THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

524-Stealers Wheel-Stuck in the Middle With You.

1973-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 1.02. It’s the Reservoir, Dogs b…….s.

Stealers Wheel were a Folk/Rock group formed in Paisley, Scotland, in 1972, the two main protagonists were Gerry Rafferty (1947-2011) (see also best songs 61,) and Joe Egan. Rafferty left the band shortly after the release of the bands debut Album in 1972, but returned for the remainder of the groups life span in 1973, staying until they split in 1975. Over the three year period of the bands existence there were another nine other members come and go, with four of them reuniting briefly in 2008, but neither Rafferty, or Egan took part. They released three studio Albums between 1972-1975, and achieved three UK top 40 singles, two of which also reached the Billboard top 100 singles chart.

‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ was the third single released from Stealers Wheel’s self titled debut Album from 1972, and along with this song, all the other nine tracks were written by Egan and Rafferty. The producers of this song, and the Album were the legendary song writing team of Jerry Leiber (1933-2011) and Mike Stoller (see also best songs 954-804-124 and 86.) Egan and Rafferty wrote the song as a parody of Bob Dylan’s paranoia, and it was sung to imitate Dylan, which indeed did fool many in to thinking it was a Bob Dylan song.The lyrics refer to people in the music industry, the management and executives of record labels, who are the clowns and the jokers.The band had to reluctantly do a promotion in a fancy London restaurant, and the lyrics tell the tale of them trying to get out of the entire thing, which they detested.

In 1992 the song was brought to the attention of a whole new generation when the film producer Quentin Tarantino chose to use it in the scene where the character of Mr Blonde taunts and tortures a policeman in the film ‘Reservoir Dogs.’

‘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.’