In 1973, the band Stealers Wheel launched “Stuck in the Middle With You,” a music that many listeners have incorrectly attributed to Bob Dylan. Dylan had nothing to do with the music, however it’s unsurprising that individuals suppose it was his. The lyrics sound like Dylan might have written them, and the nasally vocals sound like his. In actuality, “Stuck in the Middle With You” was a shock hit that singer Gerry Rafferty wrote to parody Dylan.
The music ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ is supposed to sound like Bob Dylan
In 1973, Scottish band Stealers Wheel launched “Stuck in the Middle With You,” a music about their expertise within the music business.
“We signed a contract with a big American company and they threw a launch party in a chic restaurant in Chelsea,” Rafferty advised 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.”
After the music’s launch, folks started evaluating the music to Dylan’s work. Some listeners even believed it was a brand new music by Dylan.
“That happened by chance,” Rafferty mentioned. “The vocal inflections 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.”
The vocals are a transparent parody of Dylan’s distinct model. Many listeners have additionally famous that the sense of paranoia within the music additionally seems like Dylan.
“Well I don’t know why I came here tonight/I’ve got the feeling that something ain’t right/I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair/And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,” Rafferty sings within the opening verse.
What different songs have parodied Bob Dylan?
Dylan’s distinct model makes him a goal for musical parody, and a few artists have jumped on the probability to put in writing one. In 1965, Paul Simon — who was not a fan of Dylan’s character — wrote the cruel parody “A Simple Desultory Philippic.”
In 1979, John Lennon wrote the music “Serve Yourself,” which took direct goal at Dylan’s music “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Lennon couldn’t stand the music, and wrote his personal model to make his irritation with the path of Dylan’s music clear.
Lastly, unsurprisingly, “Weird Al” Yankovic launched the music “Bob” in 2003. It is palindromic, which means that each line reads the identical backward because it does ahead.
Bob Dylan has written music to poke enjoyable at different artists
A variety of artists have parodied Dylan, and he has executed one thing related. After listening to The Beatles’ music “Norwegian Wood,” which he instantly impressed, Dylan grew irritated. Too many artists have been copying his model.
“What is this? It’s me, Bob. He’s doing me!” Dylan mentioned, per the guide Who Is That Man? In Search of the Actual Bob Dylan by David Dalton. “Even Sonny and Cher are doing me, but, f***ing hell, I invented it.”
Because of this, he wrote the music “4th Time Around” to parody the Lennon-penned tune.