The Making of Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Crafted Their Signature Song

The Lead Singer Shares the Beginnings

Our first albums were mostly recorded in homes situated in the hills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a significant step for the group, as it was their inaugural release on a large record company. Each member received an advance of $3,000; with it, I to purchase a classic red convertible and drove it to LA.

Every morning, I would start by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles exploring country music. Also, I frequently played a jazz record that my father had picked up as a complimentary item at a Texaco station during my childhood.

The song Mr Jones was part of a demo that we sent to labels, but it proved a challenging track to finish. It lacked a solid grasp at first. Neither a slow ballad or a straight ahead number; rather, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Stax Records sound than folk.

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

We considered several production candidates, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to get where the group was headed. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and effects pedals. The drummer had trouble with the song’s rhythm, 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 at the time.

Marty Jones and I had played in groups together prior to Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the Bay Area doing a tour. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and composed Mr Jones. It’s about me and Marty that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the girls more confidently.

In my view, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. We performed another track on SNL in 1994, the album climbed dozens of positions each week for five or six weeks. Following that, Mr Jones turned into a major success.

David Immerglück Recalls His Memories

In the late 1980s, the band members were sharing a space in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with another band and had an side project named Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d just done with Bryson. I heard this song titled Mr Jones. It was done with a basic drum machine that resembled a arcade sound or random noise, but his singing were on another level.

Once T Bone took over, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by folk and soul legends.

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

T Bone instructed me to perform slightly behind the drums. He said, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an teenager rushing.” He has a southern accent, and his advice was to imagine relaxing on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

The band was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the final act. Back then, everyone were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had gone too far, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and heartfelt. Their music blended folk and rock with a strong influence of soulful vibes.

The song never gets old. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that time when he first shared the demo. Absolutely incredible.