When the time we have now ends
And when the big hand goes round again
Can you still hear the butterflies?
Can you still hear the last goodnight?
—For Me This Is Heaven
Jimmy Eat World is an
Alternative Rock/
Pop Punk/
Emo band from Mesa, Arizona. They were formed in 1993 when singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind,
who had been friends since kindergarten, formed a band with guitarist/singer Tom Linton and bassist
Mitch Porter. They released their first
Self-Titled Album in 1994 in 1994 on indie label Wooden Blue records. The record was mostly sloppy punk rock, with Tom singing lead vocals on all but one song, and the album has long been
out of print. Soon after, Mitch Porter left the band and was replaced by Rick Burch.
After cutting their teeth in the indie scene, Jimmy Eat World got a major label contract with Capitol Records and recorded two classic albums,
Static Prevails and
Clarity, which were both highly influential on the rising emo scene.
Clarity in particular was considered one of the best records of the 90's for it's epic, sprawling, and
experimental sound, especially in the 16-minute album closer "Goodbye Sky Harbor". It also is known for being the first album to feature Jim on lead vocals - he has been their lead singer for all of their later albums.
Unfortunately, their major-label contract was
Too Good to Last, as the band were dropped by Capitol due to poor album sales and
Executive Meddling. While most bands would break up or toil in obscurity after this kind of thing, Jimmy Eat World had one of the biggest comebacks in recent years when they released
Bleed American in 2001, which contained their chart-topper "The Middle". The album had several singles that made the Billboard Modern Rock chart and had heavy rotation on MTV, essentially bringing emo from being an underground scene to one of the biggest genres of the 00's. Pretty good for an album that was
recorded entirely on the band's dime while they were looking for a new recording contract.The band toured with
blink-182 and
Green Day in 2001, and recorded their follow-up
Futures in 2004. Although the album was not quite as successful because of it's
darker and heavier sound, it still had some airplay on rock radio with the singles "Work" and "Pain". Although the band has lost a bit of their popularity over the years, they still have a dedicated fanbase and play one hell of a live show. They've also recorded two albums since then,
Chase This Light in 2007 and
Invented in 2010.
Chase This Light shows a return to the poppy sound of
Bleed American, while
Invented seems to be a mix of everything they've done over the years, combining the heavy rock of
Futures, the catchy singles of
Bleed American and the experimental edge of
Clarity.
Discography- Jimmy Eat World (1994)
- Static Prevails (1996)
- ''Clarity" (1999)
- "Lucky Denver Mint"
- "Clarity"
- "Goodbye Sky Harbor"
- Bleed American (2001)
- "The Middle"
- "Sweetness"
- "A Praise Chorus"
- "Bleed American"
- Futures (2004)
- Chase This Light (2007)
- Invented (2010)
- "Coffee and Cigarettes"
- "Heart Is Hard To Find"
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