Stealers Wheel were more than one-hit wonders, but they will always be remembered for their trademark single Stuck in the Middle With You (1973), from their eponymous debut album, released the previous year. Written by Joe Egan, who has died aged 77, and Gerry Rafferty, it reached No 8 on the UK chart, before going global and jumping to No 6 on the US chart. It sold more than a million copies.
Over a rambling folk-rock beat, the song described a freak show in which the singer was surrounded by “clowns”, “jokers” and assorted parasites, prompting an attack of advanced paranoia (“I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair”). Both the subject matter and Rafferty’s whiny lead vocal (Egan sang the harmony part) prompted comparisons with Bob Dylan, though there may be a little bit of Randy Newman’s Mama Told Me Not to Come in there too.
