Work (Jimmy Eat World Song)
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"Work" is a song by Jimmy Eat World from their 2004 album, '' Futures''. It was the second single released from that album. The song was written by Jim Adkins and features backing vocals by Liz Phair. "Work" was released to radio on December 7, 2004. "Work" received positive reviews from critics, and it appeared on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart and the UK Singles Chart. A music video was released for the song; it featured interviews with
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
students. Since the song's release, Jimmy Eat World have included it in their live performances.


Background

"Work" was written by Jimmy Eat World's frontman, Jim Adkins. According to Adkins, "'Work' is about doing something you know you shouldn't be doing ... It's about walking into an unhealthy situation, on purpose. Which could mean it's about an interoffice romance."Montgomery, James
"Jimmy Eat World 'Work' It Out With Liz Phair On New Single"
mtv.com. November 15, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
Liz Phair agreed to sing backing vocals on the song after the band played it for her. Adkins later said, "We're all fans of hair's album ''Exile in Guyville''">Exile_in_Guyville.html" ;"title="hair's album ''Exile in Guyville">hair's album ''Exile in Guyville'' so maybe a bit of a crush thing was happening. She definitely brings the sexiness. An unquantifiable sexiness, sure, but she definitely brings it. She was super cool to work with. 'Work' sounded like something she would sing, so we hunted her down through people we knew in Los Angeles. We showed her the song, she really liked it, so she came down and sang on it."


Reception


Critical reception

"Work" received praise from music critics. It has been called a "classic"Campling, Katie
"Gig review: Jimmy Eat World"
examiner.co.uk. March 3, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
and has also been described as "a song tailor-made for teenage runaway fantasies."Vaziri, Aidin
"Don't say emo to Jimmy Eat World"
articles.sfgate.com. November 3, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
Tim Sendra of Allmusic noted that the song "display[s] the sweetly melodic side of the band." However, The Trades' Tony Pascarella called it "a more emo-geared track that stays shrouded on the dark side of Jimmy Eat World." Carrie Pierce of '' The Battalion'' wrote: "The gem of 'Futures''is 'Work,' a catchy song featuring backup vocals by Liz Phair. It's too bad that you can barely hear Phair over the guitar riffs. The lyrics make up for this flaw. Though not as deep and brooding as other tracks, 'Work' will replay in your head."


Chart performance

"Work" was the second single from the 2004 album ''Futures''. In the U.S., it stayed on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart for 21 weeks, peaking at number six on March 19, 2005. The song made two appearances on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 49 on April 9, 2005.


In popular media

The song has been featured on the television shows '' One Tree Hill'' and '' Gossip Girl''.


Music video

The music video for "Work" was filmed at Madison West High School in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
. It features interviews with some of the school's students, who talk about their futures and their lives after graduation. The students are shown during the school day and also after school, doing things such as skateboarding, smashing television sets, and going to parties. The video also features the band playing under a tree in a field. The music video's director, Marc Webb, grew up in Madison and attended Madison West High School.


Live performances

Jimmy Eat World have included "Work" in their live performances since 2004. In November 2004, they played an acoustic version of the song in Live 105's annual Studio Sessions concerts. Aidin Vaziri of the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' wrote that "the simple acoustic setting added to hesong." The band played "Work" while touring in 2005, as well. At the Dunkin' Donuts Center on April 16, 2005, Jim Adkins' voice "nearly went hoarse with what appeared to be righteous anger" while singing the song. During their May performance at the Sony E3 party in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, Liz Phair appeared on-stage to sing backing vocals. On October 5, Jimmy Eat World opened for
Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
at the American West Arena, and ''
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...
s Larry Rodgers reported that: "The poppy, upbeat 'Work' then spotlighted the solid rhythm section of bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind, as well Adkins ability to lay on the sugary vocals when necessary." In 2008, the band played an "energetic rendition" of "Work" at The Bamboozle festival and also played the song in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
.


Track list

CDStrong, Martin Charles.
The Essential Rock Discography
' (Canongate U.S., 2006), p. 570.
# "Work" # "Drugs or Me" (Styrofoam remix) # "Work" (acoustic) # "Work" (video)


Charts


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Work (Jimmy Eat World Song) 2004 songs 2005 singles Jimmy Eat World songs Music videos directed by Marc Webb Song recordings produced by Gil Norton Interscope Records singles