The Creation of the Hit Song Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Crafted Their Signature Song

Adam Duritz Shares the Beginnings

The initial four records were primarily produced in homes situated in the hills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album signified a major step for the band, as it was their first release on a major label. Each member received an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and drove it to LA.

Each day, my routine included by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles exploring American folk. Also, I was into a Benny Goodman album 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 sent to record companies, but it proved a challenging song to finish. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a slow ballad or a straight ahead rock song; instead, it moves with a rhythm, requiring a deep understanding to perform. It’s soul music – closer to the Stax Records style than country.

The band’s drummer couldn’t hear the track as the others did – so the producer brought in one of his heroes to play it.

We considered a few producers, but when I spoke with the producer, he seemed to understand where the band was headed. There was great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synthesizers and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was hard on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I had played in bands together before Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area performing a tour. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I returned and wrote the song. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that night, wishing we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the girls more confidently.

I believe, it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. We performed Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record climbed 40 spots each week for over a month. Afterwards, Mr Jones turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Memories

Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were living together in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, Adam had a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. I heard 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 on another level.

Once T Bone got involved, it felt like a total reinvention of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics echoing folk and soul legends.

I got a call from Adam asking, “Listen, can you join us and play on this album?” When I got there, the producer had moved us to a recording space in LA’s Encino – formerly used by Tito Jackson. There were guitars that Dylan had recently used.

He instructed me to play my guitar behind the tempo the drums. His words were, “If you rush before the drums makes you sound like an teenager hurrying.” He has a southern accent, and his advice was to visualize relaxing on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

Counting Crows was, to an extent, a response to the grunge movement. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the culmination. Back then, everyone were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not mind expansion. The nihilism had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something emotional and sincere. Their music blended acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

The song remains timeless. Sometimes, when performing with the singer, I recall that time when he played me the demo. Absolutely incredible.