Tags
1970s, debut album, Gerry Rafferty, Joe Egan, Music, One Hit Wonder, parody of Bob Dylan, Scottish, Stealers Wheel, Stuck in the Middle With You, surprised at success, top ten hit
Stuck in the Middle With You (A&M, 1973)
Stuck in the Middle with You (sometimes known as Stuck in the Middle) is a song written by Scottish musicians Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan and originally performed by their band Stealers Wheel. The song charted at #8 in the UK Singles Chart. It also became an international hit, reaching #6 in the U.S. and #2 in Canada. Stuck in the Middle was released on Stealers Wheel’s 1972 eponymous debut album. Gerry Rafferty provided the lead vocals, with Joe Egan singing harmony. It was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Rafferty’s lyrics are a dismissive tale of a music industry cocktail party written and performed as a parody of Bob Dylan’s paranoia (the vocal impression, subject, and styling were so similar, listeners have wrongly attributed the song to Dylan since its release) The band was surprised by the single’s chart success. The single sold over one million copies.