The Story of the Hit Song Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Produced Their Signature Track

The Lead Singer Shares the Formative Period

The initial albums were primarily recorded in homes located in the hills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a major milestone for the band, as it was their first release on a large record company. We each received an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to purchase a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Every morning, my routine included by playing a Poco track, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into American folk. Also, I was into a Benny Goodman album that my father had acquired as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was included on a demo that we submitted to labels, but it proved a very difficult track to finish. It lacked a clear direction at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a fast-paced rock song; instead, it moves with a rhythm, requiring a deep understanding to perform. It’s soul music – more akin to the Memphis soul sound than folk.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the song as the others did – so T Bone brought in one of his heroes to play it.

We considered a few production candidates, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he really understand where the band was headed. There was great potential, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we were still learning how to work together. Eliminated all the synthesizers and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so T Bone invited Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I had played in groups together prior to Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area doing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and spent the night with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. The next morning, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about our experience that evening, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more confidently.

I believe, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. After playing Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the album jumped 40 spots each week for five or six weeks. Afterwards, the song became a huge hit.

David Immerglück Shares His Memories

In the late 1980s, the band members were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and had an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, Adam had a fresh recording he’d just done with Bryson. He played me this song called Mr Jones. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that resembled a video game or random noise, but his vocals were exceptional.

After the producer took over, it felt like a total reinvention of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam asking, “Listen, can you come down and play on this album?” When I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in LA’s Encino – previously used by a Jackson 5 member. Inside, we found guitars that Dylan had just recorded on.

He told me to perform behind the tempo the beat. He said, “If you rush before the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” With his southern accent, and his guidance was to imagine relaxing on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

Counting Crows was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the final act. At the time, many used heroin. The aim was self-destruction, not mind expansion. The nihilism had gone too far, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Their music combined folk and rock with a heavy dose of Van Morrison soul.

The song never gets old. On stage, when performing with Adam, I remember that moment when he first shared the early version. It’s insane.