The Middle
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| “The Middle” | |||||
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| Single by Jimmy Eat World from the album Bleed American |
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| Released | 2001 | ||||
| Format | CD | ||||
| Recorded | – | ||||
| Genre | Pop punk | ||||
| Length | 2:46 | ||||
| Label | Dreamworks R6538 | ||||
| Jimmy Eat World singles chronology | |||||
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"The Middle" is a single from Jimmy Eat World. It is the second single and third track from Jimmy Eat World's album Bleed American. It was a top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 2002. 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).
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[edit] Preparing the song
"The Middle" was written after Jimmy Eat World had been dropped from Capitol Records after its previous album Clarity had been released. Its first 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." [1]
"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" [2]. It was just one of a number of tracks that was receiving a strong positive response from fans at concerts. 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" [3].
"The Middle" runs 2:46 and is the exemplar of the new approach. 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, 2001 attacks the album's title was changed to a self-titled album and the lead single failed to win airplay although it reached the top 20 of the Billboard modern rock albums.
[edit] Hit
When "The Middle" was released, the success of the album and the band was dependent on the single breaking through. By the end of 2001, the song had reached the top of the Billboard modern rock track charts. The song was starting to cross over to Top 40 radio resulting in it reaching a peak of #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted in the UK reaching a peak of #26 in 2002 [4]. The band toured extensively behind the album, touring with Weezer, Tenacious D, blink-182, and the Vans Warped Tour as well as the band's own headlining tour.
The band released "Sweetness" and "A Praise Chorus". However, it was the success of "The Middle" that led to Bleed American becoming a million seller in the US.
[edit] Use in media
- "The Middle" was included in the films Orange County, Life or Something Like It, Zoom, and in the trailer for The New Guy.
- There was a cover of "The Middle" (as well as a cover of "The Authority Song") recorded by D.O.R.K. and used in American Pie Presents: Band Camp.
[edit] Music video
The song's video, directed by Paul Fedor, featuring young people in underwear was receiving plenty of play on MTV especially on Total Request Live.
The video features a fully clothed teenage boy (Josh Keleher) who attends a house 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 wardrobe he is in. The kids keep their clothes on and leave the party, arms around each other, as the song concludes.
[edit] Tracklist
AUS CD
- The Middle (album version)
- No Sensitivity (non-album)
- The Middle (early demo)
- The Middle (video)
UK CD
- The Middle
- If You Don't, Don't (acoustic) (XFM session)
- Game Of Pricks (Guided By Voices cover) (Radio 1 Session)
- The Middle (video)
The Middle/A Praise Chorus AUS Tour EP
- The Middle
- A Praise Chorus (album version)
- Bleed American (live from the 9:30 Club, Washington DC 6/4/02)
- Firestarter (non-album) (The Prodigy cover)
- The Middle (acoustic)
[edit] Lyrics
The Middle Hey, Don't write yourself off yet. It's only in your head you feel left out, Or looked down on. Just try your best, Try everything you can. And don't you worry what they tell themselves When you're away.
[Chorus] It just takes some time, Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine, Everything, everything will be alright. (alright)
Hey, You know they're all the same. You know you're doing better on your own, (on your own) So don't buy in. Live right now. Yeah, just be yourself. It doesn't matter if it's good enough (good enough) For someone else.
[Chorus x2]
Hey, don't write yourself off yet. It's only in your head you feel left out, (feel left out) Or looked down on. Just do your best, (just do your best) Do everything you can. (do everything you can) And don't you worry what their bitter hearts (bitter hearts) Are gonna say.
[Chorus x2]
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Jim Adkins interview with Dallas Observer replayed in Contemporary Musicians 2002 Galenet
- ^ Jimmy Eat World "The Middle" lyrics
- ^ Adkins interview with Dallas Observer op. cit.
- ^ US Billboard chart references from All Music Guide. UK chart references from Top-40 Charts.com.
[edit] References
- Spin feature on Jimmy Eat World
- "Quietly, (like, real quietly) Jimmy Eat World have become the avatars of emo - whatever it is" Entertainment Weekly June 21, 2002 i659
- Allmusic.com article on Bleed American
- Contemporary Musicians 2002 article on Jimmy Eat World Gale publications 2005
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D. |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single April 13 - May 4, 2002 |
Succeeded by "Seein' Red" by Unwritten Law |
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