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)
Hanging Tree
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fear I might lose my composure without warning
I am a child of fire I am a lion I have desires
And I was born inside the sun this morning
[Chorus]
This dizzy life of mine keeps hanging me up all the time
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree
They say good evening when they don't know what to say
They say good morning when they wish you would go home
You open windows and you wait for someone warm to come inside and then freeze to death alone
[Chorus]
She calls a waitress when its time for her to go
And I know everyone is eventually leaving
I got a pair of wings for my birthday baby and I will fall down through the sun to see you mine
[Chorus]
For me, for me, for me [Repeated]
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree for me
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree for me
For me, for me, for me [Repeated]
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree for me
The lyrics to Counting Crows’s song Hanging Tree can be interpreted in multiple ways, but one possible interpretation is that it's about feeling lost and disconnected in a world that doesn't understand you. The line "she brings her friends so we won't have to be alone" suggests a sense of isolation and a need for companionship. The singer fears losing their composure without warning, indicating a potential struggle with mental health. The description of being a "child of fire" and a "lion with desires" suggests a strong and passionate personality, but also potentially volatile.
The chorus, "This dizzy life of mine keeps hanging me up all the time, this dizzy life is just a hanging tree," is a powerful metaphor for feeling stuck and hopeless. The image of a hanging tree evokes feelings of oppression and despair, and the repetition of the word "dizzy" suggests a feeling of disorientation or confusion. The second verse describes the fakeness of social interactions, with people saying "good evening" and "good morning" without really meaning it. The image of opening windows and waiting for someone warm to come in, only to freeze to death alone, is particularly poignant.
The final verse suggests a longing for escape, or possibly even death. The singer has a pair of wings and will "fall down through the sun to see you mine," implying a journey toward freedom or transcendence. The repetition of "for me" suggests a deep sense of self-absorption and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
She brings her friends so we wont have to be alone
She invites her friends to come along because she doesn't want us to be alone.
Fear I might lose my composure without warning
I am afraid that I will lose control of my emotions without knowing it.
I am a child of fire I am a lion I have desires
I am passionate and driven like a lion - I have intense desires and a burning spirit.
And I was born inside the sun this morning
I feel like I was reborn with a new sense of optimism and hope for the future.
They say good evening when they don't know what to say
People often use meaningless pleasantries to fill the silence when they don't know what else to say.
They say good morning when they wish you would go home
Sometimes people say goodbye when they really want you to leave.
You open windows and you wait for someone warm to come inside and then freeze to death alone
You try to let people in and hope for the warmth of human connection, but end up feeling cold and alone anyway.
She calls a waitress when its time for her to go
She signals to the waitress that it's time for her to leave.
And I know everyone is eventually leaving
I understand that everyone will eventually move on and leave.
I got a pair of wings for my birthday baby and I will fall down through the sun to see you mine
I feel like I have a newfound freedom and will do anything to be with the person I love.
This dizzy life of mine keeps hanging me up all the time
My chaotic and overwhelming life keeps tripping me up and making things difficult.
This dizzy life is just a hanging tree
My life is like a noose around my neck, suffocating and restricting me.
For me, for me, for me [Repeated]
This is a constant struggle and source of pain for me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES BOGIOS, DAVID LYNN BRYSON, ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, DAVID A IMMERGLUCK, MILLARD POWERS, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY
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