Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness

The second show, and third band I saw on the Coca-Cola Stage during the 2023 Calgary Stampede, was none other than Jimmy Eat World.

Jimmy Eat World is probably best remembered for their song “The Middle” which was used for the hit show “Malcolm in the Middle.”

Not me though. Never me though. I like “The Middle” very good song, but I will always be a “Sweetness” kind of guy.

“Whoa oh-oh-oh-oh.”

I was also always a big fan of “Lucky Denver Mint,” but we can touch on that a little more later.

A whole slew of friends and I attended the double feature that was, Death From Above, and, Tegan and Sara; which is fun to say, no matter how many times I describe it. When I went to see Jimmy Eat World, I was joined by one friend, a great friend, but all of them are. Anyway, my friend was a much bigger Jimmy Eat World fan than I was, he had a t-shirt and everything. I realized quickly that I had only really been paying attention to Jimmy Eat World for a limited period of time, and that I had missed the entire content of the past fifteen years or so. They had multiple albums release in that time, and I knew none of it. My friend knew. He was far better prepared for this kick ass concert then I was.

With one exception. I knew “Lucky Denver Mint” and he had forgotten that one. That made me feel at least useful. You know because I need to be useful while enjoying a rock concert with a friend.

So, it turns out, if you are not paying attention for nearly two decades, a band that does not break up will continue to make music, and if they are as good as Jimmy Eat World, they will produce a lot of great music. As a clown pretended to act like he knows things about music on the internet, this is embarrassing. As an ordinary human being, and fan of good rock and roll, this is the greatest thing of all, as it means I have more great music to listen to that I did not know about.

However, somethings are locked in, and can never be changed. I will forever be a “Sweetness” kind of guy.

“Whoa oh-oh-oh-oh.”

Now, if you remember “Sweetness,” from 2001, you need no explanation why this song is such a highly effective catchy song. When in doubt, don’t use lyrics, use a “whoa oh.” Of all the songs that have ever used “whoa” and “oh” as primary lyrics in their chorus, I dare say “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World is probably among the very best ever. In pop music this could be considered a cheap trick, but in the case of Jimmy Eat World, I suspect the creative process was something more organic. It just fits really well.

At a casual listen, “Sweetness,” could come across as an excellent party rock song.

“If you’re listening.”

However, if we pause to consider what the “sweetness” is there is more. An even more casual google search reveals to us, that from interview(s) of Jim Adkins, that “sweetness” is the love of another. The concept of the song being, that is you connect all your hopes of happiness onto other people, you will be chasing happiness forever. This is not just a good idea for a popping song, but also solid life advice. It is an unreasonable thing to place your joy in the hands of someone else, it is an unfair burden to place on someone else. Unrequited love is probably the most common kind of love human beings will ever experience. So in reality, you can be sure that more often then not, “the Sweetness will not be concerned with me.”

Also, great rock and roll energy in “Sweetness.” Just a perfect song to rock out to.

“Whoa oh-oh-oh-oh.”

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- King of Braves