When the family was driving around Edmonton, Alberta a few weeks ago we were listening to the modern rocker Sonic 102.9 FM. They were doing one of those “A-Z Weekends” where the radio plays a bunch of songs from their playlist in alphabetical order. We happened to be out-and-about early on a Friday morning for a drive to Wetaskwin so we heard Garner lead it off with the As.
On came one of my favourite Jimmy Eat World songs, “A Praise Chorus.”
Side A, track 2 from 2001’s Bleed American was the forth single from the record and for sure, the forgotten song when it comes to airplay in 2010.
When the record began its rotations, it once again piqued my interest in the song.
Jimmy Eat World is very much one of “Coral’s bands.” When we first met, she wanted to share a band she was passionate about with me. At first I was skeptical. The emo music craze was very much in backlash mode and what I knew of Jimmy Eat World at the time was… well, “The Middle.” A fun song, but to me it was just a pop radio rocker. I didn’t appreciate the depth of their style.
It takes context to love music. A space, place, or emotion with a song jamming out as the soundtrack. Jimmy Eat World will always be the soundtrack to our relationship (and fun fact: Jimmy Eat World’s Futures was a break-up record for a previous relationship she was in…. neat).
“A Praise Chorus” is an uplifting song. Its a party song. It might even be a romantic song… I have a hard-on for the line, “I want to fall in love tonight.”
The song has some other touch points that makes this my favourite JEW song.
The artwork for the single is a map of Arizona. Check.
The song breaks down to a “praise chorus” where a series of lines from other songs including all-time great, “Crimson and Clover” and also some lines from 90s emo stalwarts, The Promise Ring.
The Promise Ring is a cool band if you ever get the hankering to travel back in time to late 90s alternative rock and some quality emo. Check out this song, “Why Did We Ever Meet.”
I had a point when I sat down to write this… but I’ve been flipping between Promise Ring and JEW songs and its gone.
I think I just wanted to say, hey check out “A Praise Chorus” if you don’t know the song. Its good.
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 
I’ve unintentionally seen Jimmy Eat World twice in random US cities. Once opening for Weezer and Tenacious D in Boise, Idaho and another time when they were playing a promotional concert on the rooftop of the local rock station in Portland, Maine. I was working at a summer camp, not unlike the one in Wet Hot American Summer and some fellow camp counselors and I had the day off. It was actually a pretty great show. Boise was cool because Rachel Haden (That Dog, The Rentals) was sitting in on keyboards.
The Promise Ring were pretty good too.
I had Very Emergency on heavy rotation in 1999.
I graduated high school that year so the eponymous song from that album was kind of a grad anthem for me.
Did you listen to The Get Up Kids?
I do have some Get Up Kids. I listened to them a bit in the 2001-2003s of my life when I got a DVD with a couple their music videos on it. then later when I girl I was seeing let me borrow a couple records.