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

The Lead Singer Remembers the Formative Period

Our first four records were mostly produced in houses situated in the hills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a major milestone for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a large record company. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Every morning, my routine included by playing a Poco track, which resembles the Beatles exploring American folk. Also, I was into a jazz record that my dad had acquired as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was part of a demo that we sent to record companies, but it was a challenging track to finish. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a leisurely tune or a fast-paced rock song; instead, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to perform. It’s soul music – closer to the Memphis soul style than country.

Our drummer struggled to grasp the track like the others did – so the producer enlisted one of his idols to perform on it.

We considered several production candidates, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he really get where the group was at. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our sound – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and guitar effects. The drummer couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so the producer invited Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I performed in groups together before Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had succeeded in Spain and was back in the Bay Area doing a series of shows. Attended one of his shows and spent the night with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I went home and wrote Mr Jones. It’s about our experience that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could talk to the women more easily.

In my view, it’s one of the best songs I’ve composed. After playing Round Here on SNL in 1994, the record jumped 40 spots each week for five or six weeks. Following that, the song turned into a major success.

David Immerglück Shares His Memories

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

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d created with Bryson. I heard this song called Mr Jones. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that resembled a arcade sound or random noise, but his vocals were exceptional.

Once T Bone got involved, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

Adam called me saying, “Listen, can you join us and play on this album?” When I got there, T Bone had moved us to a recording space in LA’s Encino – previously used by a Jackson 5 member. Inside, we found guitars that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone told me to play my guitar slightly behind the drums. His words were, “Playing too fast ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent rushing.” He has a Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and chewing gum while playing.

The band was, to an extent, a response to the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the final act. Back then, everyone were on heroin. The aim was obliteration, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something more human and sincere. Counting Crows blended acoustic and electric with a strong influence of soulful vibes.

The song remains timeless. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that moment when he played me the demo. It’s insane.