The Story of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Developed Their Iconic Track

Adam Duritz Shares the Early Days

Our first four records were mostly recorded in houses located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album signified a major milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a large record company. Each member got an advance of $3,000; with it, I to buy a classic red convertible and traveled to LA.

Each day, I would start by listening to a Poco track, which resembles the Beatles venturing into American folk. Also, I frequently played a jazz record that my dad had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was part of a demo that we submitted to labels, but it was a very difficult track to complete. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a fast-paced rock song; rather, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to perform. The style is soulful – closer to the Memphis soul style than country.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the track as the others did – so the producer enlisted one of his heroes to perform on it.

We considered a few production candidates, but when I discussed things with the producer, he really 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 work together. We removed all the synthesizers and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I had played in groups together prior to Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area doing a tour. We went one of his shows and spent the night with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. Next day, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about me and Marty that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the girls more confidently.

I believe, it’s among the finest songs I’ve composed. After playing another track on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record jumped 40 spots each week for over a month. Following that, the song turned into a huge hit.

David Immerglück Shares His Memories

In the late 1980s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were sharing a space in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and was in an side project called Monks of Doom.

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

After the producer took over, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics influenced by folk and soul legends.

Adam called me saying, “Hey, man, can you join us and play on this album?” By the time I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found guitars that Dylan had just recorded on.

He instructed me to play my guitar behind the tempo the beat. His words were, “Playing too fast ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent rushing.” He has a Texas drawl, and his guidance was to visualize relaxing on the console and chewing gum while playing.

The band was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the final act. At the time, everyone used heroin. The aim was self-destruction, not mind expansion. The nihilism had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Counting Crows combined acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

The song never gets old. On stage, when performing with Adam, I remember that time when he first shared the demo. Absolutely incredible.