The Middle defeats Sweetness! (80% - 20%)

The Contenders:

"The Middle" - Jimmy Eat World


vs.

"Sweetness" - Jimmy Eat World


The Story:

It's unfortunate, but Jimmy Eat World is a really fine example of a band with two uber-popular songs that never manages to crack the radio again afterward.

It's unfortunate because they have a ton of songs that are really, really good, including but not limited to:

- "If You Don't, Don't"
- "For Me This Is Heaven"
- "The Authority Song"
- "Bleed American"

Given how many sweet trax these guys have, how is it that they aren't more popular?

I'll tell you why. It's that damned Mr. Feeny stealing everyone's thunder again.

Put yourself in the shoes of a teenager living in the late '90s. You went out and bought "Clarity", threw it on the old record player, and let it play. Your friends were all really impressed with you: "Oh man, I've never heard of this band before! They MUST be good!" (Did I mention your friends were all hipsters that live for Indie Rock Battles?)

They ask you, "What band is this?" And you tell them, "It's Jimmy Eat World!" And they're all like, "Ohh, damn, that's too bad."

They say, "Unfortunately, I'm already obsessed with 'Boy Meets World', and it wouldn't be fair to my brain to like both of those things."

My research shows that Boy Meets World was in its final season in 1999, when Jimmy Eat World's first CD came out. How confusing would that have been for a twelve year old (1999 - 1987 = 12) to try to enjoy a television show, as well as a band with a very similar name? I know *I* couldn't have handled it, that's for sure.

That show was pretty good, though.

VOTE ON THE RIGHT!