Jimmy Eat World Artistfacts

Jimmy Eat World song list

Jimmy Eat World Artistfacts

1994-
Jim AdkinsVocals, guitar
Tom LintonGuitar, vocals
Rick BurchBass1995-
Zach LindDrums
Mitch PorterBass1994-1995
Being dumped by their record label in 1999 may have been the best thing that ever happened to these guys. Since then they have broken through to the mainstream with #1 rock tracks like "The Middle" and "Pain."
Once on their own, they did a self-promoted tour of Europe using the van bought for them by the record company. They had never had records released anywhere but the United States.
In 2000, they played Germany's two biggest festivals, Bizarre and PopKomm, and in 2000 their 1999 album charted there. That helped raise money for future recordings.
They formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. Adkins and Lind had been friends since preschool and wanted to start a band with a punk rock edge.
Signed to Capitol Records in 1995 after a mere few months of playing locally.
Their debut album, Static Prevails, sold only 10,000 copies, but it's just gone up from there with the platinum-certified Bleed American and gold-certified Futures.
"Jimmy" is Linton's younger brother, who had a weight problem. Adkins' younger brother drew a picture on Jimmy's door of him putting a globe in his mouth, and wrote on it "Jimmy Eat World." That's how they got their name.
Adkins believes in crafting an album as a collection of potential singles. "It might sound conceited or arrogant to say," he told Performing Songwriter, "but when we hand in a record, the whole thing is singles. I've always though that. That's the place you gotta be when you're done with an album - to think every song is worthy of a 'Hey, here's my band' kind of level."
Adkins on doing covers: "It's tough because there are two ways to approach a cover. One is the karaoke version, which is fun because you get to pretend like you're in that band. And the other, which I find more fun, is to pick out the parts you like or things that mean something - whether it's lyrics or progression - and throw away everything you don't like and work off that. The song won't sound anything like the original when you're done, but at that point it's yours."
In their early days, the band was saddled with the emo label. Rick Burch reflected on the term: "We thought it was unfair to all the bands [who were called emo]," he told Fort Worth Weekly. "Our music could be very emotional, but so was Fred Durst's [former frontman for Limp Bizkit]. All the so-called 'emo' groups played different styles of music, but [some music writers] decided to concentrate on just one side of our sound."
Jim Adkins isn't one of those guys who can write songs by appointment. "Songwriting is basically trying to pick your line and fall down the tree," he said in a Songfacts interview. "It's spontaneous, it's instant, it's something you're compelled to do and you just do it. You're just drawn to it and you don't question it and you just go."
Before breaking out with her 2016 album Honest Life, Courtney Marie Andrews was a backing vocalist on Jimmy Eat World's 2010 album Invented. She joined them on their subsequent tour as a singer and keyboard player.

Comments: 6

Jimmy Eat World from AmericaThanks For the support guys
Make sure you check out our up and coming tours!!!
Megan from Los Angeles , Cai like the song hear you me
a lot of people dont know the true meaning to the song. most people think its about just friends. find out the meaning and it will touch you
A.j. from Chicago, IlActually, Jimmy Eat World released "Bleed American" July 2001. That's the one with "The Middle" and "The Authority Song" and stuff. It was just re-released in October and the only thing they released were to words from the cover. The name of track #1 "Bleed American" was never officially changed, but some people still call it "Salt Sweat Sugar."

I bought "Bleed American" September 10th, 2001.
Mike from Germantown, United StatesThey Were Going to call one of their albums Bleed American, but did'nt after 9/11.
Jon from Luton, EnglandJimmy Eat World rule, the lyrics 'The first star I see, may not be, a star' from their song 'For Me This Is Heaven' feature in Something Corporate's 'Konstantine'.
Everett from Providence, RiJimmy Eat World's real first album was self titled. Label or not its still an album. The second was called 1-2-3-4(an E.P.) and Clarity was thier fourth after Static Prevails. Many think their first was Bleed American but that was thier 5th. since 2002 they were thought to be a one hit wonder(The Middle), but they also released "Sweetness" which was a great song but not very popular. They are coming out with a new album called "Futures" in fall 2004. can't wait!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

I Want You BackThe Jackson 5

Michael Jackson was only 11 years and 5 months old when the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" became the group's first #1 hit. This made Jackson the youngest group member ever to top the Hot 100.

Forget YouCeeLo Green

The dirty version of Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You" contains 16 F-bombs. He recorded a clean version as an afterthought, "just in case."

IronicAlanis Morissette

The events described in Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic," like rain on your wedding day, are not examples of irony. Irony is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.

Devil InsideINXS

In the INXS song "Devil Inside," the devil represents chaos. "Every time you think something's right, he comes in and changes everything," Michael Hutchence said.

SiriusThe Alan Parsons Project

The song used in introductions by the Chicago Bulls and many other sports teams is "Sirius" by The Alan Parsons project, the opening track on the Eye In The Sky album.

I Remember EverythingZach Bryan

Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves had both gone through divorces when they wrote and recorded the wrenching duet "I Remember Everything." It was the first #1 Hot 100 hit for each of them.