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

The Lead Singer Shares the Beginnings

Our first albums were mostly produced in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album signified a significant milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a large record company. Each member got an advance of $3,000; I used mine to purchase a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled 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 Benny Goodman album that my father had acquired as a free giveaway at a gas station when I was young.

The song Mr Jones was included on a demo tape that we sent to labels, but it proved a challenging song to complete. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a leisurely tune nor a straight ahead number; rather, it moves with a rhythm, demanding a deep understanding to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Memphis soul style than country.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the song as the rest of us did – thus T Bone enlisted one of his idols to play it.

We looked at a few producers, but when I spoke with the producer, he really get where the group was headed. We had great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we were still learning how to work together. We removed all the synthesizers and effects pedals. The drummer couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone invited Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.

Marty Jones and I performed in groups together before Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was back in the Bay Area doing a tour. Attended one of his performances and spent the night with the flamenco troupe visiting bars. The next morning, I went home and composed the song. The lyrics reflect our experience that evening, wishing we were cool musicians so we could talk to the women more easily.

I believe, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. We performed Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the album jumped 40 spots weekly for over a month. Following that, the song turned into a major success.

David Immerglück Recalls His Perspective

In the late 1980s, the band members were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with another band and had an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d just done with the guitarist. I heard this track called Mr Jones. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a video game or random noise, but his singing were on another level.

Once T Bone took over, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam saying, “Listen, can you join us and play on this record?” By the time I got there, the producer had relocated us to a recording space in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found guitars that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.

He instructed me to perform behind the tempo the drums. His words were, “If you rush before the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” He has a southern accent, and his advice was to visualize putting your feet up on the mixing board 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. Back then, everyone used heroin. The goal was obliteration, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Their music blended folk and rock with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

Mr Jones never gets old. On stage, when I am rocking out with the singer, I remember that moment when he played me the demo. It’s insane.