Photo: AVRO, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
When most fans hear the name Stealers Wheel, the song “Stuck In The Middle With You,” pops into their head. It’s just one of those songs from the 1970s that you heard all the time on the radio. “Stuck In The Middle With You,” had a great groove, fantastic guitar playing, unbelievable vocal and memorable melody. And if time caused you to possibly forget the song as we all grew older into the 80s and 90s, well then good old Quentin Tarantino brought it right back out front using the song in one of his most twisted scenes in his directorial debut Reservoir Dogs. Stealers Wheel didn’t really have any other big hits. They weren’t together for a long time as the group only released three albums.
Stealers Wheel was first formed in 1972 by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty who had known each other since they were teenagers. The two friends added musicians Ian Campbell, Roger Brown and Rab Noakes. After the band broke up in 1975, Gerry Rafferty would go on to have a successful solo career. He had tremendous success with the album City To City which was released in 1978. It was an album that spawned two huge hit singles entitled “Right Down the Line,” and “Baker Street.” Gerry Rafferty passed away in 2011.
As the years have passed, Stealers Wheel has become sort of a cult band. They’re always fans who love to dig deep into bands that didn’t last too long but left a mark on Rock and Roll history. Our Top 10 Stealers Wheels songs list presents hardcore fan favorites from their three year run between 1972 and 1975.
# 10 – You Put Something Better Inside Me
We open up our Top 10 Stealers Wheel songs list with the wonderful track “You Put Something Better Inside Of Me.” This one has long been a favorite of Stealers Wheel fans. The song was released on the group’s debut album Stealers Wheel. It was the album’s closing track. “You Put Something Better Inside Of Me,” was released as the album’s second single.
# 9 – Steamboat Row
Continuing with our top 10 Stealers Wheel songs list we turn to the great song “Steamboat Row.” The great sea sounding Celtic song appeared on the album Ferguslie Park. This is such a great song. Raftery’s voice just cuts right through you.
# 8 – I Get By
” I Get By,” is a song written by Joe Egan. It’s one of the band’s heavier songs. Featuring some great guitar work and a rocking vocals by Joe Egan, the song presented another side of Stealers Wheel. The song was released on the band’s debut album Stealers Wheel. The album featured some great musicians including Gerry Rafferty on guitar and lead vocals, Joe Egan on keyboards and lead vocals, Paul Pilnick on lead guitar, Iain Campbell on bass, Tony Williams also on bass, Rod Coombes on drums and Luther Grosvenor on slide guitar
# 7 – Gets So Lonely
The Stealers Wheel song “Get So Lonely,” was released on the band’s debut album Stealers Wheel in 1972. The song was written by Joe Egan.
# 6 – Found My Way To You
The great Stealers Wheel song “Found My Way Back To You,” was released on the band’s final album entitled Right Or Wrong. The album was released in 1975. Sadly the record just missed breaking the Billboard Top 200 as it peaked at 201. “Found My Way Back To You,” was released as the album’s only single. The song failed to chart. It would be the last single the band ever released.
# 5 – Late Again
Continuing at number five we go from the last Stealers Wheel single ever released to the first one ever released. “Late Again,” was released as a single in 1972. It also appeared on the band’s debut album Stealers Wheel.
# 4 – Wheelin’
Wheelin’ was released on the band’s second album Ferguslie Park. The album was released in 1973. The great song by Stealers Wheel had a bit of a Beatles feel to it. Easily one of our favorite Stealers Wheel songs.
# 3 – Everyone’s Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine
As we get closer to the top spot on this top 10 Stealers Wheel songs list we turn to a song that has quite possibly the longest title in the Stealers Wheel catalog. The song “Everyone’s Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine,” was released on the 1973 album Ferguslie Park. The song was one of only three Stealers Wheel singles’ to break the Billboard Top 100.
# 2 – Star
The Stealers Wheel song “Star,” was the band’s second most successful commercial release. The song hit number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the only Stealers Wheel song besides “Stuck In The Middle With You,” to break the U.S. Billboard Top 40. The song was released on the band’s second album Ferguslie Park.
# 1 – Stuck in the Middle with You
We close out our top 10 Stealers Wheel songs list with the song that the band is most known for. And it was a big one. The song “Stuck In The Middle With You,” was released on Stealers Wheel’s debut album Stealers Wheel. Interestingly, the song “Stuck In The Middle With You,” was not released as the album’s first single which pretty much defined that the band or their record company had no idea how great of a song they had on their hands. “Stuck In The Middle With You,” was issued as the album’s third single. Even though the album was released in 1972, “Stuck In The Middle With You,” was not released as a single until 1973.
“Stuck In The Middle With You,” became a top 10 hit in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. It peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It hit number eight in the United Kingdom and just missed the number one spot in Canada as it stalled at number one in the land of the Maple Tree.
“Stuck In The Middle With You,” was written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan. The song and album was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller who had written many legendary songs recorded by Elvis Presley and many other 50s and 60s artists. The song featured some great slide guitar playing by Luther Grosvenor who had also played in Spooky Tooth and Mott the Hoople. Gerry Rafferty sang lead vocal on the track.
Since it’s initial release, the song “Stuck In The Middle With You,” has really infiltrated pop culture. Quentin Tarantino’s brilliant use of the song in his movie Reservoir Dogs not only resurrected the song, it spawned many spoofs of the Quentin Tarantino scene from Reservoir Dogs which continued to keep giving more exposure to the song. The song has also been used in many television shows including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Malcom In The Middle, Happy! and more. It is also used as the theme song for CNN’s The Michael Smerconish Program. For Joe Egan and the estate of Gerry Rafferty “Stuck In The Middle With You,” could also be called “Stuck Making Money for You.” It’s a song that will probably always be a part of mainstream culture.
