“Back in the days when that was written we had a jimmyeatworld@aol.com e-mail address and we got an e-mail from a girl who was like Junior High age, like 13/14, who wrote how she didn’t fit in with the punk rock crowd at her school ‘cos she wasn’t punk enough for them. I thought that was odd ‘cos the tenet of the punk ideal was that you find yourself being more accepting so I guess that tune was kind of a reaction to that.”Jim Adkins (192)

“It’s more about finding yourself and being OK with yourself than it is wanting or needing something from another person.”Jim Adkins (193)

“When you’re facing adversity, especially in a relationship, I think how your role contributes to it is always the last place you’re going to look to address a problem. You’ll look in every direction, but ignore your role. It’s not sexy and it’s not what people really want to hear, but that’s what you can control. You can’t make this other person happy – they’re responsible for their own happiness and you’re responsible for yours. Trying to pin your own sense of self worth and happiness on what someone else is going to bring you is always going to fail. That car’s going to run out of gas really quick.”Jim Adkins (1055)

“‘Just Tonight,’ what it seems to me now is like a character song exploring something dangerous. Feeling compelled to a situation, possibly a relationship, that might feel dangerous in a way. Like, maybe it’s one you approach with conflicted feeling.”Jim Adkins (1055)

“So, one of my friends was involved in her church’s music, and we were getting into an argument about how lame contemporary Christian music can be sometimes. Actually, most of the time. “Praise Chorus” was the way she roped in the formulaic way that all contemporary Christian music is about. It’s similar to a lot of other pop music in the way that it’s just basically all about trying to get people to clap along and sing. And it’s pretty rock and roll. I thought it would be an interesting juxtaposition to reference that in a song that’s really just about rock and roll: the unquantifiable release you get when rock music is doing what it should. The “Crimson and Clover” is a throw-out to all those songs.”Jim Adkins (1055)

“It’s like a tether, as in an emotional connection that you can’t break free from. It’s just about feeling unfulfilled and where you’re looking for relationship validation. It’s a scene that I come back to a lot. You know, if that’s where you’re hoping and wishing to get your sense of happiness and self worth, you’re going to be searching forever.”Jim Adkins (1055)