For the group's first album, Adam and David added bassist Matt Malley, multi-instrument talent Charlie Gillingham, and drummer Steve Bowman. David Immergluck served as the second guitarist on the first album, but he did not officially join the band until 1999. Guitarist Dan Vickery was added just as the band set out on their first tour. As stated before, 'August and Everything After' provided the band with a surprise yet very welcome success, garnering them critical praise. Released on September 14, 1993 through Geffen Records, the album hit #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, showing that their tunes had tapped into something.
Counting Crows, with their intimate and confessional yet smooth, often catchy musical approach, achieved a large fan base among melodic rock fans over the years. Their 90s acclaim reflected that a significant music scene looked for something different from the raging guitars of the Seattle-based grunge movement as well as from either boilerplate pop music or the budding electronic music subgenres. The group kept on releasing new songs into the new millennium.
The band's more recent successes include the 2004 hit song "Accidentally In Love", which was featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack (that has sold over 1,000,000 copies). That song has also garnered nominations for a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. That same year, the band released their first ever best of set, which they titled 'Films about Ghosts'. That album features songs from every phase of the Counting Crows' recording career. To date, the band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide.
The group made the news when 'Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings' was released on March 25th, 2008. In addition, on January 16, 2008, the band released a digital EP as a free download on their official web site, consisting of the songs "1492" and "When I Dream Of Michelangelo". The lead single from the album was "You Can't Count On Me", which was released for radio play on February 4, 2008.
The album itself is thematically and stylistically divided into two parts: the first, more rock-influenced Saturday Nights, and the second, more country-influenced Sunday Mornings. Theme changes along with style; in the Sunday Mornings portion of the album, songs become more reflective. The iTunes release contains several bonus tracks, including a track-by-track interview with Duritz.
Members of the band:
Adam Duritz - lead vocals, piano, wurlitzer, tamborine
David Bryson - guitars, dobro, vocals
Charles Gillingham - piano, organ, accordion, mellotron, vocals
Dan Vickery - guitars, sitar, banjo, vocals
David Immergluck - guitars, bass, electric sitar, mandolin, vocals
Jim Bogios - drums, percussion loops, vocals
Millard Powers - bass guitar, upright bass, piano, vocals
Ex-members of the band:
Matt Malley - guitars, double bass, vocals
Ben Mize - drums, percussion, tambourine, bulbs, vocals
Steve Bowman - drums, vocals
Ben Ulrich - drums
Marty Jones - bass guitar
Lydia Holly - keyboards
Toby Hawkins - drums
Albums
August And Everything After - (September 14, 1993)
Recovering The Satellites - (October 14, 1996)
Across a Wire - Live in New York City - (1998)
This Desert Life - (November 1, 1999)
Hard Candy - (July 8, 2002)
Films About Ghosts: The Best Of - (November 25, 2003)
*New Amsterdam: Live At Heineken Music Hall - (June 19, 2006)
August And Everything After, Deluxe Edition - (Fall 2007)
Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings - (March 25, 2008)
Somewhere Under Wonderland - (September 2, 2014)
A Murder Of One
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrapped in strands of fist and bone
Curiosity, Kitten, doesn't have to mean you're on your own
Your can look outside your window
He doesn't have to know
We can talk awhile, baby
We can take it nice and slow
All your love is just a dream
Are you happy where you're sleeping?
Does he keep you safe and warm?
Does he tell you when you're sorry?
Does he tell you when you're wrong?
I've been watching you for hours
It's been years since we were born
We were perfect when we started
I've been wondering where we've gone
All your life is such a shame
All your love is just a dream
I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow
Casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there counting crows
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for girls and four for boys
Five for silver
Six for gold and
Seven for a secret never to be told
There's a bird that nests inside you
Sleeping underneath your skin
When you open up your wings to speak
I wish you'd let me in
All your life is such a shame
All your love is just a dream
Open up your eyes
You can see the flames
of your wasted life
You should be ashamed
You don't want to waste your life
I walk along these hillsides in the summer 'neath the sunshine
I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me
In the first verse of "A Murder of One" by Counting Crows, the singer speaks to a woman who seems to be trapped in a relationship. The lyrics are metaphorical, as the woman is not physically trapped, but rather emotionally and mentally trapped by a man. The lyrics suggest that the woman is curious and looking for a way out of her situation, but is unsure of how to do so. The singer urges her to take it slow, and not to worry about what the man might think. It seems that the singer has been watching the woman for a long time, and has been wondering what happened to their once-perfect relationship.
The chorus reinforces the idea that the woman's life is a shame, and that her love is just a dream. It could be interpreted that the singer feels that the woman is wasting her life and is not truly happy in her relationship. The second verse continues the theme of the woman being trapped, asking if she is happy where she is and questioning if her partner is kind to her. The singer reveals that he has been watching her for years, implying that there is a deep history between them.
The final verse of the song includes the famous Counting Crows formation of counting birds- one for sorrow, two for joy, three for girls and four for boys, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. The formation is a form of divination, suggesting that the singer is searching for answers in his life, as is the woman. The last few lines of the song suggests that the singer wants to be let into the woman's life, and that he wishes he could make her see that she is wasting her life.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue morning Blue morning
The singer is experiencing a depressing or sad day.
Wrapped in strands of fist and bone
The singer feels trapped and constrained.
Curiosity, Kitten, doesn't have to mean you're on your own
Being curious about things is fine and doesn't mean the singer is alone.
Your can look outside your window
You can explore new things by looking outside your comfort zone.
He doesn't have to know
The artist is keeping a secret from someone.
We can talk awhile, baby
The singer wants to have a conversation.
We can take it nice and slow
The singer wants to take their time in this conversation.
All your life is such a shame
The artist is unhappy with their life.
All your love is just a dream
The artist's love life is unfulfilling or nonexistent.
Are you happy where you're sleeping?
The artist is curious about someone else's life.
Does he keep you safe and warm?
The singer is wondering if the person is in a happy and secure relationship.
Does he tell you when you're sorry?
The artist is questioning the communication in the relationship.
Does he tell you when you're wrong?
The singer is questioning the communication in the relationship.
I've been watching you for hours
The singer is stalking someone or keeping a close eye on them.
It's been years since we were born
The singer is reflecting on how long they have known the person they are watching.
We were perfect when we started
The artist is reminiscing about the early days of their relationship.
I've been wondering where we've gone
The artist is questioning the current state of their relationship.
I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow
The singer describes a dream they had about the person they are watching.
Casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there counting crows
The person is standing out in the open, perhaps taking stock of their surroundings or just observing the crows.
One for sorrow
One crow is believed to signify sorrow or bad luck.
Two for joy
Two crows are believed to signify joy or good luck.
Three for girls and four for boys
Three crows are believed to signify the birth of a girl and four crows are believed to signify the birth of a boy.
Five for silver
Five crows are believed to signify silver, which can represent wealth or good fortune.
Six for gold and
Six crows are believed to signify gold, which can represent even greater wealth and good fortune.
Seven for a secret never to be told
Seven crows are believed to signify a secret that will never be revealed.
There's a bird that nests inside you
The singer is suggesting that we all have something inside of us that makes us unique.
Sleeping underneath your skin
This unique thing is a part of who we are, even if it is not always visible.
When you open up your wings to speak
We should embrace and express this unique part of ourselves.
I wish you'd let me in
The artist wishes to be involved in someone else's life in a significant way.
Open up your eyes
The singer is urging someone to pay attention to their surroundings and become engaged with the world around them.
You can see the flames
Once this person has become more engaged, they will be able to see the danger and unhappiness in their current lifestyle.
of your wasted life
The artist believes that this person is not living up to their full potential and is making poor choices in life.
You should be ashamed
The artist believes that this person should feel guilty or embarrassed about their current lifestyle.
I walk along these hillsides in the summer 'neath the sunshine
The artist is describing a peaceful and enjoyable summer day.
I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me
The singer's mood is brightened by the soft light of the moon shining on them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, BEN G MIZE, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY, DAVID LYNN BRYSON, MATTHEW MARK MALLEY, STEVE BOWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maximilian
My first encounter with Counting Crows due to Scrubs years ago. Gratefully, this changed mywhole life. Nowadays I have got this "lifetime commitment" to listening to their songs.
Funny how this album turns out to be all about people leaving and this last record is all about staying. But for no good reasons.
In an acoustic version available here on youtube, he sings:
"She said 'how does it feel to be one of the beautiful people? How does it feel to be one of the fortunate ones?' "
A beautiful line, so sincere and so full of desperation. And you can ask yourself ever and ever agin while listening to songs of the Crows: "How true..."
It's, as a matter of fact, Adam once mentioned it in an interview, the answer to his accuses of her wasting her life by staying in this abusive relationship. He could have every girl, but she, considering herself ugly and worthless after being surpressed for ages, she just is afraid of dying alone.
On her private archipelago with her palmtrees and her seashells... Well that's a different story tho :)
It just always seems to adapt to your life.
Adam Duritz is a genius. Thank you for this art, the most underrated I could imagine.
Cynthia MacNamee
My beloved husband passed about a month ago. And I'm finally getting around to listening to this, God he loved this song💗
Joe Iverson
sorry for the pain you are in.
Cynthia MacNamee
@Joe Iverson thank you 💗
Strenwolf.
Keep strong my dear, hope you always think of the good times with your husband. He knew good music, this song is my go to song when I need reassurances in life. Keep safe ❤
Cynthia MacNamee
@Strenwolf. thank you 💗
Garrett1111
It’s the most amazing song ever he had great taste. After all, he picked you 💕
Donna Schnare
Almost 69 years old and still love this song - resonates with me now as it did then and the tears flow still.
Robin Itzen
I’m 66 and feel the same!!
John Minick
I cry to it too
Charlie May
Honestly I’m 22 and it hits harder as I get older I first heard it when I was 12 and I can’t wait till I can feel it and hear it when I’m even older hopefully!