Following the success of America Town (2000) and its breakthrough single, "Superman (It's Not Easy)" (2001), John Ondrasik reteamed with producer Gregg Wattenberg and brought in Bill Bottrell to work on new material for his next record.

The Battle for Everything debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four singles: "100 Years", "The Devil in the Wishing Well", "Silent Night", and "If God Made You".

[2] Rolling Stone critic Christian Hoard said, "On Five for Fighting's third album, Ondrasik's self-pitying ballads overflow with dewy-eyed dreaminess, as his vocals swoon and swoop [...] Piano-based numbers such as "Disneyland" sport strong melodies, but their mush-headed philosophizing push the limits of poetic indulgence.

"[12] David Browne, writing for Entertainment Weekly, gave the album a C+, saying "...deep down, [Ondrasik] yearns to be a serious artist making grand statements.

"[8] AllMusic gave Battle a mixed review, criticizing Ondrasik's "pompous narcissism" but also saying he had "turned in a very accomplished, professional record that illustrates he has more ambition than such younger peers like John Mayer," that was "more assured and supple than its predecessor.

[15][16] Another favorable review came from People, which selected Battle as a "Critic's Choice" and said it was "a grown-up work rich in melody, lyrical depth and solid musicianship".