This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs
Movie: Reservoir Dogs
The torture scene in Reservoir Dogs wouldn’t be the same without this song. Torture scenes don’t often start with the question “Ever listen to K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70s?” and end with a policeman’s right ear cut off. But in the world of Tarantino, that’s just how it has to be. The director has a knack for finding the right track to enhance his scenes, and “Stuck in the Middle With You” was one his finest selections. The scene might make you cringe, but the music brings you into the fold.
The track’s melody is so addictive that it wasn’t completely absurd that Mr. Blonde shuffled his feet to it right before wielding his knife. Gerry Rafferty’s vocals are almost Dylan-esque with his nasal undertone. And that famous guitar slide and cowbell carried us into the song. Twenty years later, we would hear these sounds again mimicked on Sheryl Crow’s debut record. “Stuck in the Middle With You” became a one-hit wonder with two lives—an unforgettable birth in 1973 and then an equally unforgettable rebirth 20 years later.
“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”