Dylan + Tarantino + Hoffs = Hit!

"Stuck in the Middle" was released on Stealers Wheel's 1972 self-titled debut album.^[5] Gerry Rafferty provided the lead vocals, with Joe Egan singing harmony. The song was conceived initially by the band members as a parody of Bob Dylan's distinctive lyrical style and paranoia. The band was surprised by the single's chart success.^[6] The single sold over one million copies, eventually peaking in 1973 at #6 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #8 in the UK Singles Chart. It was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.^[7]

[edit]Other notable utilisation

In 1992, "Stuck In the Middle With You" was used in Quentin Tarantino's debut film Reservoir Dogs. The song was described as a "Dylanesque, pop, bubble-gum favorite" in the K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies voice-over by Steven Wright.^[8] The song was played during the ear-cutting scene in which Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) taunts and tortures a bound police officer while singing and dancing to the song.^[9]

In 2000, the song was used in the American sitcom Malcolm In the Middle, in the first season's episode "Funeral"; in which Hal (Bryan Cranston) plays the song loudly on an old record, oblivious to the chaos unfolding around him in the house.