The Creation of the Hit Song Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Produced Their Iconic Anthem

The Lead Singer Shares the Early Days

Our first four records were mostly recorded in houses situated in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a major step for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a major label. Each member got an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to purchase a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and drove it to LA.

Every morning, my routine included by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into country music. Also, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my dad had picked up as a free giveaway at a gas station during my childhood.

Mr Jones was part of a demo tape that we submitted to record companies, but it proved a challenging song to complete. We didn’t have a clear direction at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a fast-paced rock song; instead, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to play. The style is soulful – more akin to the Memphis soul sound than country.

The band’s drummer couldn’t hear the song like the rest of us did – thus T Bone brought in one of his heroes to perform on it.

We considered a few production candidates, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to understand where the group was headed. There was a lot of promise, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to work together. We removed all the synthesizers and guitar effects. The drummer had trouble with the song’s rhythm, so the producer invited 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 performed in bands together before Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, 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 flamenco troupe visiting bars. Next day, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about our experience that evening, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the women more easily.

In my view, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve composed. After playing another track on SNL in 1994, the album jumped 40 spots each week for over a month. Following that, the song turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Perspective

Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and had an side project called Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. I heard this song titled the now-famous tune. It was done with a basic drum machine that resembled a arcade sound or random noise, but his vocals were on another level.

After the producer took over, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam saying, “Listen, can you come down and contribute to this record?” By the time I got there, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by Tito Jackson. There were instruments that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.

He told me to perform slightly behind the drums. He said, “If you rush ahead of the drums comes off like an adolescent hurrying.” With his southern accent, and his advice was to imagine relaxing on the console and chewing gum while playing.

Counting Crows was, in some ways, a response to grunge. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the culmination. Back then, everyone used heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. That negativity 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.

Mr Jones remains timeless. On stage, when performing with the singer, I recall that moment when he first shared the demo. It’s insane.