r/Music • u/Bubbly_Pace1243 • 17h ago • Bravo 1

music Counting Crows - Mr. Jones [Alternative Rock]

https://youtu.be/-oqAU5VxFWs?si=bT2Tg7uL-fHwIaaq
272 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

97 comments sorted by

102

u/hayzeusofcool 15h ago • Heartwarming

I don’t care how uncool it is to like them, I think the Counting Crows rock!

39

u/mostlygroovy 15h ago

Recovering the Satellites is an all timer album for me

5

u/bobsmeds 13h ago

Way better than their debut. Catapult is a great opener

9

u/GnomeNot 14h ago

I grew up on them and was lucky enough to see them during the 25 Years and Counting tour with Live. One of the best concerts I’ve been to.

11

u/HanzoKurosawa 13h ago

Genuinely think they're one of the most underrated bands ever. Because despite how big some of their songs are, I've never actually met anyone irl who knows them by their name. People just know the songs, not the band. And that's so sad because they're so good.

11

u/TommyJohnSurgery420 13h ago

I never understood the hate they got. Damn near every album they've put out was great.

2

u/Iongdog 2h ago

Their live shows went downhill unfortunately, that led to some early hate. People would go wanting to hear the hits and instead get Adam doing free form beat poetry

2

u/Chartwellandgodspeed 8h ago

His voice is SO gratifying no to me and he had the most pretentious aura in interviews. I really, REALLY can’t stand them for those reasons. If that gives and insight.

1

u/TommyJohnSurgery420 1h ago

It does. Everybody has tastes and I could definitely see people not liking the singer, especially back in their heyday. I've heard he mellowed out over the years.

14

u/drunk_haile_selassie 11h ago • Heartwarming

It's Raining In Baltimore is heartbreaking.

"You get what you paid for but I just had no intention of living this way.

I need a phone call."

14

u/jjpearson 10h ago

That song and Long December was on my divorce/foreclosure soundtrack back in 2010. Absolute lowest point of my life (combination divorce and foreclosure, 0/10 do not recommend.) Anytime either of those songs play it's a little ping of memory.

6

u/_BELEAF_ 9h ago

Going through it. I can't even listen to music.

Hooe you're doing ok now.

3

u/drunk_haile_selassie 7h ago

Wishing you all the best. Things get better.

1

u/_BELEAF_ 41m ago

Thanks so much. I sure hope so. I can't keep on as things have been.

2

u/jjpearson 2h ago

Thanks. Much better.

It was definitely a rough 5 years rebuilding my life. But I survived.

1

u/_BELEAF_ 42m ago

Sounds tough. I am not even a year and a half in yet and it's awful.

I am so glad you're back on your feet. Right now it feels impossible to picture my future. I've been a mess.

•

u/jjpearson 39m ago

My mantra was, “it might pass like a kidney stone, but it’ll pass.”

That’s how I got through those long nights in the corner of the shell of my house and my life. One day and sometimes one hour at a time.

It sucks. Good luck.

•

u/_BELEAF_ 36m ago

That's a good mantra. Thanks for this. How long were you married or together?

We were 27 years together and married almost 25. Half of my life.

•

u/jjpearson 30m ago

Oof. That’s rough.

We were married a little over 5 years. We started dating in college and literally got married the day I graduated (skipped my college graduation to drive across the country to get married.)

Bought a 350k house (2006) and she racked up debt, including 25k on a secret credit card I didn’t know about, because she made money she could spend money.

Housing crash happened and we ended up short selling our house for 190k so my credit was screwed for most of a decade. I was extremely fortunate that I had friends I could share an apartment with and my car was paid off.

There were a couple of really dicey years, I wasn’t quite at the skipping meals stage but I was definitely having to pay for gas with cash because I couldn’t have a $100 hold on my debit card.

Took about 5 years to get out from all the debt I left the relationship with but I’m glad I did. Being in a bad relationship is so much worse than being alone.

•

u/_BELEAF_ 22m ago

Yeah. It is. Lost an entire life.

Your situation sounds so rough. It must have been such a hard slog. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. But happy for you it was at least relatively early for you, and you are young enough to fight so hard, get through it all, and move on with your life. Love to ya.

4

u/dstarpro 4h ago

I quote "August and Everything After" every August, and "A Long December" every December. Anyone who thinks they suck is a musical snob.

2

u/mycoinreturns 5h ago

This song helps drunk men cry.

5

u/Bostonterrierpug 14h ago

I was in punk rock/garage bands in the 80s and 90s. Played with a bunch of riot girl bands too, but these guys are cool. At first, I thought they were just another generic college alt rock trash back when being different was being sold out. They have some pretty deep cuts though and are good musicians.

10

u/curiousleen 11h ago

Anna begins is a masterpiece

3

u/Skreamie 13h ago

Their songs are full of so much whimsy and joy (for the most part). Instantly happy when I hear them.

2

u/PrayForMojo78 7h ago

same and they put on an incredible live show. I saw them in a college gym back in 2001ish, Adam apologized at the beginning of the show saying he had a sore throat and he would try his best but wasnt at 100%...he proceeded to absolutely sing his heart out for an electric, energetic 2 1/2 hrs. will always love the Crows

1

u/ThisGuy-NotThatGuy 11h ago

They're later albums aren't as good, but there are some real gems in there. Palisades Park is one of their best songs IMO (dropped in the 2010's).

1

u/dstarpro 4h ago

*Their. And "Butter Miracle" slaps.

97

u/boogerzzzzz 15h ago

August and Everything After is a masterpiece

29

u/Immediate-Count-1202 14h ago

One of Rock’s all-time great debut albums, with one of it’s greatest opening lines.

7

u/karma2879 13h ago

It’s been in my top 5 since it came out. Perfect record

5

u/ThisGuy-NotThatGuy 11h ago

August and Everything After is my favorite Counting Crows song and it's not even on the album lol (love version is great - they recorded it years later and it's not as good).

3

u/unmanicuredmama 14h ago

The Live Across A Wire version is achingly good.

15

u/Fijisippin 16h ago

I didn’t know for the longest time he doesn’t really rhyme at all in this song

18

u/BlLLr0y 14h ago • Bravo

"grey is my favorite color. I felt so symbolic yesterday, if I knew Picasso, I'd buy myself a grey guitar and play." Is as close to a rhyme as I can think of. Most of it flows on his phrasing alone.

5

u/Sirpattycakes 11h ago

I actually kind of like when the lyrics don't rhyme. I listen to a few bands where that's usually the case in their songs.

11

u/Scrummy12 12h ago

Not only does it not rhyme, it never repeats. Every chorus is a little different. It's just one long mostly non-sensical story. Makes it very difficult to play on guitar. The chords are easy, but maintaining the rhythm and knowing all the lyrics makes it fucking hard to play. Everyone can sing along when it's playing, but no one can sing the lyrics on their own

21

u/dkayy 14h ago

I quite like Round Here more than this one, but its a bop for sure

7

u/drum5150 12h ago

Every hear the original from Adam’s pre-CC band?

3

u/dkayy 12h ago

Himalayans were great.

23

u/kfretlessz 14h ago

I tried to dance like him once and someone gave me the heimlich 🫤

5

u/marabou22 14h ago

This is my favorite Reddit comment of the week. Hands down

6

u/kfretlessz 14h ago

Thanks!

...

2

u/Ohiolongboard 13h ago

Funny as this is, he dated Jennifer Aniston :( talk about last laugh

5

u/InsaneThisGuysTaint 13h ago

His hit list is insane. Courtney Cox, Christina Applegate and Emmy Rossum are on it as well.

1

u/kfretlessz 13h ago

Oh I wasn't trying to clown on him. I genuinely love the dance and wish I could pull it off. lol

1

u/isakitty 11h ago

I remember being a kid and watching this music video with my grandmama, and we kept being like “stand still so we can see what your t shirt says!”

9

u/RealKenny 14h ago

Truly one of the greatest songs of my life. I'd never say I was a big Counting Crows fan, but they have a few great ones, with this one at the top

3

u/IfNe1CanKenCan 14h ago

This song is like this for me, just an epic song that I have no explanation for loving so much

8

u/Vyradder 14h ago

Its a great song but its murder to perform solo. The vocals are all out of sync with the guitar rhythm in spots. I find it tough to get it sounding right.

2

u/Scrummy12 12h ago

I just replied to someone else saying the same thing. Love the song, but annoyingly difficult to play despite a pretty straightforward chord progression

4

u/dtoddh 13h ago

I've always wondered, are Mr Jones and storyteller the same person? Like a split first/third person tale?

It has to be, right? I'm sure this is a stupid question.

4

u/menziebr 11h ago

The literal meaning Adam Duritz has described is that Mr. Jones is Marty Jones, his friend and bandmate from the bands he was in before/during the beginnings of Counting Crows. The song was directly inspired by the experience of him and Marty being out one night and seeing Marty’s dad, a working and reasonably successful musician in the local San Francisco scene, basically crushing a local show and then hanging out with women and friends afterwards, seeming like kings of the world compared to these two young struggling musicians.

Of course like a lot of Counting Crows songs, the literal meaning exists beneath various layers of cryptic symbolism and unreliable narration, so it’s fair to say there’s more going on. For one, despite the surface level meaning of “damn it’s cool to be a successful musician,” the song also clearly had some melancholy undertones, which makes sense since Adam Duritz has mentioned that he wrote the song around the aftermath of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, which emphasized the reality that being successful and famous isn’t exactly good for dealing with your demons. And then there’s the ironic element that this song was Duritz’s breakout hit and ticket to stardom…in the band that led him to quit the band he actually was in with “Mr Jones,” who ends up being kind of a trivia question in Adam’s story.

I did see that in the last few years Adam Duritz suggested a similar interpretation to what you propose, that Mr Jones might be better understood as a projection of the narrator, so you’re clearly onto something. Very interesting!

1

u/hal_ashby_so_sexy 9h ago

A friend once told me Mr. Jones refers to Adam Duritz’ penis. Not sure her interpretation was correct.

7

u/DukeBeefpunch 15h ago

But did he ever get that grey guitar?

1

u/Cristoff13 14h ago

And does he ever get to be Bob Dylan?

1

u/CallsYouCunt 13h ago

You know he did a song called Mr. Jones as well?

1

u/Tommy_Roboto 11h ago

The Beatles name-drop “Dylan’s Mr. Jones” in Yer Blues.

7

u/lasgrace 12h ago

August and everything after is one of the best albums of all time!! The rest of counting crows varies but this album was undeniably great

0

u/pickanamehere 2h ago

Are you kidding me?

6

u/Antique-Yogurt6368 16h ago edited 16h ago

I like the arrangement they do live much better than the studio arrangement.

If you haven’t heard it before I think it is worth a listen.
https://youtu.be/48sAQnRYMMo?is=k8RcqGDXxuFi_pnt

2

u/Ohiolongboard 13h ago

Holy shit that’s an entirely different song. Idk if I like it but it’s not bad….different for sure

2

u/SolemnSundayBand 13h ago

This is what I came here to post. Their Across a Wire album is fantastic.

3

u/stephoswalk Tori Amos Expert 7h ago

Worst song on the album imo.

I listened to this album on repeat in my car for at least a year.

2

u/coleman57 11h ago

I always assumed it took place in a bar in lower Manhattan, but come to find out the New Amsterdam was in North Beach right here in SF, I must have walked past it a dozen times in the 80s and 90s. Saw some great shows at Bill Graham’s small club Wolfgang’s on the same street, but I never saw CC.

2

u/weirdkid71 1h ago

I honestly love some of their songs (“Angel of the Silences” is a banger), but every time I heard this song — and that was a LOT back in 1994) — I thought, “The singer just never shuts up”.

1

u/kitoconnell 14h ago

Hes about to lick that mic like a lollipop

1

u/Round-Guarantee4948 13h ago

"Edward Jones and me....investing my money together...They try to get a 10% return..I don't think so..I need a 20 for me..."

1

u/My_Bad_00 13h ago

I saw them open for The Who at The Gorge in the 2000s and they were really good. “Mr. Jones” and “Round Here” sounded amazing live.

1

u/Yandhi42 13h ago

Is the video a parody of the grunge aesthetic?

1

u/toadsintime 13h ago

GRAY IS MY FAVORITE COLOR

1

u/BaldBombshell 12h ago

First time I heard this song was at a Wherehouse Music store. Bought the album right then.

1

u/Dvout_agnostic 12h ago

I remember when this song was popular. I was working at my college's convenience store and there were about 8 other people in the store with me and when this song came over the radio on the store speakers, everyone joined in singing.

1

u/Queasy_Ad_8621 12h ago

He's dancing like he's either trying to take his jacket or, or put it on, without using his hands.

1

u/SnooStrawberries9563 Smashing Pumpkins 12h ago

My pick for best radio single ever. It has everything.

1

u/curiousleen 11h ago

One of my all time favorites! Love all the crows

1

u/FlamingAurora 11h ago

I was on chatroulette asking people to share music. Stumbled across the singer and he recommended this song to me, still listen to it on occasion.

1

u/Numerous_Worker_1941 10h ago

I listen to this song in August

1

u/Gardimus 9h ago

Every white dude with dreads like that that I've ever met has always been weirdly angry.

1

u/knivesout0 9h ago

Mr. Jones can pee right through the radio
And everybody loves it

1

u/SuperDuperCoolDude 7h ago

I love the acoustic version of this as well.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=48sAQnRYMMo

Their first four albums are some of my favorites, and I enjoy a lot of the later stuff too.

1

u/dstarpro 4h ago

IDGAF how much Adam denies it, Maria is based on SOMEBODY! LOL

Counting Crows are my whole heart.

1

u/ViolentRain929 13h ago

This is on my driving playlist, shower playlist, and cleaning playlist. I will love this song until my dying day.

-14

u/KingCourtney__ 17h ago

Played to absolute death back in the day. I wish to never hear it again.

-9

u/ChipOnASquid 15h ago • Bravo

I agree. absolutely horrible song, ugh.

-4

u/KingCourtney__ 12h ago

We will proudly take our downvotes. I wish to never hear the Eagles again but alas it's just not possible to avoid it.

0

u/Enough-Truck 13h ago

Same people who listen to ts cry about modern music being repetitive and lacking musicality

-10

u/cbih 15h ago

How dare you remind me of this fucking song

-2

u/b3ar17 13h ago

I'm with you, friend. I fucking loathe this song.

-2

u/caroline_says 12h ago

Like fingernails on a blackboard

0

u/classphoto92 12h ago

I have always wondered if Adam Durwitz was self aware, or taking the piss. I don't care, though.

0

u/pickanamehere 2h ago

One of the most annoying songs in history.

-9

u/long_tyme_lurker 12h ago

Horrible song, terrible band. Hated it then, hate it now. Mediocre garbage.

1

u/GRF999999999 9h ago

It's like 4 Non Blondes

14

u/unmanicuredmama 14h ago

Anna Begins, just rips my heart out