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)
Hanginaround
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you.
'Cause last night I had something so good
These days get so long and I got nothing to do"
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town so long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
We spend all day getting sober
Just hiding from daylight
Watching TV
We just look a lot better in the blue light
Well, you know I gotta get out
But I'm stuck so tight
Weighed by the chains that keep me...
Hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town too long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way too long
And this girl listens to the band play
She says "Where have you been?
I've been lyin' right here on the floor"
Well, I got all this time
To be waiting for what is mine
To be hating what I am
After the light has faded
Hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town so long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way, way, way, way, way too long
I Hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town too long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
The song "Hanginaround" by Counting Crows is about feeling stuck and bored in a small town, and trying to find a way out. The verses describe the singer waiting for a girl to arrive, reminiscing about a good time he had the previous night. He reveals that he has been hanging around and bumming around the same old town for too long, and now spends his days drinking and watching TV while hiding from daylight. He feels trapped and unable to leave, weighed down by the chains that keep him stuck in the same place. The girl he's with seems similarly stuck and is lying on the floor, listening to the band playing in the background. The chorus repeats the idea of hanging around and bumming around the same old town for too long.
The lyrics are reflective of the feeling of boredom and restlessness that come from living in a small town with not much to do. The song's themes also touch on the classic idea of being the 'townie', or someone who has grown up and never left their hometown, never experiencing anything different. The chorus repeats the phrase "Hanginaround" to emphasize that stuck feeling, which is a common sentiment for those living in small towns. The song's ability to perfectly encapsulate feelings of boredom and restlessness is what made it so relatable to so many people.
Line by Line Meaning
She sat right down on the sofa
The singer sees the girl he's been waiting for seated and wonders where she has been.
I said, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you.
'Cause last night I had something so good
These days get so long and I got nothing to do"
The singer asks where she has been because he's been waiting for her. He says he had a great experience with her the last time they were together, and he's been bored and lonely since.
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town so long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way too long
The singer has been stuck in this town for too long and has nothing to do. They feel like they've been wasting their time and need to make a change.
We spend all day getting sober
Just hiding from daylight
Watching TV
We just look a lot better in the blue light
Well, you know I gotta get out
But I'm stuck so tight
Weighed by the chains that keep me...
The artist and his companion spend their days trying to get sober and hiding from the daylight. They watch TV and look better in the blue light. The artist says that he needs to leave, but he feels trapped by chains holding him to the town.
And this girl listens to the band play
She says "Where have you been?
I've been lyin' right here on the floor"
The artist sees the girl listening to the band and she asks him where he has been. She's been there the whole time, possibly waiting for him.
Well, I got all this time
To be waiting for what is mine
To be hating what I am
After the light has faded
The singer has been waiting for something that belongs to him but doesn't know what it is or when it will arrive. He hates himself after his youth has faded and he's stuck in his current situation.
Hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town so long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way, way, way, way, way too long
I Hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town too long
I been hangin' around this town on the corner
I been bummin' around this old town for way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
Way way, way, way, way too long
The singer reiterates how they've been hanging around the same town for too long, both on the corner and in general. They've been simply existing in the same place, feeling trapped and unfulfilled. The repetition emphasizes their discontent and the length of time they've felt this way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID BRYSON, ADAM DURITZ, CHARLES GILLINGHAM, MATTHEW MALLEY, BEN MIZE, DANIEL VICKREY, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@remilipford0924
Just got back from the concert three hours ago. 1) I miss the 90s so much, it's crazy.
2)They sounded sooo soooo good. I love them, his voice is actually getting better as time goes on.
3) I hope they know we all still love them. They sounded like perfection tonight.
@thenurseinblack1810
Do you ever just go back to this comment and get a wave of nostalgia?
I did reading this comment and I didn't even live it lol.
@bustedbusto2803
Come on now, we know #2 isn't true.
@tyleredwards5665
I’m headed to Opry next Monday and too see Adam and the Boys! I really hope they play this and Mr. Jones! August 14th,2023!
@Motherkuen
@@tyleredwards5665 just returned from the show in st. augustine about 30 min ago. They did play this and Mr. Jones. so hopefully they play it when you see them. They sang some new songs and some old ones, it was amazing. They sang two of my favorites. Holiday in Spain and Angels of the Silences. Hope you enjoy the show!!!!
@jaylenedorris861
Saw them this week. It was great!!! Cute to watch Adam warm up and get into the show.
@hydraulichydra8363
My father recommended this to me and I finally heard it by chance on the radio today. Absolutely beautiful!
@tonebeatz24
Brings back good memories when I was growing up in high school. Counting Crows, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind and Oasis were my all time favorite alternative bands in the 90's. I miss those days. Alternative you can say today its pretty much dead on mainstream now. Music has changed so much today. Now everyone is into rap and electronic/pop in which I don't have a problem with peoples taste of music.
@psychotic0condoms
U alive?
@dprice81
Oasis STP AIC GNR