The Story of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Developed Their Signature Anthem

Adam Duritz Recalls the Beginnings

The initial albums were mostly recorded in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a major milestone for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a major label. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and drove it to LA.

Every morning, I would start by playing Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into country music. Additionally, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my dad had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station during my childhood.

Mr Jones was included on a demo tape that we submitted to record companies, but it was a challenging song to finish. It lacked a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune nor a fast-paced rock song; instead, it gallops along, demanding a deep understanding to play. The style is soulful – closer to the Stax Records style than folk.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the track as the rest of us did – thus the producer brought in one of his idols to perform on it.

We considered a few producers, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to get where the band was headed. We had a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the tempo, so the producer invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I performed in groups together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, David Serva, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the Bay Area doing a tour. We went one of his performances and spent the night with the flamenco troupe visiting bars. Next day, I returned and composed the song. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the girls more easily.

In my view, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve ever written. After playing another track on SNL in 1994, the record jumped dozens of positions weekly for five or six weeks. Following that, the song became a major success.

David Immerglück Shares His Memories

In the late 1980s, the band members were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and had an side project named Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a fresh recording he’d created with the guitarist. He played me this track titled Mr Jones. It was done with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his vocals were exceptional.

Once T Bone got involved, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted toward roots influenced by folk and soul legends.

Adam called me saying, “Hey, man, can you join us and contribute to this record?” By the time I arrived, the producer had moved us to a recording space in LA’s Encino – formerly used by a Jackson 5 member. Inside, we found instruments that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone instructed me to play my guitar behind the tempo the beat. His words were, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an teenager hurrying.” He has a southern accent, and his advice was to visualize putting your feet up on the console and staying casual during the performance.

Counting Crows was, to an extent, a response to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the culmination. At the time, many were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something emotional and sincere. Their music combined folk and rock with a heavy dose of Van Morrison soul.

Mr Jones never gets old. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with the singer, I recall that moment when he first shared the early version. Absolutely incredible.