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)
Butterfly In Reverse
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're better than the world
They took a lot of time
Getting it right on this girl
I said, Mary-Ann
You're better than the world
They did a lot of things right on this girl
I should have known them
Click your heels and count back from there
Do you want to go back?
You should have known
That the butterfly in reverse here is me
Mary-Ann
You're better than the world
They took a lot of time
Getting it right on this girl
I said, Mary-Ann
You're better than the world
They did a lot of things right on this girl
Where'd you want to go to
With nothing beside you
But webbing and curfews and rain?
And everything that hurts you
Is locked up inside you
Like butterflies with wings
And other perfect things
We go swimming in the sunshine
Dangling from clotheslines
Separate and fall into me
But did you ever see me?
Me, absolutely?
Me, but all you, but still me?
Mary-Ann
You're better than the world
They took a lot of time
Getting it right on this girl, I said
Mary-Ann
You're better than the world
They did a lot of things right on this girl
"Butterfly In Reverse" by Counting Crows is a song about a girl named Mary-Ann who is portrayed as someone who is special and better than the rest of the world. The lyrics suggest that Mary-Ann was created with a lot of thought and care, implying that there is something extraordinary about her. However, the lines "Had a lot of girlfriends, I should have known them" suggest that the singer didn't fully appreciate Mary-Ann's worth and only realizes it now in hindsight. The line "the butterfly in reverse here is me" further emphasizes this point by suggesting that the singer has become a lesser version of themselves compared to Mary-Ann.
The song then switches to imagery of webbing, curfews, and rain, suggesting a sense of entrapment and sadness. The line "everything that hurts you is locked up inside you like butterflies with wings and other perfect things" implies that Mary-Ann has gone through a lot of pain but has hidden it away inside her. The song then concludes with a request to Mary-Ann to see the singer for who they truly are, suggesting that the singer is not fully seen by Mary-Ann despite being familiar with each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary-Ann
Addressing Mary-Ann as the person he is talking to
You're better than the world
Mary-Ann is exceptional and better than the rest of the world
They took a lot of time
Someone put a lot of effort into creating and shaping Mary-Ann
Getting it right on this girl
The person who created Mary-Ann did a great job and made her perfect
I said, Mary-Ann
The person is still talking to Mary-Ann
They did a lot of things right on this girl
The person who created Mary-Ann did a great job on many aspects of her
Had a lot of girlfriends
The person had many past relationships
I should have known them
The person regrets not knowing their past girlfriends better
Click your heels and count back from there
Think back to the past and try to remember
Do you want to go back?
The person is asking Mary-Ann if she wants to revisit the past
You should have known
The person is continuing to suggest that Mary-Ann should know the answer
That the butterfly in reverse here is me
The person is the reason why things have turned out differently (in reverse) from how they were supposed to be
Where'd you want to go to
Asking Mary-Ann where she wants to be
With nothing beside you
Without any materials or possessions
But webbing and curfews and rain?
Only accompanied by negative or restrictive things
And everything that hurts you
All the pain and hurt that Mary-Ann feels
Is locked up inside you
All the pain and hurt is internalized and not expressed or released
Like butterflies with wings
The pain and hurt is held inside like butterflies, beautiful but trapped
And other perfect things
Other perfect things are also trapped inside, unable to escape or be expressed
We go swimming in the sunshine
The two people enjoy each other's company and have fun together
Dangling from clotheslines
Having fun and enjoying life's little moments
Separate and fall into me
They may be physically apart, but mentally and emotionally connected
But did you ever see me?
The person is asking if Mary-Ann truly sees him for who he is
Me, absolutely?
The person is asking if Mary-Ann truly knows and understands the real him
Me, but all you, but still me?
Even though the person may seem different to Mary-Ann, he is still the same person underneath it all
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM DURITZ, BEN MIZE, CHARLES GILLINGHAM, DANIEL VICKREY, DAVID BRYSON, DAVID IMMERGLUCK, MATTHEW MALLEY, RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind