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)
Low
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I wanna get you low,
Brush your hair back from your eyes,
Take you down let the river flow,
Sometimes I wanna walk the street,
Behind the green sheet of glass,
A million miles below your feet,
A million miles, a million miles.
I'll be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned,
I'll be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned.
A million poppies gonna make me sleep,
But just one rose who knows your name,
The fruit is rusting on the vine,
The fruit is calling from the trees,
Hey oh don't you wanna go down,
Like some displaced cosmonaut,
A million miles a million miles,
A million miles a million miles.
Be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned,
I'll be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned.
Blue, blue is the sun,
And brown, brown is the sky,
Green, green of her eyes,
A million miles, a million miles,
Hey, oh don't you wanna go down,
Like some junkie cosmonaut,
A million miles below your feet,
A million miles, a million miles.
Be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned,
I'll be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned.
Be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned,
Be with you girl, like being low,
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned.
The lyrics to Counting Crows' song "Low" are about being torn between different desires and emotions. The singer alternates between wanting to bring someone down and wanting to let go and flow with the river. They describe wanting to walk the streets behind a green sheet of glass, which could imply feeling trapped or disconnected from reality. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'll be with you girl, like being low, hey hey hey like being stoned", suggesting a desire for a deep level of connection but also a sense of being lost or disoriented.
The second verse brings in imagery of nature, with poppies making the singer sleepy and a single rose standing out among them. The fruit rusting on the vine and calling from the trees could represent missed opportunities or unfulfilled potential. The bridge refers to a "displaced cosmonaut" and a "junkie cosmonaut", which could symbolize feeling disconnected from others or oneself. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the desire for connection and the feeling of being lost.
Overall, the lyrics to "Low" paint a picture of someone struggling to navigate their feelings and desires, feeling trapped and disconnected at times but ultimately seeking connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I wanna take you down,
At times, I feel like bringing you to a new, exciting level emotionally.
Sometimes I wanna get you low,
Occasionally, I want to take you to a darker, introspective state of mind.
Brush your hair back from your eyes,
Gently move away the hair covering your eyes to fully see and understand you.
Take you down let the river flow,
Help guide you to a more relaxed state, allowing things to just flow naturally.
Sometimes I wanna walk the street,
At times, I feel like exploring and discovering things with you by wandering the streets.
Behind the green sheet of glass,
Observed through the separated green glass, giving the world a unique, distinct view.
A million miles below your feet,
A great distance beneath you, holding many possibilities yet to be discovered.
A million miles, a million miles.
An unimaginable distance from where we are, representing the vastness of everything.
I'll be with you girl, like being low,
I will be there with you, emotionally and physically, even as we explore and experience new and different states of mind.
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned,
Expressing the feeling of pure relaxation, as if under the influence of drugs in a way that is playful and upbeat.
A million poppies gonna make me sleep,
The idea that many things can lull you into a deep sleep but they won't provide true rest, only time will.
But just one rose who knows your name,
One particular object, person or thought that can keep you awake, alert and focused.
The fruit is rusting on the vine,
Something that has been neglected and is now decaying before harvesting it or making use of it, can still be appreciated.
The fruit is calling from the trees,
Potential and opportunity call out from every direction, despite the fact that they must be actively sought out and in the end, harvested.
Hey oh don't you wanna go down,
A question asked in search of agreement, meaning we both want to reach the same level of understanding and connection.
Like some displaced cosmonaut,
Describing someone that is out of touch with their home environment or out of sorts, like a lost astronaut in space.
A million miles a million miles,
So far away, it might as well be a million miles, representing the vast distances we could traverse emotionally and physically.
Blue, blue is the sun,
Detailing an imagined alternate reality which shatters our expectations and preconceived notions about the world.
And brown, brown is the sky,
Continuing to describe a world that is strange, unexpected and must be reimagined to move forward.
Green, green of her eyes,
Noticing and appreciating the details of someone you care for, and their green eyes in particular.
A million miles, a million miles,
A repeated theme that every moment or challenge can feel insurmountable and daunting, providing both excitement and doubt.
Hey, oh don't you wanna go down,
The same question being asked again, persistently desiring the same level of mutual understanding and acceptance.
Like some junkie cosmonaut,
A second reference to an astronaut that is emotional and out of touch with their surroundings, but this time with negative connotations.
A million miles below your feet,
Continuing the idea of the vastness beneath you, but this time placing it lower down for an added emphasize.
Be with you girl, like being low,
Repetitive in expressing the desire to be with someone who understands you and to share experiences with them.
Hey, hey, hey like being stoned.
Ending the song on a similar sentiment on the value of being relaxed, taking things in stride and finding joy in the moment.
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@frederic57
I was down at the New Amsterdam
Staring at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
With a black-haired flamenco dancer
You know she dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful
And we all want something beautiful
Man, I wish I was beautiful
So come dance the silence down through the morning
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la, yeah
Uh huh, yeah
Cut up, Maria
Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
'Cause I wanna be someone who believes
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Tell each other fairy tales
And we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
Ah, no, no, she's looking at me
Smilin' in the bright lights
Coming through in stereo
When everybody loves you
You can never be lonely
Well, I'm gon' paint my picture
Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful
Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
Mr. Jones and me
Looked into the future
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you
I don't think so
She's looking at me
Standing in the spotlight
I bought myself a gray guitar
When everybody loves me
I will never be lonely
I will never be lonely
Said I'm never gonna be lonely
I wanna be a lion
Yeah, everybody wanna pass as cats
We all wanna be big, big stars
Yeah, but we got different reasons for that
Believe in me
'Cause I don't believe in anything
And I wanna be someone to believe, to believe, to believe
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me
Stumbling through the barrio
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's perfect for you
Man, there's got to be somebody for me
I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, ah son
That's just about as funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me
Staring at the video
When I look at the television, I want to see me
Staring right back at me
We all wanna be big stars
But we don't know why, and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me
I'm wanna be just about as happy as I can be
Mr. Jones and me
We're gonna be big stars
@davidtalbot2061
The guy talks about this blonde girl he liked the look of... but he settled for the dark haired Latina girl because she was dancing sexy for him... after she showed some interest. "She's suddenly beautiful"
And when someone accepts you for who you are (the best person you will ever be) that makes you feel beautiful.. <3
the era in which we develop at the fastest rate is our teenage years... not just physically but also emotionally and most of all mentally.
He talks about wanting to be a lion but then just passing as a cat. Again it's accepting reality.
Life looks good during the period when you are developing. I'm not sure anybody can ever live up to their own expectations (no matter what success you think they have in their field)
He wants to paint that picture with lots of colours... but then when he looks at it it's just 50 shades of grey.
@chicken
Anyone here in 2024 listening to this timeless masterpiece?💖
@thegreatandterrible4508
Mostly because they parodies it in Bob's Burgers
@marielaibanez3695
🙋♀️
@tammyschulz7335
Forever❤❤❤
@curious493
Yep ❤
@Smothzilla
Me
@sooemrei
I’m leaving this comment here so after a month or a year when someone likes it , I get reminded of this song ❤
@michaelblaine6494
In case it’s been a while😉
@lewiscollins4842
And again 😊
@violeta9910
Estou aqui ajudando nisso..kkk