Counting Crows – A History of Emotion – Part 5

A History of Emotion: Personal reflections on the words and music of Counting Crows

PART 5 – Memories Are Films About Ghosts

One For The Desert

“This Desert Life” (1999) is the artistic low point for me. It comes off as unfocused and the product of some disinterest on the band’s part (and maybe a lot of weed?). Even so, there are some high points. “Hangin’ Around” is a promising start to an album with a clear bias toward live recording with few overdubs.

“Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”, likewise offers a comfortable groove, some standout lyrics and pleasant harmonies in the chorus. But by the time it wraps up at over 7 minutes the good musical parts have played themselves out completely and are no longer that interesting. I guess Adam was being sincere when he said he wanted to be Bob Dylan, who in the latter years of his career seems to have lost the ability to write short songs in addition to long ones.

Well I woke up in mid afternoon cause that’s when it all hurts the most
I dream I never know anyone at the party and I’m always the host
If dreams are like movies then memories are films about ghosts
You can never escape, you can only move south down the coast

Well I am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame
I am an acrobat swinging trapezes through circles of flame
If you’ve never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame
And though I’ll never forget your face sometimes I can’t remember my name

Well there’s a piece of Maria in every song that I sing
And the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings

- lyrics from “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”
Listen to 2/3 of “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”

So if on the first album Adam was oblivious to the imminent effects of stardom and on the second album he lamented his loss of identity, then the third album shows his acceptance in lines like

“Well I am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame.”

I think he’s moving through the 5 stages of grief.

Hard Candy

“Hard Candy”, the album “Miami” is from, is a return to form with the exception of the awful “New Frontier”. Adam sounds more mature, finally comfortable in his skin. The title track is probably one of the most pleasant Crows songs on any album. There’s a hint of sadness in the lyrics that’s swallowed by the optimism of the music.

Listen to “Hard Candy”

One more thing: I really hate the BGVs that were added to that cover of “Big, Yellow Taxi” and of course it’s the song that became the hit single. Originally tacked onto the end of the last track (“Holiday in Spain”) after just over a minute of silence, it was remixed with cheesy female BGVs for radio.

“Holiday in Spain” was a perfectly good ending and I hate it when the one weak song that becomes a hit overshadows an otherwise great batch of songs. (See Ron Sexsmith’s gratingly awful (and only) hit single “Whatever it Takes” from the otherwise excellent “Retriever”.)

The Art Around the Art

Cover art and liner note photos tell a story too.

In the booklet for “August And Everything After” there are two B&W photos of the band. One is an exceedingly joyful shot of the band jamming in the street. The other is a shot of everyone except Adam playing cards. In both photos these are clearly regular guys doing rather insignificant things. The message of the cover art is clear: words are of the utmost importance. Everything is authentically hand-written with a few stray ink splatters thrown about for good measure.

This is a writer’s album and by not putting a photo of the band on either the front or back cover (always a temptation – especially with a debut) the band is demonstrating what is important. The people making the music are of importance, but only after the songs.

The booklet for “Recovering The Satellites ” is shades of night-vision green emblazoned with the band name in red, again hand-written. Band member photos are all action shots and none are head on. This is a band hard at work and a band that needed to put out a harder image to counter the fact that they had been pegged as primarily an acoustic outfit after the success of “August And Everything After.” The photos are neither happy nor sad, but rather contemplative.

There are no photos of the band in the insert for “This Desert Life” but the insert does contain some of the most interesting artwork. There is a Salvador Dali feel to the time bending, oddly juxtaposed objects. A face superimposed over a leaf; a pyramid shaped candle that throws a shadow the shape of a human face; a dog’s head, complete with dunce cap, atop the shoulders of a large, well-dressed, and apparently decapitated man.

The sole photo of the band is beneath the clear tray that holds the CD. Again, symbolically, it’s music over musicians. The photo matches the theme of surrealism that pervades all the artwork here

Even though there is not a weak cover in the bunch, the packaging for “Hard Candy” is my favourite. The candy box front and back is classic and light-hearted at the same time. And inside the box? Printed on the face of the disc is a red and white swirl peppermint. This is indeed lighthearted stuff for a band whose lyrical terrain tends toward loneliness and despair. Also worth noting is that of the 14 photos in the insert that show the face of one or more band members, Adam is smiling in 10 of them. He seems to be in his happy place

Super-fan Confessions

I don’t keep tabs on the Crows like a super-fan would. I read Adam’s blog entries for a while and found myself liking his music less and I didn’t want that to happen so I stopped reading. Oh well, so most of the best artists and insufferable wrecks. It’s a fact we can all get over about 5 seconds into the intro of our favourite song.

I’ve never seen the Crows live and I imagine it wouldn’t be all that enjoyable to me. Like the recent Dylan concert I went to I would probably spend most of the evening rolling my eyes at the surrounding clichés, from middle-agers swaying lighters during slow songs to college kids who giggle, or worse cheer, every time they hear the word “f–k”(in all forms including –ing –ed –er and mother-) spoken from the stage to the large plumes of thick pot smoke that would no doubt fill the venue. I’d rather sit or stand and listen, thanks. Pass the joint the other way.

The Ethics of Dropping the F-Bomb

Using the f-bomb in a song is an entirely different thing than using it in the banter between one song and the next. Many artists who would never utter the word as a lyric nonetheless find it acceptable to use between songs and it is in some warped way endearing to fans.

Duritz will use it in either situation – and generously. Its effect is mostly worn out in everyday language but it still holds considerable power when used in music, especially at just the right time, and finding the right time to use it is a gift of Adam Duritz. It’s during high emotion or utter despair that it comes out.

Summary

I too am a musician.

I have no illusions of my celebrity or my potential to become widely known, but even in my limited experience in front of the few crowds in comparison that I have played to there is an idolization that happens very, very early in the fan/artist relationship. It’s quite uncomfortable and disconcerting if you have your head on straight – and especially if you’re a married man.

People will gush at your musical prowess when its barely above beginner stage and ask for your autograph before they’re quite sure how to pronounce your name. It can sometimes be annoying but it is always puzzling.

I understand on a much smaller scale how Adam Duritz feels about his predicament, though his is multiplied million-fold. But it is a chosen predicament and I for one hope he continues to live in it and deliver great music.

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