The Middle
Released: | 2001-07-24 |
First Played: | Live 1999-12-02 Green Room, Tempe, AZ, USA[1] |
Length: | 2:45 |
Label: | Dreamworks |
Writer: | Jimmy Eat World |
Producer: | Mark Trombino, Jimmy Eat World |
The Middle is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released in October 2002 as the first single released from the band's fourth album Bleed American, which was later retitled Jimmy Eat World.
Appears On
- iTunes Festival: London 2013
- Bleed American
- The Middle/A Praise Chorus Tour EP
- The Middle/A Praise Chorus Tour EP (As Acoustic)
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
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
[Verse 2]
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]
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
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
Woo!
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
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]
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
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
Recording Details
On 4 Track History, it was reveal that the track was written in as a "throw away song". [2]
Reception with Charting Data/Certification/Sales Data
Personnel
Jimmy Eat World
- Jim Adkins – lead vocals, lead guitar, percussion
- Rick Burch – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Zach Lind – drums
- Tom Linton – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Mark Trombino – synth emulator programming on The Middle
Production
- Mark Trombino – producer, engineering, mixing
- Jimmy Eat World – producer
- Justin Smith – assistant engineer
- William Eggleston – front cover photograph
- Christopher Wray-McCann – photography
- Jim Adkins – art direction
- Jeff Kleinsmith – art direction, design
- Jesse LeDoux – design
Other Versions
Live at iTunes Festival: London 2013

This is a digital only release of a live recording from the iTunes Festival (now known as the Apple Music Festival) held at The Roundhouse, Camden Town, UK on 2013-11-11. See iTunes Festival: London 2013 for details.
Acoustic (Ken Andrews Mix)


As appears on Good to Go EP and The Middle/A Praise Chorus Tour EP. This is the Ken Andrews recording/mix. Song Length is 3:08.
Acoustic (Mark Trombino Mix)

As appears on The Middle (And More) This is the Mark Trombino recording/mix. Song Length is 3:10.
COVID-19 Quarantine Acoustic Edition
On the week of 2020-03-21 Jim Adkins, filmed by Zach Lind recorded an acoustic version of this track from Unit 2 in Tempe Arizona though Facebook Live. This can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1324974214358570&ref=watch_permalink before playing the track Jim mentions it would have been while they were playing the Download Festival in Sidney Australia. [4]
See Also
References
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jimmy-eat-world/1999/green-room-tempe-az-73d2fe61.html, Jimmy Eat World Setlist Green Room, Tempe, AZ, USA, 1999-12-02, setlist.fm, setlist.fm, 2021-06-16,
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoDQMAXgxtE&t=20s, Jimmy Eat World - 4 Track History (Lucky Denver Mint/The Middle/Futures/I Will Steal You Back), Jimmy Eat World, 2019-11-09, YouTube, 2021-05-07,
- ↑ https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/11/5/20948766/jimmy-eat-world-interview-jim-adkins-zach-lind-surviving-new-album, How Jimmy Eat World Survived Emo Rock and Stopped Writing Themselves Off, Laven, Scott, 2019-11-05, Theringer.com, The Ringer, 2021-03-07,
- ↑ https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/jimmy-eat-world-criminal-energy-tour-dates-tickets/, Jimmy Eat World Announce “Criminal Energy Tour” with The Front Bottoms, Schatz, Lake, 2020-03-09, Consequence of Sound, Consequence of Sound, 2021-03-09,
External Links
https://music.avclub.com/how-jimmy-eat-world-s-the-middle-became-the-best-song-1798233196
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Middle_(Jimmy_Eat_World_song)
https://www.loudersound.com/features/jimmy-eat-world-how-we-wrote-the-middle
https://www.rocksound.tv/features/read/the-lasting-impact-of-bleed-american-by-jimmy-eat-world
https://twitter.com/jimmyeatworld/status/1286786984308957185?s=20
https://www.turnofftheradio.de/2015/05/best-of-2001.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3EGeIiik3s
https://genius.com/Jimmy-eat-world-the-middle-lyrics
- ↑ http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2001-08-02/hearthere.html, Jimmy Eat World Bleed American (DreamWorks), Mehr, Bob, 2001-08-02, Dallas Observer, Dallas Observer, 2022-01-09, https://web.archive.org/web/20041030010924/http://dallasobserver.com/issues/2001-08-02/hearthere.html., 2004-10-30