2. “Sweetness” (Bleed American, 2001)
You are listening to “Sweetness” with your entire chest, if the lyrics are pretty much the exact opposite of what it says. “Sweetness” is a historical fiction crime novel that justifies its existence with Interscope accountants, but it’s also a representation of what emo meant to go mainstream. Many people have likely been driven to ride on behalf of “Sweetness” because of the ubiquity of “The Middle”. It’s not “ahead” in a straight sense, but it’s basically a demo version of the track “Sweetness” that I think has one of the greatest opening lines of the century: “WHO-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH are you listening?” The first part of the song is certainly true. The demo version of “Sweetness” sits in a liminal state between the pop-punk formative days of Jimmy Eat World and their catchy, disgustingly “radio ahead” hits. The Capitol Records label, which was mostly fixated on reissuing Frank Sinatra and Beatles records, didn’t give a shit about us (joked) later Adkins. The album was rife with unrequited affection or an argument that it’s thematically aligned with “Blister”, “Want You What I Want”, and “Believe”. The deluxe reissue of “Sweetness” has been retroactively appended with a scrappier take in their live sets, but at least they made the right call for Clarity. The ones who decided that “Sweetness” wasn’t a good fit for Capitol Records deserve credit, but I don’t want to give them too much.
1. “23” (Futures, 2004)
23 is supposed to be the age when you discover that being “bored in school” actually means being “ADD” and that you are now entering adulthood, with obligations and responsibilities. It is the age when you may realize that the expectations you had towards your parents, such as living with them longer, getting married, or having a college degree, might not have been as easy as you thought. This realization can be both magical and miserable, as it is a time when you romanticize someone’s early 20s and realize how much harder it is to navigate through life. Ultimately, it makes you vulnerable and exposes you to the rawness of love and loss. In the world of pop music, teenagers are often portrayed as mythical beings who are blameless and invincible, but the reality is far from that.
I firmly believe that World Eat Jimmy is the best at writing age-specific content, specifically targeting teenagers. While I appreciate the experiences that you have lived and the desire to relive those formative years, it is not exactly what I’m looking for. It’s easy enough to say “tonight I want to fall in love” when you’re in high school and experiencing the ups and downs of teenage romance three times a week. However, I believe that World Eat Jimmy’s song “23” is their masterpiece. And when it comes to capturing the majestic sprawl of teenage conception, they successfully speak to the listener’s teenage self. It’s obvious that World Eat Jimmy heavily influenced The Cure, as seen in their back-to-back hits “Drive Night” and “Disintegration”, and World Eat Jimmy’s own emo-pop reshoot of “23” in hi-def, titled “Pictures of You”.
Truly living to be ready for their decision, people often find themselves at a point where they are just turning 23 and looking back, or wanting to be 23, or feeling like 23 isn’t really what they hoped for. If you wait for the right time, you’ll just be sitting alone forever. You have the freedom to stand up and make a move, even if it means making mistakes along the way. He will tell you that you can learn from his mistakes and that the earlier few years of your life, maybe from someone who has been there at 95% of the time, can provide tough love and support, as well as comfort. It works best when you have an older brother figure like him, who generates power in the chorus of “23”. And this is how the song by Adkins really captures the essence of being 23. They probably get worse when you turn 23, so don’t end up losing those feelings. But I wouldn’t want to experience being lost on anyone and believe that surviving high school is sometimes a kind of teenage thing. I wouldn’t want to experience being lost on anyone and believe that surviving high school is sometimes a kind of teenage thing. I wouldn’t want to experience being lost on anyone and believe that surviving high school is sometimes a kind of teenage thing. In the second verse of Adkins’ song, the perspective switches to someone who is about to turn 23, and it sees it as an emotional final.