The Making of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Crafted Their Signature Anthem

Adam Duritz Recalls the Formative Period

The initial four records were mostly recorded in homes situated 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 large record company. We each received an advance of $3,000; I used mine to buy a classic red convertible and drove it to LA.

Every morning, I would start by playing Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which sounds like the Beatles exploring American folk. Additionally, I was into a jazz record that my dad had acquired as a free giveaway at a gas station during my childhood.

The song Mr Jones was included on a demo that we submitted to record companies, but it proved a challenging song to complete. It lacked a clear direction at first. It’s not a slow ballad or a straight ahead rock song; rather, it gallops along, requiring a deep understanding to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Stax Records style than folk.

Our drummer couldn’t hear the track like the rest of us did – thus the producer enlisted one of his heroes to perform on it.

We looked at a few producers, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he really get where the group was at. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synthesizers and effects pedals. The drummer couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone called in Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s heroes, to lay down the drums. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve at the time.

Marty Jones and I performed in bands together before Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the Bay Area performing a series of shows. Attended one of his shows and hung out with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I went home and wrote the song. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more easily.

In my view, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve composed. We performed another track on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the album jumped dozens of positions weekly for over a month. Following that, Mr Jones turned into a huge hit.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Perspective

In the late 1980s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were living together in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a new demo he’d created with Bryson. I heard this track called the now-famous tune. It was done with a basic drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his singing were exceptional.

After the producer got involved, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam asking, “Listen, can you join us and contribute to this album?” By the time I got there, T Bone had moved us to a studio in LA’s Encino – previously used by a Jackson 5 member. Inside, we found instruments that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone told me to perform slightly behind the drums. He said, “If you rush before the drums comes off like an adolescent hurrying.” He has a Texas drawl, and his guidance was to imagine relaxing on the console and chewing gum while playing.

Counting Crows was, to an extent, a response to the grunge movement. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the final act. Back then, everyone used heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something more human and sincere. Counting Crows combined folk and rock with a heavy dose of soulful vibes.

The song never gets old. On stage, when performing with Adam, I recall that time when he first shared the demo. It’s insane.