But it was going to take more than a decent campus rep to move forward.
Then came “The Middle.”
1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.
Jimmy Eat World, performing live in 2002 on ‘The Tonight Show’.Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Even more improbable, the song was written in one sitting.
In your head, it makes it less valuable," Adkins tells EW.
“At first, I didn’t have much of a high opinion of it.”
The album cover of ‘Bleed American.’ Following the Sept. 11 attacks, it was re-released as ‘Jimmy Eat World’.DreamWorks Records
Then he played the demo for his bandmates.
But the story behind the band’s runaway hit is a bit more complicated than that.
“We were weirdly optimistic.”
The music video for ‘The Middle’ was inspired by a ‘Brady Bunch’ plotline.Jimmy Eat World/YouTube
By 1999, Jimmy Eat World was a college-radio favorite.
The Arizona-based quartet had releasedClarity, which peaked at No.
But in the eyes of the band’s major-label home, Capitol Records, that wasn’t enough.
Lack of sales and radio airplay led executives to drop the band.
JIM ADKINS, (singer/guitarist):Being dropped happened in the background.
Not much was happening at the label.
It’s not like we were relying on them for everything.
We were making everything on our own anyway.
RICK BURCH, (bassist):We gave zero time or energy to being bummed about being dropped.
It actually felt like we were able to point ourselves in the direction we thought was right.
They decided to save money made from touring to use for recording.
They brought on producer Mark Trombino, who had helped shape the sound ofClarityand 1996’sStatic Prevails.
As relentless as the schedule was, they noticed crowds growing at shows.
The future seemed bright.
ADKINS:We knew from touring that things were getting a little bit better.
It was rising slowly.
We’d notice when we’d have a better opening slot for some other, bigger band.
ZACH LIND (drummer)We were weirdly optimistic when I think a lot of bands wouldn’t be.
On one hand, we were using this shoestring budget.
On the other hand, we were figuring out ways to go into nice rooms and get good sounds.
It was this weird thing where we felt like we were getting away with something.
A lot of that is because Mark decided,We’ll figure out the money later.
Let’s just make the album.
I happily agreed to make the record as we could.
They would tour a little bit, raise some money, then we could afford some studio time.
We felt like we could finance the album with that.
LIND:Our thinking was, “Let’s use this for the album.”
We had always been in that mode.
It allowed us to take more time.
[Laughs]We were in Philly at [the bar] Tattooed Mom.
The entire night, he was just sitting there[acts out clutching a bag to his chest].
LIND:We were such idiots at the time, but we planned it pretty well.
That was the reason it turned out the way it did.
We didn’t have to run anything by anybody or get anybody’s approval.
And Capitol wanted to re-sign Jimmy Eat World.
TROMBINO:As we were making the record, word started getting out.
There was momentum building about signing Jimmy Eat World.
By the end of it, the energy became more exciting.
When we started, they were a band that had been dropped from a major label.
By the end of it, they were a band that was being courted by every major label.
[Laughs]
“It was apparent that ‘The Middle’ was the one.”
Jimmy Eat World eventually signed with DreamWorks Records, and they releasedBleed Americanon July 24, 2001.
Quickly, the band made the decision to retitle the album asJimmy Eat World.
For the second single, they went with “The Middle.”
After the song’s November 2001 release, it reached No.
1 on the Alternative Airplay chart, and No.
5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
By August 2002, Jimmy Eat World’s renamed, self-titled fourth album was certified platinum.
Pretty good for a song Adkins wrote and nearly tossed off two years prior.
I had one of Zach’s first drum sets that I had bought off him.
I did this rough outline of what became “The Middle.”
The music and lyrics came at least within an hour of each other.
There were some tweaks when we came to the band editing process.
It was like, what can we do to make it better?
I immediately thought that people were going to like and connect to these songs.
I didn’t know to what degree.
ADKINS:This was probably 1999.
No one was sending demos in those days.
I don’t even know if we traded cassettes.
It’s never about being there at the top.
The fun is getting there.
That’s what I have a go at evangelize: Enjoy the struggle.
That’s where you’re going to find grit and perseverance.
ADKINS:It’s a completely literal song.
She wasn’t being accepted by a clique of friends because she wasn’t punk enough.
I thought that was ridiculous.
I was like,It doesn’t matter what you think is a big deal now.
You don’t need these people’s validation anyway.
TROMBINO:I’m not a hitmaker guy.
I’m not a guy who understands pop music really well.
It didn’t really resonate with me the way that other songs did.
But it was obvious to a lot of other people that it was a “hit song.”
It was apparent that it was the one.
That was my reference song.
ADKINS:I don’t think there was a guitar solo on the original demo.
It was just instrumental.
The solo wasn’t final until we got into the studio.
For some reason, I thought of that.
ISRAEL:[The song] changes your state.
You go from driving slow to driving fast; sad to happy.
Whether you like that kind of music or not, it’s undeniable.
LIND:There was no debate about the second single.
It was going to be “The Middle.”
It’s one of those songs that showed itself.
It was this immediate song.
It makes you feel good.
It’s a simple song that has no wasted motion.
They shot the video in their home state.
PAUL FEDOR (music video director):It was 108 degrees.
I was fully dressed, and I almost passed out on set.
I wasn’t used to the Arizona heat.
ADKINS:We thought the overarching idea and theme he had seemed like it fit with the song.
That’s all you’ve got the option to hope for in that situation.
We gave a lot of control to Paul and his world.
We wanted a video that would get played.
[Laughs]
FEDOR:The idea came from watchingThe Brady Bunch.
“[Laughs]It was one of those concepts that people borrow from all the time.
The video played on MTV’sTRL, and the song rose on the charts.
TROMBINO:I couldn’t believe that it became a hit.
ADKINS:Our entire career as a band to that point felt like we were getting away with something.
We were thinking, “This is ridiculous that we’re doing this.”
On that tour, I would do a lot of running and exercising.
That was so funny.
LIND:We were weirdly out of touch with the success of the album.
Take stock of what’s going on and acknowledge the moment.
TROMBINO:We madeBleed American.
It became what it became, and it was vindication, like, yeah, we got this.
We know what we’re doing.
Hot off the success of “The Middle,” Jimmy Eat World continued to tour through 2003.
With the release of 2004’sFutures, the band solidified its status as a pop-rock powerhouse.
But the guys are kind and sincere.
They put it on the line.
They never take success for granted.
They’re incredible people, and I don’t say that for many.
TROMBINO:Nowadays, I own a donut shop.
Our playlist is all the music that I recorded, produced, or listened to.
It’s almost like the soundtrack of my life, and “The Middle” comes on a lot.
[Laughs]Every time it does, you know what?
I’m not gonna lie.
I’m pretty proud of that thing.
I f—ing did that.
I feel good about it every time I hear it.
HADEN:It puts me in a good mood.
BURCH:Sometimes we’re asked the question, “What song do you overplay?”
It’s actually quite the opposite.
It’s like a light switch turns on.
It’s nothing but smiles.
