your favorite band, bury your head in the sand, before it all begins again. Hey, I just wrote a Jimmy Eat World song!" Retrospective reviews Retrospective reviews of Bleed American continued to praise the album's songwriting quality. Thomas Nassiff of AbsolutePunk opined that the album contained "no bad songs", concluding: "Certainly one of the most memorable records of 2001, Bleed American might actually have the most lasting power of any album from that class." Mike Stagno of Sputnikmusic found Bleed American enjoyable, and noted its high replay value, particularly tracks such as "Sweetness" and "Get It Faster". Louder Than War writer Sam Lambeth saw the album as a "hallmark of modern rock, a faultless record that may wear its heart on its sleeve, but elevates in its earnestness". Punknews.org staff member Brian Shultz reviewed the deluxe edition, and found the album's content to still be strong despite its age. On the other hand, PopMatters Charles A. Hohman found "little insight or revelation [on the deluxe edition]." A guest writer for Tiny Mix Tapes said the album's strongest points were the "stripped down" tracks. Commercial performance Bleed American was a commercial success, helping Jimmy Eat World gain mainstream popularity. It sold 30,000copies in its first week of release. It peaked at number 54 on the Billboard 200 on August 11, 2001; the renamed version peaked at number 31 in July2002. Outside the US, the album peaked at number 20 in Germany, number 43 in New Zealand, number 54 in Australia, and number 62 in the UK. Bleed American became a bestseller, and in its first four months on the US market, it sold 173,000copies, making the album Jimmy Eat World's most successful release. Lind said that these sales were "definitely a big deal to the band because it shows how the fanbase is growing. [If you're] doing anything creative, you want more and more people to enjoy what you do." It was certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2002, and it reached platinum status five months later. Alongside this, the album was certified platinum in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), and Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the UK. As of September 2016, Bleed American has sold over 1.6 million copies in the US. "The Middle" reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also