Critics were divided on Left of the Middle, with several praising Natalie Imbruglia's emotive voice, pop appeal, and experimentation, while others criticized the album for lack of originality, overproduction, and failing to fully realize her potential. Greg Prato from AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating that "some of the material will be seen as pop fluff by certain listeners, but fans of popular latter-day female artists like Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, and Meredith Brooks will find Imbruglia's debut most enjoyable", and praised Imbruglia's willingness to experiment with electronic sound.
In Australia, the album debuted at number three on 15 March 1998, before falling to number 18 the next week.
In the United States, the album was released a week after Imbruglia's performance on Saturday Night Live, and debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 Chart on 28 March 1998.
Left of the Middle has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = Torn
| writer1 =
| extra1 = Thornalley
| length1 = 4:04
| title2 = One More Addiction
| writer2 =
| extra2 = Thornalley
| length2 = 3:30
| title3 = Big Mistake
| writer3 =
| extra3 = Goldenberg
| length3 = 4:35
| title4 = Leave Me Alone
| writer4 =
| extra4 = Wright
| length4 = 4:21
| title5 = Wishing I Was There
| writer5 =
| extra5 = Thornalley
| length5 = 3:52
| title6 = Smoke
| writer6 =
| extra6 = Bronleewe
| length6 = 4:37
| title7 = Pigeons and Crumbs
| writer7 =
| extra7 = Goldenberg
| length7 = 5:21
| title8 = Don't You Think?
| writer8 =
| extra8 =
| length8 = 3:55
| title9 = Impressed
| writer9 =
| extra9 = Bronleewe
| length9 = 4:47
| title10 = Intuition
| writer10 =
| extra10 = Thornalley
| length10 = 3:22
| title11 = City
| writer11 =
| extra11 = Thornalley
| length11 = 4:34
| title12 = Left of the Middle
| writer12 =
| extra12 = Thornalley
| length12 = 3:46
| total_length = 50:03
An alternate pressing of the album switches the order of "Wishing I Was There" and "Intuition".
Notes
- <sup></sup> signifies an additional producer.
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Chart (1997–2000)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Estonian Albums (Eesti Top 10)
|align="center"|3
|-
! scope="row"| European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)
|align="center"| 3
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums (FIMI)
|align="center"|2
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|align="center"|11
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1997)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)
|41
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1998)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)
|5
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|12
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|36
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
|25
|-
!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)
|40
|-
!scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|22
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|46
|-
!scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|24
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)
|19
|-
!scope="row"| US Billboard 200
|39
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1999)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)
|68
|}