In 1993, Adam Duritz and his band Counting Crows took roots-rock to new heights with their debut August and Everything After. More than 30 years…
More than 30 years ago, Adam Duritz and his band Counting Crows debuted with „Mr. Jones,“ a song about longing for fame in the music industry. Little did he know that fame was going to be immediate — and a bit scary.
Counting Crows‘ first album, August and Everything After, eventually sold more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone and catapulted Duritz into the pantheon of rock ‚n‘ roll storytellers.
He’s since tried to manage that fame as best he can. His signature dreadlocks, which made him instantly recognizable, have long since been sheared. He’s also slowed his release of new music.
On May 9th, Counting Crows released its first full-length album in 10 years: Butter Miracle: The Complete Sweets!
Morning Edition host Leila Fadel asked Duritz about the lengthy delay between albums — and about the curious title, to which he replied: „It’s a secret.“ (He got more candid after that.)
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
On the delay between Counting Crows‘ albums:
I was on my friend’s farm right before the pandemic. I hadn’t written in a while, and I started writing this song, „The Tall Grass.“ When I was almost finished, I extended the song. I thought at first it was a longer song, and then I realized, no, it’s a different song. But isn’t it interesting how they flow, right from one end to the other? And I got really intrigued with the challenge: What if I wrote a whole series of songs that flow like one long song with different movements?
We recorded it and we ran right into the pandemic as we were finishing. It came out during that period [as the EP Butter Miracle, Suite One]. As soon as the pandemic was over, I went back to the farm and I started writing another half of the record.
I stopped in London and sang on my friend’s record. They’re in this band, Gang of Youths. They sent me the finished record, and it was so good! It just made me realize that the new songs I had just written weren’t really up to that standard yet. I went back and rewrote a bunch of stuff. I’ve never done that before.
If I don’t think something’s really good, I just don’t finish it. I had never rewritten something and had that many doubts about it.
I sat on the songs for a couple of years without even playing them for the band. Just not feeling confident about it. And then I wrote „With Love, from A-Z,“ which is the opening track on the record. I loved it and I thought, okay, this has to go on a record. I’ve got to figure out what I’m doing.
On the central theme behind the new songs:
There are a lot of people, especially in American society nowadays, dealing with being dismissed for being different from everybody else. Whether that’s because you’re Black or white or trans or gay or straight, whatever it is. If you’re not doing what everyone thinks you’re supposed to be doing, as a group, there’s a lot of ostracization. And that’s much harder when you’re young; you have less buffer to deal with that stuff.
Leila Fadel: I was wondering if that’s what „Spaceman in Tulsa“ is about.
Adam Duritz: Yeah, it’s very much what „Spaceman in Tulsa“ is about. It’s things I went through as a kid — friends of mine, all of whom dealt with very difficult, somewhat traumatic stuff in the early parts of their lives. And all of whom came out of it kind of glorious people. The common denominator in all of them was art — finding a way to celebrate who they were, as opposed to just hiding it away.
But there’s a lot of trauma in there, too. And I think that’s a common thread for a lot of people in the arts because you felt so different as a kid. So it’s a serious song about the difficulties and the sadness involved in that, but it’s also a pretty celebratory song about finding a place for yourself and a life for yourself.
It’s got some things in common with „Mr. Jones“ in that sense, which was about dreaming about being a rock star, but also knowing it wouldn’t turn out to be what you wanted it to be. But it’s still a hell of a dream, you know?
Fadel: When you wrote „Mr. Jones,“ you weren’t a huge famous star yet. It really put you on the map, and it was about dreaming of that exact thing. Did you imagine that this would be the life that you would have? Is it what you thought it was going to be?
Duritz: I definitely imagined being a rock star. I mean, I’d never even had anyone from a record company come and see a band I was in. When I wrote that song, it was just a complete fiction dream, you know? It was just an idea about, like, wouldn’t this be great?
But even then, I knew it’s not going to make everything wonderful. There’s no panacea in life. Nothing solves your world for you. You still have to go do that yourself.
I dreamed about being a rock star because I wanted to play music and make a life out of that. Even though that’s not usually what happens. Even if you get a once-in-a-million chance, it’s over in a year, for the most part. None of us dream of being one-hit-wonders. But to be here 30-some odd years later, that’s almost impossible. So, yeah, it’s great.
Fadel: I want to ask about „Angel of 14th Street.“ You have this line, „The angel of the pavement cries/ If God is dead, why am I here? Did he leave a light on for me? Did he leave a light on for me?“ And it repeats.
Duritz: I just felt there was a real callousness in our society towards women — this real arrogant, we-know-what’s-best-for-you thought process returning to our culture in the last decade. I mean, obviously it’s always been there, but you thought you were moving in a better direction for many years.
Granted, with the MeToo movement, you got a lot of — for the first time — exposing a lot of people who were victimizing women. But at the same time, it also made you realize how prevalent it was. Half of our race, as humans, messed with and abused and taken advantage of and, quite honestly, raped. And then told what to do by the other half. It’s attaching a valuelessness to half the population of the world.
I was trying to imagine what it must feel like to be a woman. When power speaks to you as if you don’t matter.
Fadel: As I was listening to this album and reading the lyrics, it felt like you were putting words and melodies to these deep anxieties that so many people are feeling in this uncertain world right now. Did you realize you were doing that?
Duritz: I mean, I thought I was probably putting words to mine.
You go through life with all this stuff inside you. I mean, I remember that so vividly as a kid, feeling like I’ve got all this stuff pent up inside of me. Where in my life am I going to use all this? Other people have other talents; I just seem to have this bunch of feelings and I don’t know where to go with it.
And then the day I wrote my first song, it was like a light bulb going off. I suddenly realized, „Oh, that explains my whole life! I get it!“ All of this stuff can go here and all of those feelings make this powerful and moving and beautiful. I’m going to write songs. That’s what I’m going to do with my life.
When I wrote a song, I just knew who I was — way before any of the rest of my friends did. I’d been behind, and suddenly I was way ahead.
I fell behind again when everyone started actually getting jobs because getting a job as a songwriter is nearly impossible! But I stuck with it. It took a while, but it was a huge revelation to realize that all those things that were stuck inside me actually had a place to go and had a reason. They were all part of who I was going to become.
The audio version of this story was edited by Olivia Hampton, the digital version was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: Counting Crows was basically unknown in 1993 when the band released its first single, a song about longing for fame in the music industry.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „MR. JONES“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) But when everybody loves me, I wanna be just about as happy as I can be. Mr. Jones and me, we’re gonna be big stars.
FADEL: Well, I don’t know about Mr. Jones, but that’s exactly what happened to singer Adam Duritz. The fame was instant and startling. He’s been trying to manage it ever since with fewer and fewer releases. Now Counting Crows returns with its first full-length album in 10 years. It’s called „Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!“
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „WITH LOVE, FROM A-Z“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) I may leave you a lot, but I won’t leave you alone ‚cause these words are the essence of me. I send them with love from A to Z.
FADEL: Duritz has always been a rock ‚n‘ roll storyteller. He says these stories have a central theme.
ADAM DURITZ: There are a lot of people, especially in American society nowadays, dealing with being dismissed for being different from everybody else, whether that’s because you’re Black or white or trans or gay or straight. Whatever it is, if you’re not doing what everyone thinks you’re supposed to be doing as a group, there’s a lot of ostracization, you know, and that’s much harder when you’re young and you have less buffer to deal with that stuff.
FADEL: Is that what „Spaceman In Tulsa“ is about?
DURITZ: Yeah, it’s very much what „Spaceman In Tulsa“ is about. It’s things I went through as a kid, friends of mine, all of whom dealt with very difficult, somewhat traumatic stuff in the early parts of their lives. And all of whom came out of it kind of glorious people.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „SPACEMAN IN TULSA“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) You’re a spaceman in Tulsa, so you cover it up in clown white. All these elegant boys make such delicate toys, and they know it.
DURITZ: The common denominator in all of them was art and finding a way to sort of celebrate who they were, as opposed to just hiding it away. You know, and it’s got some things in common with „Mr. Jones“ in that sense, which was about dreaming about being a rock star, but also…
FADEL: Yeah.
DURITZ: …Knowing it wouldn’t turn out to be what you wanted. But it’s still a hell of a dream.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „SPACEMAN IN TULSA“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) Doesn’t anybody want to be a rock ‚n‘ roll queen, dress yourself up in a diamond tiara? Swishy little rake, he says, man, I’m gonna make ‚em insane. I’m a painkiller and I’m a caterpillar. They can’t break you, man (yeah, they can’t break you apart). Another well-nigh butterfly found on a bus out of town turning into an, oh Lord, roll ‚n‘ roll star. (Vocalizing).
FADEL: I want to ask about „Angel Of 14th Street“ because that one in particular made me, I don’t know if it’s upset, but, like, I think people are wondering who’s going to save them. You have this line, the angel of the pavement cries. If God is dead, why am I here?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „ANGEL OF 14TH STREET“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) Why am I here? Did he leave a light on for me?
FADEL: Did he leave a light on for me? Did he leave a light on for me? And it repeats.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „ANGEL OF 14TH STREET“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) …For me? Did he leave a light on…
DURITZ: I just felt there was a real callousness in our society towards women and a sense that this real, arrogant we know what’s best for you thought process returning to our culture in the last decade. You know, like, I mean, obviously, it’s always been there. But you thought you were moving in a better direction for many years, and then there just seemed to be this real callousness. I mean, and granted, with the #MeToo movement, you got a lot of, for the first time, really exposing a lot of people who were…
FADEL: Right.
DURITZ: …Victimizing women. But at the same time, it also made you realize how prevalent it was, this sense that half of our race as humans, is just this sort of product to be messed with and abused and taken advantage of and, well, quite honestly, raped and then told what to do by the other half. And I just thought that it’s attaching a valuelessness to half the population of the world. And I was trying to imagine what it must feel like.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „ANGEL OF 14TH STREET“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) Yesterday, when we get older, we’ll look back on all the times he had you putting a face on instead of just walking away. So paint your face black and blue again. Wake up, wake up, wake up. Wake up new and put on the clothes that make you feel like you’re not broken.
FADEL: You know, as I was listening to this album and reading the lyrics, it felt like you were putting words and melodies to these deep anxieties that so many people are feeling. Did you realize you were doing that?
DURITZ: I mean, I thought I was probably putting words to mind. You know, I think, you know, you go through life with all this stuff inside you. I mean, I remember that so vividly as a kid, feeling like, God, I’ve got all this stuff pent up inside of me. Where in my life am I going to use all this? Other people have other talents. I just seem to have this bunch of feelings, and I don’t know where to go with it. And then, you know, the day I wrote my first song, it was like a light bulb going off, and I suddenly realized, oh, that explains my whole life. I get it. I just knew who I was. And, like, way before any of the rest of my friends did, I was suddenly – I’d been behind, you know, and suddenly I was way ahead. I knew exactly what I was going to do with my life. I fell behind again when everyone started actually getting jobs because getting a job as a songwriter is nearly impossible. But, I mean, it was a huge revelation to realize that all those things that were stuck inside me actually had a place to go and had a reason. And they were all part of who I was going to become.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „UNDER THE AURORA“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) Here we go again. Good morning, radio believers. If you’re listening on the line. The siren sings for all, the Telegraph. A backbeat for the Times.
FADEL: That’s Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. Their new album is called „Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!“ Thank you so much for sharing this album with the world.
DURITZ: Man, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, „UNDER THE AURORA“)
COUNTING CROWS: (Singing) And on the radio, they’ll tell you what to do in case of fire, then toss a match at you. And then everybody sings. We are evolving from night to morning, and I wanna beliеve in something. Spun out of darkness…
NPR’s Scott Simon reflects on the discovery that what Harvard University thought was a copy of the Magna Carta is actually an original.
Hollywood’s plummeting film and TV production levels have studio executives and grassroots groups pushing for better incentives to keep business in California.
The drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region Saturday, hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years.
Budget reconciliation may not be catchy, but it’s been a vital tool for many presidents, including Ronald Reagan, whose first federal budget was a watershed in the history of federal fiscal policy.
President Trump and his allies have long made false claims of widespread noncitizen voting. Now, as the GOP pursues new restrictions, experts worry isolated arrests will be used to push the new rules.
NPR has identified nearly 40 small, independent entities – both inside and outside the federal government’s control – that a team of young DOGE staffers has tried to access in recent weeks.
The storms were part of a severe weather system Friday that caused damage in Missouri, left hundreds of thousands without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a heat wave to Texas.
Massachusetts Judge Shelley Joseph was accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade authorities more than seven years ago. Her case is still unresolved.
On Friday, Sean Combs‘ defense lawyers questioned Cassie Ventura about how much of the former couple’s activities she willingly participated in. „I had to fight my way out,“ she said.
It has been a deadly week of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
Boeing agreed last year to plead guilty to defrauding regulators after the crashes of two 737 Max jets, in 2018 and 2019, that killed 346 people. But a federal judge rejected that proposed plea deal.
Facing allegations of sexual misconduct, Karim Khan has temporarily stepped aside as a U.N. investigation enters its final stage, the International Criminal Court announced Friday.