It was a number-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2002 and reached the top 50 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

[5][6] "The Middle" was written after Jimmy Eat World had been dropped from Capitol Records following the release of Clarity, their previous album.

Their second album, Static Prevails, had sold just 10,000 copies in 1996 and Capitol Records decided to drop the band in 1999 due to a change in priorities.

Reviewer Mark Richardson wrote of the track: "And if your band delivers that message of hope with the kind of power-pop chorus hook that gives the best couple of Weezer songs a run for their money, you've accomplished something.

[16] In July 2022, a bootleg recording of Prince covering the song at an after-party for the 2009 Oscars resurfaced online.

[17] Dylan Strome chose "The Middle" as his goal song upon joining the Washington Capitals in 2022, being played when he scores at home games.

[18] The song's video (directed by Paul Fedor) featuring young people in underwear received plenty of play on MTV, especially on Total Request Live.

The music video features a fully clothed teenage boy (Josh Keleher) who attends a pool party at which Jimmy Eat World is playing, only to find everyone, except the band, in their underwear.