The Middle (Jimmy Eat World song)

"The Middle" is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released in November 2001 as the second single of their fourth album Bleed American. 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 having been dropped by Capitol Records in 1999.

"The Middle"
Single by Jimmy Eat World
from the album Bleed American
B-side"A Praise Chorus" (Radio 1 Session)
ReleasedNovember 5, 2001
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)

Background and composition

"The Middle" was written after Jimmy Eat World had been dropped from Capitol Records after their previous album Clarity had been released. 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/guitarist Jim Adkins explained to the Dallas Observer: "We were just about invisible there and it wasn't going to get any better."[4]

"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."[5] The band decided to finance the recording of the album and decided to 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."[4]

Once completed, Jimmy Eat World took Bleed American to record companies and was signed to DreamWorks Records. Bleed American was released in the middle of 2001 with the title track as the lead single. However, following the September 11 attacks the album's title was changed to Jimmy Eat World and the lead single failed to win airplay, although it reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks.

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.[6] Although they would have more Top 40 hits on the former chart, "The Middle" remains their sole 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.[7] "The Middle" was the most commercially successful single released from Bleed American.[6] 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.[8] "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."[9]

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."[10]

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.[11] In his review for Idolator, Stern observed both songs' similitude.[12] Hunter Hauk of The Dallas Morning News also remarked of the two songs' similarities, but was ambivalent of "Heartbeat Song"'s lack of innovation as compared to Clarkson's previous lead singles.[13]

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.

Usage in media

The track is featured in the videogames Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades and Guitar Hero World Tour.[14]

The song is featured in a season 4 episode of the American television series The Blacklist.

Singer Taylor Swift lip-synched the song in an Apple Music commercial that debuted on April 18, 2016.[15]

The song was used in the TV show The Middle's pilot episode.[16]

The song is featured in the movie Zoom[17] and in the trailer for The New Guy.[18]

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "The Middle"
  2. "A Praise Chorus" (Radio 1 Session)

AUS CD

  1. "The Middle"
  2. "No Sensitivity"
  3. "The Middle" (early demo)
  4. "The Middle" (video)

UK CD

  1. "The Middle"
  2. "If You Don't, Don't" (acoustic) (XFM session)
  3. "Game of Pricks" (Guided by Voices cover) (Radio 1 Session)
  4. "The Middle" (video)

The Middle/A Praise Chorus AUS Tour EP

  1. "The Middle"
  2. "A Praise Chorus" (album version)
  3. "Bleed American" (live from the 9:30 Club, Washington DC 6/4/02)
  4. "Firestarter" (The Prodigy cover)
  5. "The Middle" (acoustic)

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Live Review: Jimmy Eat World + Panic! At The Disco + Alkaline Trio - The Hi-Fi, Sydney (24.02.14) - the AU review". the AU review. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  2. "Top 10 Albums & Singles of 2002 - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  3. "The 100 Best Singles of the Aughts - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  4. Jim Adkins interview with Dallas Observer replayed in Contemporary Musicians 2002 Galenet
  5. Lyrics Archived October 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Jimmy Eat World's website
  6. Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World. AllMusic. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  7. JIMMY EAT WORLD - THE OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY. theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  8. "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Archived from the original on November 23, 2004. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  9. Pitchfork Staff. The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 200-101. Pitchfork Media. August 18, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  10. Heller, Jason. "How Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" became the best song for a bad time". avclub.com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. The Middle By Jimmy Eat World Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Rockband.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  15. Taylor Mic Drop. YouTube. April 18, 2016.
  16. "Jimmy Eat World". August 14, 2017.
  17. "Jimmy Eat World". April 21, 2020.
  19. "Australian-charts.com – Jimmy Eat World – The Middle". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  20. "Lescharts.com – Jimmy Eat World – The Middle" (in French). Les classement single.
  21. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Jimmy Eat World". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jimmy Eat World – The Middle" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. "Charts.nz – Jimmy Eat World – The Middle". Top 40 Singles.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  26. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  27. "Jimmy Eat World Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  28. "Jimmy Eat World Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  29. "Jimmy Eat World Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  30. "Jimmy Eat World Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  31. "Jimmy Eat World Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  32. "Billboard Top 100 – 2002". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  33. "The Year in Music 2002 – Hot Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-87. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  34. "Top AFP – Audiogest – Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  35. "British single certifications – Jimmy Eat World – The Middle". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
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