Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band (with a stro… Read Full Bio ↴Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band (with a strong jazz foundation) of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Manfred Mann were chart regulars in the 1960s, and the first south-of-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the 'British invasion' of the US music scene.

Beginnings 1962—1963
The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (as the band were originally called) were formed in London in December 1962 by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes player Mike Hugg. Born out of the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned such luminaries as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds), the band were completed by Mike Vickers on lead guitar, Dave Richmond on bass, and Paul Jones fronting as lead vocalist and harmonica player. Gigging constantly throughout late 1962 and early 1963, the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound propelled by Mann's keyboards, Jones' soulful vocals and an occasional horn section.

Manfred Mann's Cock-A-Hoop (1964)
The group signed to HMV Records in March 1963 after a change of name to Manfred Mann (at the suggestion of their label's producer), and debuted in July of that year with the jazzy instrumental single "Why Should We Not?", which failed to chart, as did the follow up (with vocals this time), "Cock-A-Hoop"

Early success 1964—1965
Groovin' with Manfred Mann EP (1964)
In 1964 the group were asked to provide a new theme tune for the ITV pop music TV series Ready Steady Go!. They responded with the energetic "5-4-3-2-1" which, with the help of weekly TV exposure, rose to No.5 in the UK charts. It was shortly after "5-4-3-2-1" was recorded that Richmond left the band, being replaced by Tom McGuinness - the first of many line-up changes. After a further self-penned hit ("Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)") the band struck gold with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", a cover of a minor hit earlier that year by The Exciters. The track, which showcased Jones' powerful singing, reached the top of both the UK and US charts (The Exciters version had only charted #78 in the US).
During 1965 the group continued to have hits with both self-penned and cover material, their sound increasingly moving away from the blues-based music of their early years to a highly successful pop-soul hybrid. Notably the group began to have success with interpretations of Bob Dylan songs, including "With God On Our Side" as a track on a best-selling EP.

The One In the Middle EP (1965)
They also reached No.2 in the UK with the controversial "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", which was banned or edited by a number of TV and radio stations. Prior to this latter release, Paul Jones announced his intention to quit the band for a solo career once a replacement could be found.

The Mike d'Abo years 1966—1969

Jones stayed with the band for one more year, during which time Mike Vickers was replaced by Jack Bruce of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (long enough to play bass on the band's second UK No.1 single "Pretty Flamingo"). Jones was eventually replaced by Mike d'Abo - among those on the shortlist was Rod Stewart - and this was one of the few occasions when a band has successfully swapped lead singers and remained at the top. Jack Bruce left to form Cream and was replaced by Klaus Voorman (a longtime Beatles associate), with McGuinness moving to guitar. To complete the changes, the group switched labels to Fontana Records.
With d'Abo as vocalist, the group pursued a softer acoustic pop sound, with a tinge of Dylanesque social comment and surrealism in the lyrics. Their first Fontana Records single was in fact a Dylan cover, "Just Like A Woman", and the group went on to score their biggest hit for two years with a cover of his "Mighty Quinn".
Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band (their last two albums failed to chart), the group split in 1969.

1970s and on— Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Mann went on to write advertising jingles after the group's demise, but still continued to work in the group format. Initially he formed Manfred Mann Chapter Three (with Mike Hugg), an experimental jazz rock band, described by Mann as an over reaction to the hit factory of the Manfred Mann group. This was, however, short lived and by 1971 they had disbanded and Mann had formed a new group, Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
For further details, see Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

5-4-3-2-1 The Manfreds (1998)

1990s and on—The Manfreds

In the 1990s, most of the original 1960s line-up reformed as The Manfreds, minus Manfred Mann himself (hence the name), playing most of the old 1960s hits and a few jazz instrumentals, sometimes with both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo fronting the line-up.
At the same time Jones and Tom McGuinness (McGuinness formed McGuinness Flint in 1970, but they disbanded in 1975) have been mainstays of The Blues Band (which they helped form in 1978).

Let's Get Stoned
Manfred Mann Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let's go get stoned
Let's go get stoned
When your baby won't let you in
Got a few pennies, a bottle of gin
Just call your buddy on the telephone
Let's go get stoned
Let's go get stoned
Let's go get stoned

When you work so hard all the day long
And everything you do seems to go wrong
Just drop by my place on your way home
Let's go get stoned
It ain't no harm
You're takin' just a taste
But don't blow your cool
And start messing up the place
It ain't no harm you're faking just a nip
But make sure you don't fall down bust your lip

Let's go get stoned
Let's go get stoned

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Manfred Mann's Let's Get Stoned suggest escapism from the troubles and stresses of life through alcohol and marijuana use. The song opens with the repetition of the line "Let's go get stoned" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The first verse suggests that when the singer's baby won't let them in, they turn to alcohol and call their buddy on the telephone to go get stoned. Alcohol seems to be the drug of choice in this situation, with the singer having only "a few pennies, a bottle of gin." The second verse suggests that the singer has had a frustrating day at work, and again turns to the same buddy to go get stoned, providing them with the escape and release they need.

The lyrics suggest that there is no harm in this behavior, but cautioning against overuse or excess. Words like "takin' just a taste" and "faking just a nip" suggest moderation, and the importance of not getting too far gone. The song acknowledges that there are real-world problems and stresses and suggests that a little bit of escape can go a long way towards relieving the burden. However, there is also an acknowledgement that one must still be responsible and not allow this escape to cause further problems, as suggested by the line "make sure you don't fall down bust your lip."

Overall, the song is a commentary on the pressures of the day-to-day and the desire for escape from those pressures, acknowledging that while a little bit of escape may be necessary, it is best to exercise moderation and not let it lead to further problems.

Line by Line Meaning

Let's go get stoned
Let's consume marijuana

When your baby won't let you in
When your romantic partner doesn't allow you to enter their home

Got a few pennies, a bottle of gin
You have some spare change and a bottle of gin

Just call your buddy on the telephone
Contact your friend via phone call

Let's go get stoned
Let's consume marijuana

When you work so hard all the day long
When you've worked hard throughout the day

And everything you do seems to go wrong
And everything you do appears to fail

Just drop by my place on your way home
Visit me on your way home

Let's go get stoned
Let's consume marijuana

It ain't no harm
It won't cause harm

You're takin' just a taste
You're only consuming a small amount

But don't blow your cool
But don't lose your self-control

And start messing up the place
And start damaging your surroundings

It ain't no harm you're faking just a nip
It won't cause harm; you're just pretending to take a small sip

But make sure you don't fall down bust your lip
But be careful not to fall down and hurt yourself badly

Let's go get stoned
Let's consume marijuana

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: VALERIE SIMPSON, JOSEPHINE ARMSTEAD, NICKOLAS ASHFORD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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