Bruce Springsteen is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in music, filling stadiums and arenas worldwide. With millions of albums sold and 11 number-one charting albums to his name, it’s strange that the Boss has never had a number-one single.
Not with iconic tracks like “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” or “Born in the USA“—songs that arguably deserved the top spot. Even “Dancing in the Dark” and “Glory Days” didn’t make it. He even released “Blinded by the Light” as a single twice, but neither time did it top the charts. However, there’s a twist. That very song did reach number one, but not with Springsteen at the helm.
In 1976, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band covered “Blinded by the Light” on their album The Roaring Silence. Their version skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the only Springsteen-penned song to do so.
While Springsteen’s original version was released on his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, in 1973, the Earth Band’s cover is slicker, more polished, and radio-friendly. Springsteen’s original cut is rawer and soulful, with a sense of spaciousness in its music, even though the lyrics are dense and fast-paced. It’s no surprise that some of the lyrics could be hard to catch.
One of the most talked-about discrepancies between the two versions is the famous line, “cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night.” In Springsteen’s version, the reference to a “deuce coupe,” a 1932 Ford V8, is clear, but when Manfred Mann’s Earth Band recorded the track, the vocals mistakenly said, “wrapped up like a douche.”
Chris Slade, the band’s drummer and backing vocalist, recalled the confusion in an interview: “I don’t think Springsteen liked our version. We sang ‘wrapped up like a douche,’ and it wasn’t written like that at all. Warners in America told us to change it because the Southern Bible Belt radio stations thought it referred to a feminine hygiene product. We tried to change it to ‘deuce,’ but it ruined the whole sound of the track, so we just left it. We figured, if it’s not a hit, it’s not.”
Despite the mix-up, the song became a massive hit, sparking debates over whether the lyrics were wrong or not. Some believe this controversy helped the track climb the charts. As Slade said, “Apparently, Springsteen thought we did it on purpose, but we didn’t. If I ever saw him, I’d probably cringe and run away like a frightened little boy!”
Springsteen later joked about the mix-up during a 2005 VH1 Storytellers session. “This song is my only number-one hit, and it wasn’t even me. It was Manfred Mann, which I appreciate!” he said, laughing with the audience.
“But they changed one line. Mine says, ‘Cut loose like a deuce,’ theirs says, ‘Cut loose like a douche.’ I think that’s why the song shot to number one! A deuce is a hot-rod car, but a douche is… well, a feminine hygiene product. But hey, the public has spoken!”
