The Bob Dylan parody that was so good it fooled audiences
An artist as highly influential as Bob Dylan is bound to inspire some copycats. But one band did a Dylan impression so flawlessly that the watching world really believed it was him.
Most people have undoubtedly heard the song and had the thought, ‘Is that Dylan?’. The 1973 track from Stealers Wheel, ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’, is a huge hit. Having gone platinum in the UK, the track has sold over 600,000 certified units.
Soundtracking the infamous torture scene from Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s movie made ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ an even bigger success. Bringing the 1970s track into the 1990s and beyond, the song remains a totally timeless classic.
Written by the Scottish duo Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, the school friends were only a band for a few years. ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ is their only notable hit, but the track really has another singer to thank for its success.
Tired of slaving away in the music industry and dealing with men in suits, Stealers Wheel wanted to get out some grievances. ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ pokes fun at the many figures and stereotypes found in music, deeming record label executives “jokers” and “clowns” as they recount a party.
“We signed a contract with a big American company, and they threw a launch party in a chic restaurant in Chelsea,” Rafferty told Record Collector. “There was a huge table with about 50 people there, record company executives and their wives, and musicians and their wives, and the wine was flowing. It was a boisterous evening, but I was sandwiched between two rather boring label executives and their wives. Two days later, Joe Egan and I sat down, and we wrote that song in half an hour.”
But despite telling their own tale, upon the song’s release, Stealers Wheel didn’t get all the credit. Instead, people believed it was a new Bob Dylan song when they heard it on the radio.
Listening back, it’s easy to understand the mix-up. The upbeat acoustic guitar feels reminiscent of Dylan’s folk stylings. It’s the vocals, however, that caused the confusion. Gerry Rafferty’s country-twanged vocals sound just like Dylan’s, copying his signature style of strange enunciation. Fans have also noted that the sense of paranoia in the track feels reminiscent of Dylan’s lyricism.
According to Rafferty, the likeness was unintentional. “That happened by chance,” Rafferty said. “The vocal inflexions are certainly reminiscent of Bob Dylan, and if I’ve taken anything from him, it’s his phrasing. I suppose the subject matter and the rather dark humour are akin to Dylan too.”
However, the parody of Dylan feels fitting in a song about the music industry and its clowns. As the American folk artist sat at the top of the musical food chain, Dylan was starting to be considered a sell-out after he turned to an electric guitar and stopped writing so much about politics.
Still, to this day, the Stealers Wheel track is often wrongly credited to Dylan. But as the one-hit wonder made the band a success, they probably don’t mind.
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