The Story of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Crafted Their Defining Track

The Lead Singer Remembers the Beginnings

Our first albums were primarily recorded in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a major step for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a major label. We each received an advance 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 playing a Poco track, which resembles the Beatles exploring country music. Additionally, I was into a Benny Goodman album that my dad had picked up as a free giveaway at a Texaco station when I was young.

Mr Jones was part of a demo that we sent to record companies, but it proved a very difficult track to complete. It lacked a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a straight ahead rock song; instead, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Stax Records sound than country.

The band’s drummer couldn’t hear the track as the rest of us did – thus the producer brought in one of his heroes to perform on it.

We considered several production candidates, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to get where the band was headed. There was great potential, but I didn’t like with our sound – we were still learning how to work together. Eliminated all the synths and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman 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 hard on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I performed in bands together before Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area doing a tour. Attended one of his shows and hung out with the musicians bar-hopping. The next morning, I returned and composed Mr Jones. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that evening, wishing we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more easily.

In my view, it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. We performed another track on SNL in 1994, the album climbed 40 spots each week for over a month. Afterwards, the song became a major success.

David Immerglück Recalls His Memories

In the late 1980s, the band members were living together in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and had an side project named Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. He played me this song titled Mr Jones. It was done with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or random noise, but his vocals were on another level.

After the producer took over, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

Adam called me asking, “Hey, man, can you come down and contribute to this record?” When I arrived, the producer had relocated us to a recording space in Encino, Los Angeles – previously used by a Jackson 5 member. There were instruments that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.

He instructed me to perform slightly behind the beat. He said, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an teenager hurrying.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and chewing gum during the performance.

Counting Crows was, in some ways, a reaction to the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain’s death felt like the culmination. At the time, everyone used heroin. The aim was obliteration, 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 strong influence of soulful vibes.

The song remains timeless. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that time when he first shared the demo. It’s insane.