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)
Washington Square
Counting Crows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It couldn't come with me
I locked up my bedroom
And I walked out into the air
When nothing I needed
Is left there behind me
I walk out through the shadows
Of Washington Square
Now I wander the highway from Dublin to Berkeley
And I heard the songbirds of Valley Paurine
I love like a fountain
And it left me like nothing
Just the memories of walking through Washington Square
Now I live in the shadows
Where light is electric
And time is just a number
That rests on a wall
Nobody knows me
My friends and my family
Are as far from this city
As Washington Square
So cover this warm night
In a blanket of starlight
I will follow this freeway
Out into the air
In case you should wonder
And wanted to find me
I'm traveling homeward to Washington Square
In case you should wonder
I'm in Washington Square
Washington Square
Washington Square
The lyrics to Counting Crows' song, "Washington Square", are about leaving behind everything that was once a part of one's life in order to start anew. The singer talks about selling their piano, locking up their bedroom, and leaving everything behind, including what they needed, and walking out into the air. It's as if the singer is saying goodbye to the things that used to comfort them but are no longer necessary. They then go on to wander from Dublin to Berkeley on the highway, hearing the songbirds of Valley Paurine, and continue to love like a fountain despite having nothing left but their memories of walking through Washington Square.
The singer now lives in the shadows where light is electric and time is merely a number on the wall. It's as if they've become disconnected from the world they once knew and everything that once formed a part of them. They feel that nobody knows them anymore, and they are as far away from their family and friends as they are from Washington Square. The song ends with the singer covering this warm night in a blanket of starlight and traveling homeward to Washington Square, where they hope to find a sense of home and belonging once again.
Overall, the lyrics of "Washington Square" are about letting go of the past and seeking a new beginning. The singer's journey is a metaphor for anyone starting afresh, whether physically or emotionally. The song is a reminder that even though we may leave things behind, memories will always remain.
Line by Line Meaning
I sold my piano
I had to let go of something important to me
It couldn't come with me
It was impractical for me to hold onto it
I locked up my bedroom
I left behind the familiar and comfortable
And I walked out into the air
I ventured out into the great unknown
When nothing I needed
I realized that I could live without what I thought was necessary
Is left there behind me
I left everything I thought I needed behind
I walk out through the shadows
I found myself in a place of uncertainty and darkness
Of Washington Square
A specific location representing the struggles and uncertainties of my journey
Now I wander the highway from Dublin to Berkeley
I'm on a journey of self-discovery and adventure
And I heard the songbirds of Valley Paurine
I found beauty in unexpected places
I love like a fountain
I have a lot of love to give
And it left me like nothing
But love cannot always be reciprocated or returned
Just the memories of walking through Washington Square
All that remains of my past are memories of my struggles and uncertainties
Now I live in the shadows
I'm still in a place of uncertainty and darkness
Where light is electric
I rely on artificial light to guide and comfort me
And time is just a number
Time means little to me, as each day feels the same
That rests on a wall
Time is stagnant, unmoving
Nobody knows me
I am alone and misunderstood
My friends and my family
The people I care about are far away and cannot understand my struggles
Are as far from this city
They are physically and emotionally distant from my current situation
As Washington Square
Just as distant as the struggles and uncertainties of my past
So cover this warm night
A plea for comfort and security
In a blanket of starlight
Seeking solace in beauty and the natural world
I will follow this freeway
Continuing my journey of self-discovery
Out into the air
Venturing out into the great unknown once more
In case you should wonder
I hope that someone will seek me out and understand me
And wanted to find me
I long for connection and understanding
I'm traveling homeward to Washington Square
Returning to the place where I faced my struggles and uncertainties in hopes of finding closure and peace
In case you should wonder
Reiterating my hope for understanding and connection
I'm in Washington Square
I've arrived at the place where I hope to find peace and closure
Washington Square
A symbol for the struggles and uncertainties of the past, and the hope for closure and peace in the future
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
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind