Stuck in the Middle With You

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Stuck in the Middle With You (early references just call it "Stuck in the Middle") is a song written by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, and originally released in 1972 by their band Stealers Wheel and on the album Stealers Wheel. The single sold over one million copies, reaching number 10 on both the US and UK pop charts.

According to Rafferty, it was inspired by a pre-signing party at which he and Egan sat around a table with recording company executives.

[edit] Cultural references

"Stuck in the Middle" was used in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 adventure/action movie Reservoir Dogs, during the famous "ear" scene. It was introduced on the radio in the warehouse, as part of K-BILLY's "Super Sounds of the Seventies Weekend" by Steven Wright, who acted as the voice of the DJ. Here is how he introduced the song: "Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealers Wheel when they recorded this Dylanesque, pop, bubble-gum favorite from April of 1974, that reached up to number five, as K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies continues."

This same scene was later parodied in The Simpsons episode Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious, where the ultra-violent cartoon characters Itchy and Scratchy are shown re-enacting the ear-slicing scene to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle," but end up decapitating Tarantino instead.

Jeff Healey recorded a cover version of Stuck in the Middle With You in 1995. Juice Newton also covered the song twice: once in 1985 on her album "Old Flame" and re-recorded it in 2004 for her "Collection" CD. Susanna Hoffs covered the song on her eponymous 1996 release.

"Stuck in the Middle With You" was featured in the 2000 Malcolm in the Middle episode "Funeral".

It was also recorded by Keith Urban and featured as a bonus track on the 2001 American re-release of his 1997 album The Ranch.

The song (playfully retitled "Stuck in the Metal") was covered by The Eagles of Death Metal on their 2004 album Peace, Love, Death Metal.

The song is used in the Disney Channel Original Movie's 2004 Stuck in the Suburbs.

Often the song is mistakenly attributed to Bob Dylan, likely because Dylan's distinctive voice is similar to Egan's, or perhaps because the "jokers to the right" line is vaguely reminiscent of the joker character in Dylan's songs "All Along the Watchtower" and "Jokerman".

The song is also often mistakenly attributed to The Steve Miller Band and Steely Dan. The same was said for the Beatles due to that similar sound.

On the Comedy Central TV Show Crank Yankers, An episode featuring rapper Ludacris parodies a version of "Stuck in the middle". The episode involves Ludacris wanting to change his name to peanut head, which is actually the mascot for Planters peanuts, Mr. Peanut. After talking to his record executive, he begins to torture Mr. Peanut in the same manner from the movie Reservoir Dogs, even including a food version of "Stuck in the middle".