Their music is commonly classified as emo, in particular because of their emotional sound on their 1999 album Clarity. Their latest album, Jimmy Eat World, released in 2001, has received mainstream popularity. The album was originally called Bleed American but it was probably changed out of respect for those who might misinterpret the meaning in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
The name Jimmy Eat World does not refer to Jim Adkins. Tom Linton's younger siblings, Ed and Jimmy fought constantly when they were younger. Jimmy, who was stronger and overweight, would usually win. Ed, at 8-years-old, as revenge, drew with crayons a picture of Jimmy shoving the entire world into his gaping mouth with the caption, Jimmy Eat World.
The album Clarity was extremely successful with the German charts, despite a lack of support from their label, Capitol Records. The band purchased albums directly from the distributor and shipped them independently to Europe. Realizing they were not valued by their label, they split for DreamWorks.
The early works of Jimmy Eat World had a punkish sound to them that is not always present in their recent music, but is apparent in the song Bleed American.
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