The song was first revealed in an accompanying interview of Zedd's cover shot for Billboard, published on 10 August 2017. Zedd played interviewer Chris Martins unreleased material in a studio, one of which was "The Middle", which featured co-writer Sarah Aarons as a demo singer.[2]
On 11 January 2018, Zedd teased the song on social media, saying: "Hey guys, it's that time again. I wanted to show you a preview to my brand new song. Check it out," after which he played a short snippet of the song.[3][4] The collaboration was officially announced via social media on 19 January 2018, along with the single artwork,[5][6] which Zedd teased a day earlier without a title on it.[7][8]
Zedd explained in a press release that they "worked really hard on this record to get it just right". He also opened up about the opportunity to work with both collaborators, saying that working with Maren Morris was "super fun because she is clearly an amazing singer and very talented musician", and that he loves working with Grey because they strive to "make the best music possible".
Morris added: "Zedd was so great to work with and so easy-going, it felt like we'd been working together for years. The sound is reflective of my many influences as an artist – a little bit country, little pop, little R&B, relatable, emotional and catchy as hell. There are no limits with this song and I can't wait to see how the fans react." She revealed in a statement that she recorded her vocal for the song with Zedd in Nashville "several weeks ago" before the song's release. Grey admitted that they faced a few obstacles during production, but they "kept fighting for it" because the song was special.[9]
Stefan Johnson, one-fifth of production team The Monsters and the Strangerz, stated that "it was a super long process." Jordan Johnson of the same team added: "We never lost the feeling for that song. Even a year later, I, as a creator hadn't gotten tired of it. It was special."[10]
The first iteration of the song (before Zedd and Grey were attached) was intended to be a single for Lovato, but she passed after deciding the song was "too pop" and opted to release "Sorry Not Sorry" instead. She had already released a song with the same name on her 2008 album Don't Forget.[10] Once Zedd and Grey were brought on board, Cabello's version was selected but she pulled out two weeks prior to the song's release in order to focus on promoting "Havana".[10] After Cabello backed out, Anne-Marie's version was chosen but she had to back out due to conflicts stemming from the release of "Friends".[10] After plans to release Anne-Marie's version fell through, the production team discovered that Morris has recorded a version but that it was never reviewed when initially submitted for consideration.[10] Once the production team heard Morris' version, it was selected for the final cut.
Rexha's demo leaked online in 2018,[11] Cabello's demo leaked in 2020[12] while Lovato's,[13] XCX's[14] and Briggs' demos leaked in 2021.[15] Sarah Aarons' original demo leaked online in 2022,[16] including the demo of her second rendition have also leaked in 2023.[17] Anne-Marie's full demo leaked online in 2023.[18]
Kat Bein of Billboard opined that the song is "relatively sparse with cute, lively flourishes", writing that it has "definite sonic similarities" to Zedd's previous song "Stay".[19]Rolling Stone's Brittney McKenna deemed the song "an infectious earworm" in which Morris "strays from her country roots". She felt that the "Nineties R&B-indebted, vocoder-driven chorus" recalls the sound of "Stay", and that Morris "deftly occupies the new, poppy space".[20] Hugh McIntyre of Fuse found Morris' appearance on the track surprising, "considering the genres she primarily works in", as he praised Morris for "supplying vocals perfectly". He felt that it "leans a lot more pop than electro", which makes the song more appealing to a broader variety of listeners. Regarding the song "an easy-to-love electronic smash" and "a slightly reductive mix" of "Stay" and "Starving", he noted that it is "not entirely original" due to its "reminiscence of what the musicians have delivered before".[21] Similarly, Madeline Roth of MTV News called the song "a poppy earworm" and a combination of "Stay" and "Starving", which is "catchy as hell and practically destined for radio domination".[22] Mike Nied of Idolator wrote that the song "blends elements of country and EDM" and praised Morris for providing "impassioned vocals".[23] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country described the song as "an unlikely combination of EDM, '90s pop and modern country music".[24]
The song reached No. 5 on BillboardHot 100.[33] As of February 2019, it had sold 771,000 copies in the United States.[34] In January 2021, "The Middle" surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify,[35][36] the first song to do so for all three artists.[37]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 22. týden 2018 in the date selector. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 21. týden 2018 in the date selector. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 38. týden 2018 in the date selector. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 10. týden 2018 in the date selector. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
^"Tónlistinn – Lög – 2018" [The Music – Songs – 2018] (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.