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Speaking of music, there is a ton of Springsteen’s work here, including the title song and a previously unreleased track, “I’ll Stand by You Always,” intended for a Harry Potter film and playing here over the final credits.Īll the songs energize us as intended, but the most memorable are the anthems that end up as part of full-on production numbers. He believes, and gradually Springsteen’s music makes everybody on screen move.Ĭhadha, who gave Keira Knightley one of her breakout roles in “Beckham,” has an eye for lead casting, and Kalra, equal parts wistful and energetic, convinces you that Springsteen has written the soundtrack of his life. The hip kids at his school sniff at Springsteen as yesterday’s news, but Javed couldn’t care less. “I didn’t know music could be like this.” “Bruce knows everything I’ve ever felt,” he tells Roops.
SONG BLINDED BY THE LIGHT MOVIE
Javed gets so involved in the music that the lyrics magically appear written on nearby walls in giant letters and the whole movie comes inescapably alive with a jolt of Springsteen energy. “You’ll thank me later.”Īt a personal low point about 20 minutes into the film, Javed pops the music into his Walkman and the first two songs he hears, “Dancing in the Dark” and “Promised Land,” blow his life apart like the gale that is raging through his neighborhood. The two share a table at lunch, and Roops lends him cassette tapes of “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” “Guard them with your life,” he tells him. Then he literally bumps into Sikh classmate Roops (Aaron Phagura). Clay (Hayley Atwell) and develops a crush on Eliza (Nell Williams), a feisty, politically active fellow student. Javed takes a creative writing class from the encouraging Ms.
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Being in a town rife with National Front racist thugs does not help.Īt school things are better, but only marginally. Then Malik loses his job at the local Vauxhall auto plant, and pressure on the whole family, including Javed’s seamstress mother, Noor (Meera Ganatra), goes up several notches. “Pakistanis do not go to parties,” he tells Javed, who can only look on wistfully as his best friend, Matt (Dean-Charles Chapman), a would-be rocker, lives the high life across the street. But in general, it can said that “Blinded by the Light” is based on the singer’s past experiences as well as his take on other matters, specifically in relation to particular individuals whom he observed. Or at least that is the framework he operates in before more or less going on a lyrical freestyle.Set in 1987 in the Bury Park neighborhood of Luton, a nondescript town north of London, “Blinded” introduces 16-year-old Javed (sweet-natured newcomer Viveik Kalra), whose dream is very different from his reality.Īn aspiring writer who wants to “make loads of money, kiss a girl and get out of this dump,” Javed is for now trapped in a home that’s run with an iron fist by his old-country father, Malik (“Beckham” veteran Kulvinder Ghir).Ī hard-core traditionalist who believes children must obey their parents absolutely, Malik has a very narrow path envisioned for his son and insists on controlling all aspects of his life. Springsteen was under pressure from his label to come up with a song they could release as a single for his debut album, and this was the result. Thus all things considered, there does seem to necessarily be a central theme to this song. Also the “all-hot, half-shot” who was “ heading for the hot spot snapping his fingers and clapping his hands” is actually a reference to himself, as The Boss was a smart aleck as a child. So in a way, you can say that Bruce’s goal was to write an early-1970’s rap, whose primary purpose was just to display his lyrical wherewithal and make the listener feel good. That is certainly not to say that “Blinded by the Light” is obviously not meant to be taken seriously, despite its autobiographical nature. It features for the most part Springsteen having fun with words. For instance, the “silicone sister” whom he mentions at the beginning of the fourth verse is actually a reference to a stripper he knew.