Stuck in the Middle with You

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"Stuck in the Middle with You" (also, in early references, "Stuck in the Middle") is a song written and performed by Stealers Wheel which was composed of Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, and an ever-changing cast of other musicians. The song was released on their 1972 self-titled debut album Stealers Wheel.^{[citation needed]} The single sold over one million copies, climbing up to eventually number 6 in the US (in 1973) and number 8 on the UK pop charts.

The song is often mistakenly attributed to Bob Dylan, likely because Rafferty's distinctive voice is similar to Dylan's, as well as the acoustic folk/rock style the song employs.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Cover versions

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. British singer Louise Redknapp also recorded a cover version.

It was also recorded by David Love 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 band Lazlo Bane, known for the theme song for Scrubs, "Superman", recorded a version on their CD Guilty Pleasures.

Michael Bublé recorded the song for Tour Edition of his album Call Me Irresponsible

Da Vinci's Notebook covered this song on their album Bendy's Law.

The song was also on the show American Idol by the top 16 in 2007.

[1]Bullistic did a heavy metal version on their 2005 - Backstreet Records "Chronicles of Love and Hate" cd.

[edit] Trivia

"Stuck in the Middle" was used in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, during the infamous "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. As follows 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 1974, that reached up to number five, as K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies continues."

The song was also included in the Reservoir Dogs video game and the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack.

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 Quentin Tarantino instead. The episode is appropriately entitled "Reservoir Cats."

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

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

It also appears in the 1997 movie "Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie", and the 1998 movie "Big and Hairy".

In the Australian ABC comedy CNNNN, Chas Licciardello is shown having his ear sliced a la Reservoir Dogs, as something terrible like this always happens to him when he is crossed to in Brussels. Also, "Stuck in the Middle with You" is featured in an episode of The Chaser's War on Everything, a related project by The Chaser, in a parody of the original Reservoir Dogs "ear" scene, albeit with Hugh Grant as Mr. Blonde, who then changes the song to Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet.

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".

One episode of Mad TV parodies the scene in a sketch in which Andy Griffith and Barney Fife, police officers from The Andy Griffith Show, torture a suspect in their police station.