Song of the Week #86 – “Stuck in the Middle With You”
Written by admin on December 26, 2011 – 7:52 pm -| Stealers Wheel’s biggest hit “Stuck in the Middle With You” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.
“Stuck in the Middle With You” appeared on Stealers Wheel’s self-titled debut album in 1972 and became a hit single on both sides of the Atlantic several months later. |
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Gerry Rafferty formed Stealers Wheel with Joe Egan in the early 1970s, after disbanding the Humblebums duo with Billy Connoly. Rafferty and Egan had previously been members of the band The Mavericks.
The lyrics for “Stuck in the Middle With You” were inspired by exchanges that Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan had with record executives and potential producers at the table of a London restaurant – hence the lyrics “Clowns to the left of me/Jokers to the right/Here I am…stuck in the middle with you.” Rafferty would explore similar themes in subsequent recordings, including one of his biggest, “Baker Street.”
Gerry Rafferty has said that the “Stuck in the Middle With You” lyrics were designed to parody Bob Dylan’s paranoid lyrical style and that he was shocked when the song went on to become such a big hit. He shouldn’t have been surprised as it is a brilliantly constructed song, with a great hook and accomplished production from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had previously helped elevate the careers of artists such as Elvis Presley, the Drifters and the Coasters. All elements come together on “Stuck in the Middle With You” to create a classic pop record, including excellent lead slide guitar (played in Open D tuning for you guitar players out there), prominent acoustic rhythm guitar, melodic bass work, rhythmic hand claps and Rafferty’s expressive vocal. You’d even miss the cow bell if it wasn’t there.
Although the collaboration with Leiber and Stoller was artistically and commercially successful, the band’s relationship with the pair wasn’t an easy one, with Rafferty and Egan wanting to do things their way and not always inclined to follow the creative direction of the legendary hit makers.
Rafferty’s tendency to follow his own path led to him leaving the band shortly after the first album was released. In June 2000, Rafferty told the Paisley Express:
| “There was a huge amount of pressure on us to do things we didn’t particularly want to do. I had qualms about our management company. They wanted us to tour the USA – I didn’t, so I left the band. “ |
Ultimately, Rafferty loved making music, but had a clear disdain for the way the music industry operated and the impact of success on an artist. As noted by Mike Stoller in Artworks Scotland’s recent documentary “Gerry Rafferty – Right Down The Line”:
| “As soon as it started to be successful and it became a hit, he lost interest in it and was suspicious of it. He no longer really liked it because it was ‘commercial’.” |
Rafferty was convinced to return to the band, but the break up became permanent after one more album. The music video was filmed during Rafferty’s time out from the band, so although he sings lead on the song, it is Joe Egan who is seen singing in the video.
Stealers Wheel – “Stuck in the Middle With You”
The song was given a new lease of life in 1992 when it was played over the infamous ear cutting scene in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Reservoir Dogs.”
Authorship
“Stuck in the Middle With You” was written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan.
Recording date/location
“Stuck in the Middle With You” was recorded in the summer of 1972 at the Apple Studio, which was located at 3 Saville Row, London.
Musicians
The following Stealers Wheel line-up played on “Stuck in the Middle With You”:
- Gerry Rafferty – guitar, lead vocals
- Joe Egan – keyboards, backing vocals
- Paul Pilnick – lead guitar
- Tony Williams – bass
- Rod Coombes – drums.
Chart performance
“Stuck in the Middle with You” peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 6, 1973. The single also reached number eight on the UK singles chart.
Covers
The Jeff Healey Band – “Stuck in the Middle With You”
Jeff Healey recorded a strong blues rock version of “Stuck in the Middle With You” for his 1995 album “Cover to Cover,” complete with a trademark Healey guitar solo.
Louise – “Stuck in the Middle With You”
Louise featured “Stuck in the Middle With You” on her 2001 album “Changing Faces – The Best Of Louise” and reached number four with the song when released on single in the UK. There’s no danger of this making you forget the original, but it’s a pretty solid pop version of the song, with the percussion handled particularly well.
The video spoofs the movie “Reservoir Dogs,” which had increased the popularity of the original song.
There will be a new Song of the Week on January 2.
“Stuck in the Middle With You” is available on the album “Stealers Wheel.”
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Tags: Gerry Rafferty, Joe Egan, Stealers Wheel, Stuck in the Middle With You
Posted in Song of the Week |
