gibberish across the melody and no one would really notice I'm sure...as long as you added in a few 'revved up like a deuce's it would be fine.
Second - well it's pretty bad but probably for the good in the long run. Been troublesome on and off for a few years but that still doesn't make it any easier. I'm sort of ok - ish - but there is a lot to look after and protect (my son) and a lot to worry about (financially). It's difficult. But somehow it will be ok because it has to be.
Thirdly - lightning didn't hurt - just a big white flash like in science experiments with magnesium at school!
Blimey, an awful 'pointy finger from the sky' moment. Glad you weren't sauteed.
Thinking of you and #1 son.
Manfred Lubowitz, born in South Africa 21 Nov 1940, moved to London and started as a writer in music magazines under the name of Manfred Manne, surname taken from a famous jazz pianist with same surname. He then took the name Manfred Mann as an artist and formed Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers that envolved into the band Manfred Mann with 16 Top 10 hits during the 1964 to 1969.
Later formed Manfred Manns Earth Band which gave Bruce Springsteen his first No.1 US and UK hit with Blinded By The Light.
There is a fun story to it as Manfed once explained that during the recording the the angle of the tape head on the recording equipment was out of some degrees and the word duce sound like douce.
He never thought it would be accepted in the mid western bible belt with references to vaginal cleaning equipment. Later he was told the record went to number one because everyone bought it to hear if it was duce or deuce.
How would you rev up a douce bag?
I'm sorry, I should have read this post more carefully I guess but did you just survive electrocution while getting a douche and using the telephone while wearing Converse?? My word, what a versatile young girl you are RoMo, we in The Dave Howes Band take our collective hats off to you!
Seriously, we also would like to wish you well for the holidays. When's the next gig/toilet duck convention?
Arabella - yes it was a bit like that. Thank you for thinking of - it means a lot.x
Anonymous - thank you - that clears quite a lot of questions up
Ister - electrocute it with lightning probably
Howeser - thank you - as for going out ever again - given my current situation I will probably never get to go out again as I am no doubt doomed to living in a council flat whilst maintaining a heavy toilet duck sniffing habit
Howeser -(seriously this time in case anyone was worried..) I don't know - I will have to consult the troops once I have done incredibly grown up things like seen a solicitor, sorted my immediate situation out, deflected the bailiffs etc..
By the moons and stars of my early 70's catsuit, RM. You have had an eventful time of it, haven't you?
I'm apparently the last to know as I've been busy sitting for the last couple of days and haven't been online. I will therefore echo the sentiments of those above and wish you all the best for your electrocution and other tribulations. I'll spare you a thought in my busy, sofa-full days.
I always thought it was 'another roller in the night'. Makes as much sense as the others.
Line dead by the light
Wrapped up like a douche,
you know, the runner in the night!
...is how it REALLY goes.
i think.
sweetiepie, i am thinking of you. dont' forget to take time out to be good and righteously pissed off about things once a day...including Thor, for the insult-to-injury telephone attack. stupid norse gods.
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a Deuce
Another runner in the night
[repeat to fade]
Madman drummers bummers Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way in to his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feeling kinda' older I tripped the merry go round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
The calliope crashed to the ground and she was blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a Deuce
Another runner in the night
[repeat to fade]
Some silicone sister with her manager mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny to something strong play the song with the funky break
And go kart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart see if it was safe outside
And little Early Pearly came by in his curly wurly and asked me if I needed a ride
Asked me if I needed a ride
And she was blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight
She's gonna make it through the night
She's gonna make it through the night
Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun, but mama
That's where the fun is
Some brimstone baritone anti cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Says Dethrone the Dictaphone hit it in his funny bone and that's where they expect it least
And some new mown chaperone was standing in
The corner watching the young girls dance
And some fresh sewn moonstone was messing with his frozen zone reminding him of romance
The calliope crashed to the ground
And she was blinded by the light
revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a Deuce
Another runner in the night
[repeat to fade]
Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
and some bloodshot forget me not his daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band.
She got down but she never got tight she's gonna' make it through the night.
Jif - Yep. I knew it was about motorbikes!
Jimmy Pages Troosers - yes - it's a right high old time I can tell you. I am currently very angry about something but will spare it to agree with.....
Firstyness - thank you oh thank you for reminding me I can be angry - I woke up yesterday feeling like a terrible motherly failure. Today I am angry! And not electrocuted! Hurray! Oh I wish I could write about it all here but common sense prevails. Once it is all over I will do the one-off 'that was what that was all about' post. xx
Thank goodness you survived the lecky-cution and are surviving the other situation.
A colleague almost did himself in while trying to mend his fishpond pump ... while standing in the fishpond and with the lecky still live.
yikes, yikes, yikes! glad you're ok re the lightening, sugar...we take that stuff very seriously here...no, phones, no standing by the windows...sounds crazy, but you felt it...as to the rest...i'm sending you good vibes and positive thoughts...and yeah, rememer what first nations said...once a day, baby...because the only way to get through it, is to go through it...can't suppress or hide. xx&oo
Llewtrah - oh my goodness re: your friend - I am sure it is easily done. As for the other situation: trying very much mot to drown - just wave.
Savannahmarshmama - yes - I will never stand by the window behind a metal switch junction box and next to a metal sink on the phone in a storm again. Thank you also for your advice - once a day yes. Yesterday felt excruciating - trying to forget that and move on to today starting with a very strong coffee!
r u ok, poppet? just thinking about you today - for mo especial reason.
Rivergirlie - oooooh thank you soo much that really is heartwarming thank you. Um um...no not really but I think the worst to come is next week. I would mail you but I can't find an e mail address for you. Can't really go into much detail in my comment box. It's bound to be crap isn't it but just keeping it together for the squidget. Same routines, same things, no overcompensating etc - as normal and stable as possible in the circumstances. Thank you ever so for thinking of and asking xx
i used to have 'blinded by the light' on an old compilation cassette years ago. before it on the tdk d c90 was 'the things we do for love' by 10cc (similar backing vocals) and after was 'go buddy go' by the stranglers. funny how one song can bring back memories of three. like the familiar pops and crckles of a beloved vinyl record, i remember the hiss with great fondness too. ahhhhhh. lovely.
aside from hoping that your pubes didn't get singed, i hope you're alright duck
x
Simon Hilton International - yes - it's a blinder. I still have all my tape cassettes in boxes in the loft.
Pod - yes thanks - nether regions intact and just about managing to keep it all together. It's all a bit weird and new and exhausting due to copious amoounts of anxiety, uncertainty, everything else-ety! xx
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