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)
Sullivan Street
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cross the water and home through the town
Past the shadows that fall down wherever we meet
Pretty soon I won't come around
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly fallen to her knees
Where all the bodies hang on the air
If she remembers, she hides it whenever we meet
Either way now, I don't really care
I'm almost drowning in her seas
She's nearly crawling on her knees
She's down on her knees
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
I'm just another rider burned to the ground
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly crawling on her knees
It's almost everything I need
I'm down on my knees
I'm down on my knees
The opening verse of Sullivan Street by Counting Crows paints a somber picture of someone taking the familiar path home, one that leads back to Sullivan St. This route takes them through the town and over water, with shadows falling wherever they meet. However, the lyrics seem to indicate that this journey will not continue for long, "Pretty soon I won't come around". There is a sense of finality and an undertone of sadness, perhaps indicating the end of a relationship with someone who may have lived on Sullivan Street.
The repetition of "I'm almost drowning in her sea" and "She's nearly falling to her knees" emphasizes the intensity of the situation. There is a sense of being overwhelmed by emotion. The second verse mentions bodies hanging in the air, perhaps alluding to a metaphorical sense of death or loss. The singer might be hoping for some kind of closure or resolution, but they don't really care if the other person remembers them or not. The third verse mentions being "burned to the ground", which could suggest an ending that is absolute or painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
The singer suggests going back to Sullivan Street to face the memories and traumas they have there.
Cross the water and home through the town
The singer associates traveling over water with returning home, and they must move through the town to get there.
Past the shadows that fall down wherever we meet
The singer acknowledges the heavy burden they carry and remembers their past that haunts them every time they confront it.
Pretty soon I won't come around
The artist hints at leaving the place and moving on, as they won't be around for long.
I'm almost drowning in her sea
The artist feels overwhelmed and consumed by an emotional connection with another person.
She's nearly fallen to her knees
The person the singer is referring to is also struggling heavily with their emotions and is close to giving up.
Where all the bodies hang on the air
The singer describes a place where memories and emotions are thick in the air, all-consuming and impossible to ignore.
If she remembers, she hides it whenever we meet
The artist feels like the other person is hiding their true feelings about the past from them and chooses not to acknowledge or bring them up.
Either way now, I don't really care
The artist is resigned to accepting the fact that the past can't be changed and is not worth worrying about anymore.
I'm just another rider burned to the ground
The artist describes themselves as a broken, defeated person who has been through a lot and doesn't have much left emotionally or physically.
It's almost everything I need
Despite the hardships, the singer still craves the intense emotional connection with the other person and is willing to endure a lot to keep it going.
I'm down on my knees
The artist is at their most vulnerable, physically and emotionally broken, on their knees.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, BEN G MIZE, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY, DAVID LYNN BRYSON, MATTHEW MARK MALLEY, STEVE BOWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelbush1374
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
Cross the water and home through the town
Past the shadows that fall down wherever we meet
Pretty soon I won't come around
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly fallen to her knees
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
Where all the bodies hang on the air
If she remembers, she hides it whenever we meet
Either way now, I don't really care
I'm almost drowning in her seas
She's nearly crawling on her knees
She's down on her knees
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
I'm just another rider burned to the ground
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly crawling on her knees
It's almost everything I need
I'm down on my knees
I'm down on my knees
@davidjonburke2729
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
Cross the water and home through the town
Past the shadows that fall down wherever we meet
Pretty soon I won't come around
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly fallen to her knees
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
Where all the bodies hang on the air
If she remembers, she hides it whenever we meet
Either way now, I don't really care
I'm almost drowning in her seas
She's nearly crawling on her knees
She's down on her knees
Take the way home that leads back to Sullivan St.
I'm just another rider burned to the ground
I'm almost drowning in her sea
She's nearly crawling on her knees
It's almost everything I need
I'm down on my knees
I'm down on my knees
@Smoove_J
It’s funny that Counting Crows was considered “alternative.” This is such a classic, soulful arrangement. Still sounds great almost 30 years later.
@theistrix8675
Well when what was mainstream was hair band rock and synth pop..
@Beaches_south_of_L.A.
It is alternative that's why it was considered that.
@christineperez8160
I say the same thing
@paulmclaughlin2771
I fell in love with this album when I was 15.. Its a love that has stood the test of time
@JustElia420
Same here. They might all be gone, but My Love for his song and Album have Never deserted me.
@davebanfield6251
one of the best albums ever. love every single song 💯
@richardbwanika2166
Always a pleasure to read a comment like yours Paul. I cannot begin to explain what joy and sweet melancholy Duritz & Co. have spoiled me with over the years. Cheers.
@aubreegallucci8343
This CD reminds me of innocence. I was a freshman in high school. This was very powerful music at that young age.
@alexandermakrianis
I was a junior in high school. I agree with you about how this song is reminiscent of innocence, it seemed like a different world sometimes back then.