The Creation of the Hit Song Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Produced Their Defining Track

The Lead Singer Remembers the Beginnings

The initial four records were mostly recorded in homes located in the hills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a significant milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a major label. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Every morning, my routine included by listening to a Poco track, which resembles the Beatles exploring country music. Additionally, I frequently played a jazz record that my father had acquired as a free giveaway at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was part of a demo that we sent to record companies, but it was a challenging track to complete. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a leisurely tune nor a straight ahead rock song; rather, it moves with a rhythm, demanding a real feel to play. It’s soul music – more akin to the Memphis soul sound than country.

Our drummer couldn’t hear the song as the rest of us did – thus the producer enlisted one of his heroes to play it.

We looked at a few production candidates, but when I spoke with the producer, he seemed to get where the band was headed. There was great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our sound – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman had trouble with the song’s rhythm, so T Bone called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s heroes, to lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I performed in bands together before Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area performing a tour. We went one of his performances and spent the night with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I returned and composed Mr Jones. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that night, wishing we were cool musicians so we could talk to the girls more confidently.

I believe, it’s among the finest songs I’ve composed. After playing Round Here on SNL in 1994, the record jumped dozens of positions each week for over a month. Following that, Mr Jones turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Memories

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

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d just done with the guitarist. He played me this track called the now-famous tune. It was done with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his vocals were on another level.

After the producer took over, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

Adam called me asking, “Hey, man, can you come down and contribute to this record?” By the time I got there, T Bone had moved us to a studio in LA’s Encino – formerly used by a Jackson 5 member. There were guitars that Dylan had just recorded on.

He told me to play my guitar slightly behind the drums. He said, “Playing too fast before the drums comes off like an adolescent hurrying.” He has a Texas drawl, and his guidance was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and staying casual during the performance.

Counting Crows was, to an extent, a reaction to the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain’s death felt like the final act. Back then, many were on heroin. The aim was obliteration, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something emotional and heartfelt. Counting Crows combined acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

Mr Jones never gets old. Sometimes, when performing with the singer, I remember that time when he played me the demo. Absolutely incredible.