Stealers Wheel – Stuck In The Middle With You ….One Hit Wonder Week

Raise your hand if you thought this was Bob Dylan when you first heard it. I sure did…I heard it after I had heard Knocking On Heavens Door and I would have bet it was Bob. Gerry Rafferty was the singer on this song and he wouldn’t sound like this later on with Baker Street. It was written by the group’s guitarist Gerry Rafferty and keyboard player Joe Egan.

Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan signed a contract with an American company and they threw a party in Chelsea. Gerry and Joe were sitting at a table with 50 record executives and their wives (clowns and jokers). They were seated between two rather boring label executives. A few days later they wrote this song. So it was basically a parody of Bob Dylan’s style that poked fun at an industry cocktail party.

It ended up sounding like Dylan. Rafferty said: “That happened by chance, the vocal inflections are certainly reminiscent of Bob Dylan and, if I’ve taken anything from him, it’s his phrasing. I suppose the subject matter and the rather dark humor are akin to Dylan too.”

The song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100, #8 in the UK, and #2 in Canada. Gerry Rafferty is singing the lead vocal with bandmate Joe Egan harmonizing with him. They were produced by some huge talent.. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They did have a song that hit #25 on the Billboard 100 called “Star” but we will count this as a one-hit wonder.

Gerry Rafferty would go on to have a huge album City To City that produced big hits Baker Street and Right Down The Line. Joe Egan would eventually have a minor hit with a song called Back on the Road…after that he left the industry. He did help out on Gerry Rafferty’s 1992 album On A Wing and a Prayer.

Quentin Tarantino used this song in a horrific torture scene in Reservoir Dogs to great effect.

Gerry Rafferty:  “It was just one of those songs, maybe about how life often seems like a series of events, so everything is related to everything else, no matter how remote.”

Stuck in the Middle with You

Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you

Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please, please

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please, please

Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you, here I am stuck in the middle with you

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

41 thoughts on “Stealers Wheel – Stuck In The Middle With You ….One Hit Wonder Week”

  2. It had never occurred to me it sounded Dylan-like but maybe so. A decent single but it’s become one of those which to me have been badly over-played through the years, but I agree with BW, that’s some nice guitar in there! It’s a shame Rafferty was another one of those artists who got tired of the whole ‘business’ end of the music biz and probably retired too soon. His first couple of totally solo albums were superb.

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    1. When I was a kid I did think it was Dylan. I heard a radio announcer say it was a single by Dylan…then start laughing of course…but a lot of people thought it was from him…
      I’ll never forget it because of that movie.

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  3. Always loved this tune. I did a post years back on music myths and found all kinds of sites still saying it’s a Bob Dylan song, including a YouTube video I reported . Not sure if it’s still up or not! Great song choice!

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  4. This one of those songs I never tire of hearing. I think that Reservoir Dogs scene helps as its imagery is a complete dichotomy to the vibe of the song.
    (Gerry Rafferty was previously in a band called The Humblebums, which also featured the famous Glasgow comedian, Billy Connolly before he turned to stand-up. Good wee folk band they were too. ) 🙂

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  5. Prior to this post, Dylan was never considered by me, but listening to it now, I can see where he does sound like him, at least with voice and inflection. That’s not a Bob type of song. I can’t hear this song without thinking of the scene in Reservoir Dogs. The opening of this song is unmistakeable. I had no idea Gerry Rafferty was the singer, just knew the name of the band.

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  7. I’d not thought Dylan either but the vocals and delivery do sound Bobbish- there are way too many hooks- and I mean this in a good way- for Bob. It just bops happily along. Dare I say ‘ear catching ?’

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    1. Yes it is…Bob usually does simple 123 patterns and focuses on the lyrics.
      When you hear this you can tell in some spots where Rafferty was leaning that way.

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  12. I’ve always loved this song. And, yes, it really could be Bob Dylan, both vocally and even lyrically.

    “Baker Street” is an incredible tune. I also recall listening to Gerry Rafferty’s 1988 album “North and South” and liking it. My former German bandmate introduced me to it at the time.

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