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).
On the Run
Manfred Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're on the run from the Law
You weren't happy, had to have much more
Now the heat is on
The heat is on
Don't look back
Hideaway
'Cause the heat is on
The heat is on
You know you're in the hands of fate
You've done the worst
You must appreciate why
The heat is on
The heat is on
Run away on the night flight
Oh they got you on the run
You gonna live in the twilight
Oh the heat is on
Took your gold, took your chance
You got the money
And you got romance
Now, the heat is on
The heat is on
The time has come for you to go
You keep running
But it seems so slow
'Cause the heat is on
The heat is on
[repeat to fade]
The lyrics of Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "On The Run" tell a compelling story of a character who is on the run from the law. The singer is warning the character not to look back and to keep going because there's no going back now. The character took risks that resulted in his predicament, and now he's running away to avoid the consequences.
The singer advises the character to appreciate why things have gotten to this stage as he/she is now in the hands of fate. The character has no other option but to keep running away, and despite the escape, it feels like it's all happening in slow motion. The chorus repeats, emphasizing that the heat is on, and the character is in for a tough time.
The song's tone is somber, and the lyrics' story is of failure, crime, and escape. However, the song's melody is upbeat, creating a contrast between the story and the mood. Nevertheless, the story serves as a warning for people to make sound decisions and avoid the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
You're on the run from the Law
You are being pursued by law enforcement because of your actions
You weren't happy, had to have much more
Your unsatisfied desire for more led to your current situation
Now the heat is on
You are in a highly tense and dangerous situation
The heat is on
The tension and danger of the situation has increased
Don't look back
Do not reflect on the past or past mistakes
Hideaway
Find a place to hide from law enforcement
You keep going, just another day
You continue to evade the law, trying to survive another day
'Cause the heat is on
The danger and tension of the situation continues to escalate
You know you're in the hands of fate
You now realize that fate has led you to this situation
You've done the worst
You have committed a grave wrongdoing
You must appreciate why
You must understand the cause of your predicament
Run away on the night flight
Escape on the nighttime plane
Oh they got you on the run
The law enforcement is pursuing you relentlessly
You gonna live in the twilight
The future is uncertain and dangerous, you must live in the present moment
Took your gold, took your chance
You have lost your wealth and your opportunities
You got the money
You did however obtain some wealth
And you got romance
You also found love during your journey
Now, the heat is on
The danger and tension has risen to greater heights
The time has come for you to go
You must escape and flee the current situation
You keep running
You continue to evade the law
But it seems so slow
The time drags on as you try to flee from law enforcement
'Cause the heat is on
The danger and tension remains high until you are caught or escape completely
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY SHAWN CRISS, CARLTON RIDENHOUR, JAMES HENRY BOXLEY III, KEIR LAMONT GIST, VINCENT E. BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
João Paulo Lopes
Amazing sound, this album was record in Albufeira Portugal with a lot of amazing people in 1980 ( 32 years ago) great music, great band top level
Andy Monaghan
Absolutely Mantastic. Love MMEB especially with Chris on vocals. Cheers
Roger Enquist
Great song, great feeling!
Dill T Dog
I used to own a copy of this album on vinyl. Unfortunately it was lost many years ago and due to my transient lifestyle never replaced.
It's a great album though.
Thomas Maier
Ghosts turning back to your soul...great Manfred Mann
Johannes Jung
One of the best songs ever!
Tucker Carlson is a stupid faggot
hahaha
C
I’ve been searching for this song for so long! I was 15 or 16 when this was my favorite song!
kumar
Thanks U - Tube..
I searched this songs for 25 years..finally got this gem..
Daniel Petersen
The first LP I ever bought. I was 10 years old, it's 31 years ago now 👍