The Making of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Developed Their Signature Track

Adam Duritz Remembers the Beginnings

Our first albums were primarily recorded in houses located in the hills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a major milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a major label. We each 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 country music. Additionally, I was into a jazz record that my dad had acquired as a free giveaway at a Texaco station when I was young.

Mr Jones was part of a demo tape that we submitted to labels, but it proved a very difficult track to complete. It lacked a clear direction at first. It’s not a leisurely tune nor a straight ahead number; rather, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to play. The style is soulful – more akin to the Stax Records style than country.

Our drummer struggled to grasp the track as the others did – so T Bone enlisted one of his heroes to perform on it.

We considered a few production candidates, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he really get where the band was at. There was a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. We removed all the synths and guitar effects. The drummer had trouble with the tempo, so T Bone invited Denny Fongheiser, 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 succeeded in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area doing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and wrote the song. It’s about our experience that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the women more confidently.

In my view, it’s among the finest songs I’ve ever written. After playing another track on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record climbed dozens of positions weekly for over a month. Following that, Mr Jones became a huge hit.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Perspective

Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were living together in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an side project called Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a fresh recording he’d created with the guitarist. I heard this track called Mr Jones. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or random noise, but his vocals were on another level.

After the producer got involved, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics echoing folk and soul legends.

Adam called me saying, “Listen, can you join us and contribute to this record?” When I arrived, the producer had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – previously used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found guitars that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.

He instructed me to play my guitar behind the tempo the beat. He said, “Playing too fast before the drums comes off like an adolescent rushing.” With his southern accent, and his guidance was to visualize relaxing on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

The band was, in some ways, a response to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the final act. At the time, many used 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 strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

The song remains timeless. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with the singer, I recall that moment when he played me the early version. Absolutely incredible.