The Middle (Jimmy Eat World song)

"The Middle"
Single by Jimmy Eat World
from the album Bleed American
B-side"A Praise Chorus" (Radio 1 Session)
ReleasedOctober 2001 (2001-10)
Genre
Length2:46
LabelDreamWorks
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Eat World
Producer(s)
Jimmy Eat World singles chronology
"Bleed American"
(2001) 		"The Middle"
(2001) 		"Last Christmas"
(2001)

"The Middle" is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released in October 2001 as the second single of their fourth album, Bleed American (2001). It was a number-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2002 and reached the top 50 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song was a breakthrough hit for Jimmy Eat World, who had self-financed the recording of the Bleed American album after being dropped by Capitol Records in 1999. It is considered the band's signature song.[5][6]

Background and composition

"The Middle" was written after Jimmy Eat World had been dropped from Capitol Records following the release of Clarity, their previous album. Their second album, Static Prevails, had sold just 10,000 copies in 1996 and Capitol Records decided to drop the band in 1999 due to a change in priorities. Singer and guitarist Jim Adkins explained to the Dallas Observer: "We were just about invisible there and it wasn't going to get any better."[7]

"The Middle" reflects these trying times for the band with lyrics about "Don't write yourself off yet" when feeling "left out or looked down on."[8] The band decided to finance the recording of the album and keep things simple on the new record rather than experiment, as they had done on previous records. "On our new stuff, rather than challenging ourselves [by] getting real experimental, we kind of went in the other direction, challenging ourselves by getting very simple."[7]

Release and reception

When "The Middle" was released, the success of the album and the band was dependent on the single breaking through. By early 2002, the song had reached the top of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song then crossed over to top 40 radio, resulting in it reaching a peak of number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[9] Although they would have more Top 40 hits on the former chart, "The Middle" remains their only Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 to date. It was also the band's only appearance on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 39. The song also charted in the UK, reaching a peak of number 26 in 2002.[10] "The Middle" was the most commercially successful single released from Bleed American.[9] The band toured extensively behind the album, touring with Weezer, Tenacious D, Green Day, Blink-182, and the Vans Warped Tour as well as the band's own headlining tour.

"The Middle" was the most played song on radio in Canada in 2002.[11] Pitchfork Media named the track number 165 on its list of the top 500 tracks of the 2000s. Reviewer Mark Richardson wrote of the track: "And if your band delivers that message of hope with the kind of power-pop chorus hook that gives the best couple of Weezer songs a run for their money, you've accomplished something."[12]

In 2012, The A.V. Club published an article entitled, "How Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle' Became the Best Song for a Bad Time", with Jason Heller noting, "'The Middle' wasn't a sellout. It was a return to form, one made by a band that had a lot more wisdom, scars, and songwriting talent than it did seven years prior—and a band that was in a position where do or die looked like the only options."[13]

Critics compared Kelly Clarkson's single "Heartbeat Song" (2015) to "The Middle" due to a notable similarity between the melodies of the songs' verses, as well as their choruses.[14] In his review for Idolator, Bradley Stern observed both songs' similitude.[15] Hunter Hauk of The Dallas Morning News also remarked of the two songs' similarities, but was ambivalent about "Heartbeat Song"'s lack of innovation as compared to Clarkson's previous lead singles.[16]

In July 2022, a bootleg recording of Prince covering the song at an after-party for the 2009 Oscars resurfaced online. Adkins and drummer Zach Lind played the cover during an interview with Rock Sound, with Adkins describing the cover as "such a trip".[17]

Dylan Strome chose "The Middle" as his goal song upon joining the Washington Capitals in 2022, being played when he scores at home games.[18]

Music video

The song's video (directed by Paul Fedor) featuring young people in underwear received plenty of play on MTV, especially on Total Request Live.

The music video features a fully clothed teenage boy (Josh Keleher) who attends a pool party at which Jimmy Eat World is playing, only to find everyone, except the band, in their underwear. Much of the crowd is making out, but the boy is excluded. Finally, out of frustration, he starts to strip to be like the others, only to bump into a teenage girl doing the same thing in the closet he is in. The kids keep their clothes on and leave the party, arms around each other, as the song concludes.

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel adapted from CD booklet[25]

Jimmy Eat World

  • Jim Adkins – vocals, guitar, percussion
  • Rick Burch – bass guitar
  • Zach Lind – drums

Additional Personnel

  • Mark Trombino – synth emulator programming

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "The Middle"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[47] Gold 250,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[48] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Middle"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 2001 Alternative radio DreamWorks [50]
United Kingdom January 28, 2002
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [51]
Australia February 11, 2002 CD [52]
United States March 4, 2002
[53]

References

  1. ^ "Top 10 Albums & Singles of 2002 - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. December 15, 2002. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  2. ^ "Live Review: Jimmy Eat World + Panic! At The Disco + Alkaline Trio - The Hi-Fi, Sydney (24.02.14) - the AU review". the AU review. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  3. ^ "Explore: Emo-Pop". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  4. ^ "The 100 Best Singles of the Aughts - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. January 25, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "It just takes some time: Jimmy Eat World frontman reflects on 20 years of 'The Middle'". KUPD. July 22, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jimmy Eat World: Clarity". Pitchfork. June 6, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Jim Adkins interview with Dallas Observer replayed in Contemporary Musicians 2002 Galenet
  8. ^ Lyrics Archived October 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Jimmy Eat World's website
  9. ^ a b Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World. AllMusic. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  10. ^ JIMMY EAT WORLD - THE OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY. theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Archived from the original on November 23, 2004. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Pitchfork Staff. The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 200-101 Archived July 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork Media. August 18, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  13. ^ Heller, Jason. "How Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" became the best song for a bad time". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  14. ^ Feeney, Nolan (February 5, 2015). "Watch Some Really, Really Sad People Find Love Again in Kelly Clarkson's New Music Video". Time. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  15. ^ Stern, Bradley (January 12, 2015). "Kelly Clarkson Teases Comeback "Heartbeat Song," Due Out January 12". Idolator. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  16. ^ Hauk, Hunter (January 15, 2015). "How does Kelly Clarkson's 'Heartbeat Song' compare to her other albums' lead singles?". Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  17. ^ Masley, Ed. "Watch what happens when Jimmy Eat World sees Prince cover their big hit 'The Middle'". AZ Central. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  18. ^ https://twitter.com/sammisilber/status/1582175326813458433?lang=en [bare URL]
  19. ^ The Middle (US CD single liner notes). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 848-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ The Middle (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2002. 450 848-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ The Middle (UK cassette single sleeve). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2002. 450 848-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ The Middle (UK CD single liner notes). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2002. 450 876-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ The Middle (European CD single liner notes). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 875-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ The Middle (Australian CD single liner notes). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks Records. 2002. 450 854-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Bleed American (CD booklet). Jimmy Eat World. DreamWorks/Geffen Records/UMe/Interscope. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  34. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
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  47. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Jimmy Eat World; 'The Middle')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
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