It is set in 1987 which is interesting because at this point Bruce Springsteen was bigger than ever thanks to the `Born in the USA` album but it's title song had been misinterpreted by many as a simple celebration of American life. However the lyrics speak of hard times and struggle making it ironic that right wing American politicians of the day would often use it as an anthem. By this time Springsteen was hardly the sort of rock star to appeal to English teenagers of any background; he was more "like the music your Dad listens to" as one character puts it. Yet Bruce's lyrics spoke to the outsider in society and in the mid 80s you couldn't get much more `outside` than being part of an immigrant family in recession hit UK. The idea of an Asian teenager in the Eighties taking inspiration from Bruce Springsteen sounds unlikely at first but not only is this film inspired by a true story but if you look at the Boss's lyrics they have a universal appeal.
Based on Sarfraz Manzoor's book `Greetings from Bury Park`,it tells the story of a British teenager of Pakistani descent whose outlook is transformed when he hears Springsteen's music and lyrics for the first time. Conveyed via a striking sequence in the film it is the words in particular that galvanise Javed into rebelling against his strict family to become his own person whoever that may be. If this sounds like a standard rites of passage movie the result is much more than that. Gurinder Chadha's film niftily staples Javed's awakening to the political times in which he lives. It's as feelgood a movie as the posters suggests though in a down to earth manner where Javed's aspirations start and end with getting out of Luton, getting a girl and making some money. These may seem limited ambitions but in a family hamstrung both by tradition and the economic state of the country plus a swathe of racism swirling around not as easy as it might sound.
I have also read the liner notes from Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "The Roaring Silence" lp and it was sung by then lead singer, Chris Thompson as "Revved up like a deuce" (and not "wrapped"), which makes more sense. I really wish this would be corrected on this website already. What this site is doing is perpetuating the misheard lyrics and that's just plain stupid as a reference source to do that. But yes, it's still kind of fun to sing the lyrics as "wrapped up", "douche", "another rumor" and so on, but that's not what they are, and don't tell Thompson about this because I've read he gets mad when people sing the song that way to him. I have been in the radio business for 38 years and had dinner with Manfred Mann about a year after he released Blinded by The Light.
He wasn't talking about feminine products and was embarrassed that people interpreted it that way. When the controversy over his lyrics got back to him he became curious and the best explanation he heard was that Bruce's lyric referred to a card game. He still wasn't sure but he didn't care because the song was a huge hit for him. I don't know if he was pulling my leg or just giving a standard answer to a question he must have gotten a lot, but he seemed sincere. Springsteen's version of Blinded by the Light was never a hit, but he still plays it in concerts to this day.
He's changed the orchestration, end even done it as a Latin number. The obscure lyrics have long caused much discussion as to their meaning. Springsteen wrote this song when he was in his early 20s, and before he had any success as a recording artist. He has stated that it was based on his experiences as a young musician and was based on people he met. Many people have tried to show that this was a song about drugs, or about sex. He's alluded to drugs, but never sold himself as primarily a druggie.
I suspect that, while both sex and drugs are reflected in the song, the song is not primarily about either, but is instead a description of the adolescent life of a musician. When Javed first discovers Springsteen's songs, in 1987, the musician is a few years removed from his smash hit Born in the U.S.A. and is barely acknowledged by Javed's teenage friends. They are all obsessed with New Wave music and coiffed with A Flock of Seagulls haircuts; Javed's parents, meanwhile, are skeptical of any Western pop culture. The moment Javed pops a Springsteen tape into his Walkman, however, Chadha dramatizes the music as an inspirational bolt from the blue, breaking the fourth wall with lyrics that pop up on-screen around Javed's head as he listens in awe. The narrative successfully roots its story firmly in the times without any modern retconning of behaviour.
Its non- judgmental too, nudging the audience forward while enjoying wrong footing the viewer in the best way possible. So Javed's seemingly conformist straight laced sister turns out to be more free spirited than she seems; there's a sweet friendship between them that makes a refreshing change. Likewise the film does a good job contrasting Javed's musical awakening with Matt's dogged following of the latest trends. Best of all are Javed's own parents; here the film largely avoids the `strict Muslim` stereotype so we understand why Javed's father seems hard on his kids. His own ambitions, often thwarted, echo exactly the sort of working class ethos in Springsteen lyrics inspiring Javed.
On a lighter note we're reminded how strong the tribalism of musical genres. Between Bruce Springsteen's version and Manfred Mann's cover, is there a definitive "Blinded By The Light"? Springsteen's opening salvo into the world of rock n' roll, is everything that people love about the Boss' early work. The first track from his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Is exploding with teenage lust, a need to escape, and the thrum of glistening cars speeding away from a small town. There is, however, something off about Blinded by the Light which diminishes it's glow quite a bit. This is certainly a matter of subjectivity, but a memoir should be one of truth if it's to maintain its integrity. In every scene of the film, from beginning to end, there's a growing sense of potential desperate to grow and escape.
Blinded by the Light is, truly, emotionally powerful in that way. But there's a problem which becomes clearer when the audience steps away from the film and explores the special features. Contained within the home release are two featurettes, "Memoir to Movie" and "The Most Crazy Thing," as well as a few deleted and extended sequences. There's little of extreme significance in the cut sequences, but they do offer nice alternate moments. The brief featurettes, though, are where the cracks form for this reviewer.
A memoir is a story recounting the details of a life using either personal experience or historical accounts. The story was even better, as long as you don't focus on the core plot and whether or not it follows "the rules." Instead, relax and soak in all the subtext. "Blinded by the Light" is a beautiful glimpse into the painful subculture of people living in a world that doesn't want them. It invites open-minded viewers to experience racism in a real and visceral way.
And I watch a LOT of movies, in every genre and budget level. If you let it, this one will touch you, pull you into its world, and make you laugh and cry. People walking out - sorry, but you've either got a stick up your backside or a beef with people who aren't white.
The acting was fabulous, the rhythm of the film fun and flowing, and the story solid and tear-worthy for those empathetic enough to watch it through to the end. And if you possess a human bone in your body, you will smile, even when it gets "cringy" as the Brit reviewers have called it. Is it revved up like a deuce or ripped off like a douche or some other phrase. Again the song is about riding around town in your car and the line is revved up like a deuce Deuce means Deuce coupe which refers to a 1932 Ford Coupe the hot-rod of its day. With the help of his trusty rhyming dictionary Springsteen penned a track full of teenage heartbreak and the need to escape and not being as grown up as he thinks he is.
His line about a "silicone sister with a manager mister" who makes a pass at him isn't just one of the first references to breast implants in rock music , but it turns the song into a fish out of water story. Springsteen doesn't just need to escape his home life in this song, he's striving to recognize the place he calls home. All of the Manfred Mann comments should be moved to the appropriate Manfred Mann lyrics section. Springsteen definitely says "cut loose like a deuce" which definitely refers to a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe which is a hot rod. When he's not writing lyrics for best friend Matt's (Dean-Charles Chapman) band, he's writing poems about the pain in the world and in his heart. Despite years of filling notebooks with his words, he believes himself to be a poor talent, destined to do as his father, Malik , wishes and study economics in pursuit of a wealth and prominence.
After an accidental meeting with fellow classmate Roops , Javed is introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen, an artist deemed unpopular in a landscape of Debbie Gibsons and Flocking Seagulls. Somehow, though, Javed is transfixed by Bruce's words, feeling seen for the first time in his life, inspiring within him the strength to pursue his dreams. Bruce Springsteen, for a generation, was a songwriter who didn't just write about the average man, but for him. Many song writers coming out of the 60's and 70's wrote socially conscious music and tried to say something about the world around them, but Bruce had another view of America and tried to channel that spirit into music. Is it any wonder then that some might be so inspired, it changed their outlook on life?
Such was the case for Sarfraz Manzoor, who's story is the basis for this movie. Springsteen is the backbone to a story that we've heard before, but this delightful tale is so proud, charming, and full of heart, it's hard not to watch it with a smile. Great acting all around, with a very impressive debut by Viveik Kalra.
The music and use of songs in this music is fantastic. Its true what they say, Bruce made songs that related to the working class and the struggles that people faced at work and in life. With all its profound lyrics as a backdrop, the film manages to touch on important issues of xenophobia and the struggles that can come with familial expectations not lining up with ones own goals. Bruce Springsteen, poet laureate of the American worker, musical essayist of that ineffable feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place, is very much a heart-on-sleeve artist. To say as much is not to diminish his music, but to explain why he fits so well in the oeuvre of a director like Gurinder Chadha.
The British Indian filmmaker behind such cheerful comedies as Bend It Like Beckham and Bride & Prejudice might not seem like an ideal interpreter for New Jersey's greatest and grittiest songwriter. But Chadha's new movie, Blinded by the Light—the story of a British Pakistani boy who falls in love with the music of Springsteen—is her best effort in years, a hugely charming and surprising match of artistic styles. One instance we see this happen a lot is in song lyrics. Stacker rounded up 50 famously misheard songs, explaining what's actually being said.
From "hold me closer Tony Danza" to "there's a wino down the road," read on for lyrics to 50 famously misunderstood songs. It has also been covered by The Eagles of Death Metal which was in the movie Super Troopers 2. He saw the light when a cop car pulled up , tripped over the merry-go-round as he was making a break for it, (that's where the running like an Indian comes into play) cuz he was wearing his native suit.
Him getting the sneezing and wheezing was cuz he caught the gonna-a-syphilis from the hooker he was getting freaky with. The silicone sister and her manager mister were now also looking for him, so he's running again. The curly wurly is his mustache as he got a jolt from the early perly and with that he was ready to ride the lightning. The following stanza is where he's in the doctors room getting his check up, blinded by the doctors light, hit in the funny bone, his escapades have landed him here, where the fun's at. Originally titled "Madman's Bummers," the song tells the story of Springsteen's life up until that point.
He references the people in his life, they places they went and the way they killed time waiting around for real life to begin. New Jersey, specifically the boardwalk of a Jersey Shore town, is palpable in each second of this track. Some who understand that the word is 'deuce' instead of 'douche' still mishear the lyrics as 'wrapped up like a deuce' which still makes no sense. Again, the song is about riding around town in your car, and the line is "revved up like a deuce." Deuce means "Deuce coupe" which refers to a 1932 Ford Coupe, the hot-rod of its day.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song changes the lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce." The lyric is a reference to the 1932 V8-powered Ford automobile, which enthusiasts dubbed the "deuce coupe". Springsteen was fond of classic hot rods in his youth, hence the line "cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". As the line is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche", Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular. Other than his signature song "Dancing in the Dark," I really can't stand the music of Bruce Springsteen. I much prefer slower, more mellow, melodious, harmonious, easy listening music, such as the song from a couple of generations ago called "Precious and Few." Musical groups like Simon & Garfunkel as well as the Carpenters, are more my taste.
Even when it comes to the Beatles, the songs of theirs I like the most are ones such as "The Long and Winding Road" and "Here, There, and Everywhere." Music should elevate us while giving ourselves a sense of peace and harmony. There are such pieces of music by Mozart , that makes me feel that this is what Heaven must be like. I loved watching "Blinded by the Light." Springsteen's music spoke to me when I was a young adult; not just the words, but the music that thrilled and energized me (especially that saxophone!), lifted my mood, made me jump up and dance.
The movie brought me back in time to when I was just old enough to begin to pursue my dreams. It also triggered wonderful memories of times when I have shared this favorite rock music with my husband, including one Springsteen concert we went to together -- before ticket prices shot stratospherically through the roof. " when I need the energy to keep pedaling on our elliptical bicycle, when I'm cooking, or just want to tap into that musical magic again.
Another in a line of recent silly musicals if you can call them that. A coming of age movie with no real emotion is somehow intertwined with the music of Bruce Springsteen in such an over the top invasive way it's pretty much unwatchable at points. People dance and sing to music they can't hear, spout lyrics and confuse everyone including the audience.The seriousness and power of BS music is lost on bad 80's narrative that is cartoonish and predicable. As I said, the film wears it's heart on it's sleeve, and so isn't afraid to tug at the heart strings, but it being so unabashed is part of what makes it so great. It's not afraid to let it's characters sing all over town or use Bruce's music to stick it to some racist bullies.
It does have some serious parts to it, including some great, emotional beats, but it's never so dour or dramatic that you won't have fun with it. It may not come off as the most memorable movie of the year, but it's certainly worth going to check out. The film focuses mostly on newcomers, all of who do a wonderful job. Viveik Kalra is excellent as Javed and proves himself to be a young actor worth following. He gets some great turns here and proves to be a charming guy who gets to do everything from emotionally charged dramatic beats to silly music-video-like dances through the streets. Kulvinder Ghir also has an excellent part as the father who, while coming across as somewhat cliche at times, still turns in a wonderful part.
Hayley Atwell will no doubt be the most recognizable actor here, playing Javed's English teacher and mentor who encourages him to chase his dreams. The film also gets great support from a spirited Nell Williams as Javed's love interest, Deen Charles Chapman as Javed's best friend, and Aaron Phagura as Javed's newfound friend who introduces him to Bruce. The scenes with Kalra and Phagura are especially spirited and fun as they revel in and sing Springsteens music seemingly without a care in the world. It's about a Pakistani family, a Sikh friend who loves the Boss , Sony Walkmans, tape cassettes, working for a living and having skinheads spit on you. It's about loving words, having a passion for writing, paying attention to words and the words of a fellow poet, Bruce.
It's about parents, their sacrifices and struggles and the letting go. The film is well-written, acted, directed and edited. The only complaint I can make, and it's a very small one, because of my American ears, there were a couple of Xs I did not understand the dialogue. When I got into his music a few years back, I instantly became enamored with his albums namely Darkness on the Edge of Town. When I saw the trailer for this, I was instantly hyped. A film about a talented brown guy who uses a classic rock act to better his life and land a beautiful girl.
I was always going to like this but I felt an identification with the character and the music as an inspiration and the idea of chasing what you believe in. Saccharine, uneven, and awkwardly on-the-nose though it may be, Blinded by the Light rises above its foibles to become something so unashamedly joyous and unexpectedly poignant that it's impossible to resist. Pitching her film somewhere between a coming-of-age comedy, social drama, and an all-out musical, Gurinder Chadha traverses each genre nimbly. Sure, there have been far slicker likeminded movies of late, but few have had a bigger heart. Much like Yesterday and Rocketman, Blinded by the Light is an unashamed love letter to the mythical rock star at its heart, yet it's not afraid to take things deeper when necessary. Blinded by the light revved up like a deuce another runner in the night 2.
Blinded by the Light believes in the transformative power of song lyrics. More specifically, it suggests that Bruce Springsteen's lyrics have the timeless ability to make sense of teenage angst and economic struggle. The trouble is this inner struggle is not cinematic, so we are left with a film that mixes a coming-of-age drama with an awkward, risky jukebox musical. Director Gurinder Chadha and her collaborators mean well—the earnestness on display here is unusual—although their attempts to celebrate Springsteen are not enough to suspend the required disbelief. Set in the 1980s in the small town of Luton, Javed's family struggles to make ends meet in the crushing recession of the late Thatcher era, battling economic strife, rising nationalism, and racist attacks.
