Third Eye Blind released “Jumper” in 1998 as the 5th and final single from their self-titled album. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Adult Top 40, #9 on the Alternative Songs, and #2 on the Mainstream Top 40.
“Jumper” was written by lead singer Stephan Jenkins about a friend who was gay, jumping off a bridge and killing themselves. But it's also about Jenkins' own struggles in childhood, “My parents divorced, and that hurt me. We were poor and I went to a rich high school. I was dyslexic and had
attention deficit disorder
, which I still have. So I carried all these things with me. One afternoon, I had this epiphany. I said 'You know what? I don't have it all together. I come from stuff that was really difficult, and that's me. That's who I am.' I embraced that. There's a line in the song that says, 'Everyone's got to face down the demons/Maybe today we can put the past away.' It's very much a song about putting the past away.”
attention deficit disorder
, which I still have. So I carried all these things with me. One afternoon, I had this epiphany. I said 'You know what? I don't have it all together. I come from stuff that was really difficult, and that's me. That's who I am.' I embraced that. There's a line in the song that says, 'Everyone's got to face down the demons/Maybe today we can put the past away.' It's very much a song about putting the past away.”
Third Eye Blind “Jumper” 1998
