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I don't think Jimmy Eat World have written a better song than 'The Middle'.

It's a heady mix of punk fuelled energy and pure pop sensibility.

A full blown three minute adrenaline rush of chugging guitars, thundering drums and a chorus that just grabs your by the hand and sends you spiraling into a flurry of mad dancing. It's one of those songs that manages the rare trick of being great no matter when, where or how often you hear it. The problem of course, is that it was the first song of theirs I ever heard and it set a standard by which I judge every other Jimmy Eat World song. Now I'm fully aware of how unfair that is but it's just the way it is.

Sometimes a band hits on a song so perfect in every way that everything else they do just sounds a bit flat. A bit of a let down. It's the one hit wonder phenomenon. And it's not necessarily a bad thing. So many bands and artists stumble across the perfect pop formula, capture it in three glorious minutes and then spend the rest of their career being judged by it. Some attempt to recapture it, knocking off bad formulaic imitations that make them look like one trick ponies. Some run desperately away from it, hating the success and bitterly not wishing to be defined by it. And some just get on with writing more songs that never capture that moment again, that never break through to the mainstream but that are loved by enough people to allow them to continue making music.

I guess most of us who are passionate about music have loads of bands we love that are ignored by the mainstream press. Critically acclaimed bands that never particularly trouble the charts or the airwaves. That maybe crossover once or twice with a high chart position. That give you a weird moment of pride and satisfaction when you see them on TV show that would never normally look twice at them. It used to annoy me intensely to hear my favourite bands referred to as one hit wonders just because they'd only had one acknowledged chart hit. Before Nick Cave was accepted as some kind of elder statesmen, it would wind me up no end to hear people describe him as just that creepy, pale looking bloke who once sang with Kylie Minogue. To hear such an important artist with as immense back catalogue as his dismissed with such a comment would rile me up no end. Normally by people with no real interest in music. People with such bad taste in music that to have a conversation with them about it was near impossible. The kind of conversation where you feel like you should apologise for them not knowing any of the bands that you're talking about. The kind of people who think that Snow Patrol are a cutting edge alternative band. Who say they love Jeff Buckley but only know 'Hallelujah' because they heard it on some shitty American teen drama. I guess there'll be a Jimmy Eat World fan out there who'll read this and feel the same way about me. Not that I'm saying they're a one hit wonder. They've a fair few songs that I enjoy listening to, it's just that for me, none of them come close to touching 'The Middle'.

Jimmy Eat World - the middle (live session version) original version available on 'Jimmy Eat World'

Jimmy Eat World - salt sweat sugar (live session version) original version available on 'Jimmy Eat World'

Jimmy Eat World - game of pricks (live session version)

Jimmy Eat World - a praise chorus (live session version) original version available on 'Jimmy Eat World'

mp3 / music / jimmy eat world