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)
All My Friends
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the shadows of satellites
So nobody hurt loves not for words
In a world at the end of its night
Oh everyone that left me
They’re so easy to forget
'Cause I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
Your voice on the phone the blood from a stone
These tears that I can’t understand
If I could heal would give I don’t feel
Or by silently giving my hand
Well I’m sure I never loved you
That would be to fierce and too correct
But I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
It made my demon reveal its hour of living
And may he not leave me broken
May he leave me broken
So where ever I’m bound my ear to the ground
And my thoughts on their way back to you
As eternity's slave, well you can write that on my grave
When I’m finished resisting its truth
While I’m shaking hands with darkness
It's where the warm wind that I admit
That I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
Yet while I’m shaking hands with darkness
It is where the warm wind that I admit
That I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
The song "All My Failures" by Counting Crows revolves around the idea that failures are inevitable in life, but it's up to an individual whether they let those failures define them or not. The lyrics highlight the singer's struggle to deal with the failures they have faced in their life, but they refuse to give up on hope or let those failures control them. The opening lines suggest that the singer is lost and looking for guidance, so they send a prayer out to the universe. They feel like they are living in a world that's slowly coming to an end, and the only solace they can find is in the presence of satellites.
The lyrics of the second verse suggest that the singer has been hurt by love in the past, and they can't seem to get over it. They talk about someone leaving them and how easy it is to forget such people, but they still hold on to the memories of their love. The third verse sees the singer acknowledging their failures, and underlining that they haven't dealt with them yet. The final lines of the verse repeat the same phrase, as if to convince oneself that they shouldn't let these failures consume them.
Towards the end of the song, the singer seems to be in a dark place, but they still haven't lost sight of hope. They mention "shaking hands with darkness," but they also admit that they haven't let their failures hit them yet. The hope in this song comes from the fact that the singer hasn't given up on themselves, despite their failures. It's an optimistic take on a subject that can often seem depressing.
Line by Line Meaning
Addressing a prayer into the air
Talking to God even though there's no physical proof that God exists
In the shadows of satellites
Praying even though it feels like no one's listening
So nobody hurt loves not for words
Love is expressed through actions rather than words
In a world at the end of its night
It feels like everything's coming to an end
Oh everyone that left me
Talking about all the people who abandoned the artist
They’re so easy to forget
It's easy to forget about people who didn't stick around
'Cause I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
Not letting failure get the best of the singer
Your voice on the phone the blood from a stone
The artist is emotionally drained
These tears that I can’t understand
The artist is confused about their own emotions
If I could heal would give I don’t feel
The artist doesn't feel anything, even though they wish they did
Or by silently giving my hand
The singer wishes they could comfort someone else, but they can't even comfort themselves
Well I’m sure I never loved you
The artist is second-guessing their own feelings
That would be too fierce and too correct
Being in love is too intense and too perfect
But I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
The singer is avoiding acknowledging their own failures
It made my demon reveal its hour of living
The singer is confronting their demons
And may he not leave me broken
The artist is afraid of being left in a worse state than before
So wherever I’m bound my ear to the ground
The artist is paying attention to everything around them
And my thoughts on their way back to you
Even though the singer is trying to move on, they can't stop thinking about someone else
As eternity's slave, well you can write that on my grave
The singer feels like they're stuck in a never-ending cycle of pain and suffering
When I’m finished resisting its truth
The artist is coming to terms with their reality
While I’m shaking hands with darkness
The artist is going through a difficult time
It's where the warm wind that I admit
The artist is finally able to be honest with themselves
That I haven’t let my failures hit me yet
Even though the singer is struggling, they're still avoiding acknowledging their own failures
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHIP TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind