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E43: Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (Part II)
341 Plays10 days ago
Eric, Chris, Geoff and Ryan McCaffrey continue their deep dive into the Crows' 5th Studio Album--Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.
(See Episode 41 for Part I).
Follow Ryan on Twitter https://x.com/DMC_Ryan
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Transcript
Reevaluating '1492' by Counting Crows
00:00:18
Speaker
Let's to the top half of our rankings. So this one was close this was close and it got sent over the edge because speaking of Paul, Paul re-listening to the Omni the other day said, hey, I think this is like the best song and should be in quad two instead of quad three.
00:00:34
Speaker
And it is arguably one they're one of their hardest songs, which is, and the first single officially 1492, which I finally got to see live and also one they don't play anymore.
00:00:47
Speaker
And ah somehow it was our on Hard Candy. I had this number four. Did I have this highest? No. Ryan, who agrees with me with the Saturday mornings, you had this number three. So let's start with you.
00:00:59
Speaker
Yeah, I love it. Again, i had the really unique privilege at that University of Arizona show, which I looked up ah earlier. i was actually off.
00:01:10
Speaker
So what it was indeed the first time that song, according to Setlist FM, was the first time 1492 was ever played at the University of Arizona, May 2001. So i really...
00:01:23
Speaker
Wow.
00:01:25
Speaker
relative to obviously when this album came out and it just it it punched me in the face in the best way then because of course i didn't know the song hadn't heard it and just was really floored by it and when this album came out and this was track one It just, I think that maybe that meant maybe be a good reason a good part of the reason why this entire album just clicked for me instantaneously, both sides of it, back to front.
00:01:53
Speaker
But yeah, I love this song. ive Like you said, I had this number three. And as as one of you was just studiously mentioning earlier, um there's a little part of me, like I love all forms of Counting Crows.
00:02:09
Speaker
But I really do. It's special when they when they just crank it up and go and play go for the harder stuff. And like you were saying, it's we haven't seen them get this hard on the guitars and on this on ah on any song.
00:02:25
Speaker
with the I mean, even boxcars. I was happy to hear it in concert this past summer at the show here here at Berkeley at the Greek Theater. And it's like, yeah, what okay, maybe this is, I don't know if this is sort of the max energy that 60 or 61-year-old Adam has in the tank right now, but I would i would kill to hear 1492 again in concert. But yeah, they really haven't rocked this hard since.
00:02:54
Speaker
And I just, yeah, I love this song and and it was ah it was pretty clear it that it was going to be in the top three for me when I was doing my rankings. Yes, i as I said, I got really, i don't, it maybe was, I think I told Chris, it wasn't one of, it was one of my three or four white whales. And then they, when they played it, that one show in, think it was Birmingham or Mancha, now I forget is, but he said that it was, after the shit song, he said it was, and well hardly anybody knew it in the crowd, which was, which was not surprising, even though the crowd was great, but he did he actually said after the show,
00:03:25
Speaker
Yeah, that's why I don't play that song anymore. It's pretty difficult to sing. He actually admitted that.
Exploring 'Ballet d'Or' and Its Impact
00:03:29
Speaker
um Yeah. And obviously, the anyway, I'll go to um Chris. I have some thoughts, but I'll go to Chris. Oh, sure. I mean, I had this little lower down, but again, it's one of those things of like that middle is, is I think, very mushy here. I had it like 10th.
00:03:44
Speaker
It struck me listening to this song. You know, Adam spent a lot of this summer introducing that song with Love From Me To Z. as sort of an updated version of the story of his life. That if round here is the story of his life up until he's like 29, 30, with Love From A to Z is the story of his life, you know, now.
00:04:02
Speaker
And it kind of struck me that maybe 1492 is sort of a song that was the story of his life in the middle, right? I mean, they're traveling, all traveling songs. um It has the very specific 1964, These Sailors Left Me At The Door. That's his...
00:04:16
Speaker
birthday in 1970. Some people got their hands on me, which seems to be in reference, when he's told these stories of like, that's when he kind of goes out into the world. His family starts, you know, traveling the country. His dad is stationed in different places and he's sort of, um,
00:04:32
Speaker
you know, kind of moving around. and it's very much a traveling song, right? I mean, it's literally, i mean, the references are literally about Columbus, right? And and traveling the world and sailing the seas. um and And it's ah a sort of a darker version of that, of like sort of what had come of his life in sort 2001, 2002, when he's working on this tune and how he felt about to Jeff's point about, you know, being a traveling guy, um, and where he was at in his life with that feeling and maybe not wanting to be that anymore. Um, so yeah, it's an interesting song and obviously it sounds, the guitars sound awesome. Um, it's, uh,
00:05:12
Speaker
a fun one in that regard. Very much not fun lyrically. I mean, he does it on a lot, but I think, I think this is like Dan's best um backing vocal performance. I just love that one. is Anyway, i I just think Dan's awesome there. I, it gives me the chills.
00:05:28
Speaker
um Yeah, that I have. I actually, the Chris, you made a great point. I think these are the most, I had it number four. I think these are the most interesting lyrics of the album where it's kind of autobiographical and has some obscure themes, but you can kind of connect it. It's not too obscure, right? It's it's's it's fun. it's It's like a little dense and complicated without being too much so. that that So I love it. I laughed that there was some um woman on Reddit or something that said, oh like almost like, oh, one thing I didn't like is that it almost sounds like there's a like a little womanizing. guy I was like, yes that's he was yes yes, that's what he's admitting to. And he's not saying it's good or bad. it just kind of...
00:06:16
Speaker
messes with his mind. And then like, you know, that there's something like um that, even though Adam became a rock star early, he kind of also knows that a lot of men are like, geez, rock star, cool, I can meet lots of women. And yes, it sounds great. And it can be fun. But it also has a dark side. That's that's kind of and you could lose yourself. Isn't that and it wouldn't be as powerful. So I guess maybe this ah particular person only wants to hear love stories with Anna and doesn't know that even the nice guy that can have a relationship with Anna might also have some ah other thoughts. So, ah Jeff, any comments at all about 1492?
00:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, I think, um as others said, really good song. It was lower on my list, but. I still think it's a really good sign. I think it's a great opener for the album too. It's like it could be hard to figure out how to open an album. And to me, it's like, I think that this worked very well as an opener. It would be hard to imagine it where else you would put it really in some ways.
00:07:16
Speaker
Um, So I like that a lot. Obviously, it's a hard candy outtake and kind of inspired in some ways this album. But obviously, some re-recording was done because it is Jim on drums.
00:07:30
Speaker
Emmy plays bass on this song, which is kind of an interesting... a twist there, something you don't normally see. And also the backup vocals, Emmy is credited as the guy who sort of arranged and came up with all the backup vocals on this album. And I think I said the same thing with Hard Candy. I think it's something that they do really well and have done better and better each album in some ways. Their backup vocals have become more and more interesting and a bigger part of the sound.
00:07:58
Speaker
I think in some ways the high point of that was on Hard Candy. But I think you see the same thing on this album with a lot of songs that have really interesting
Understanding the Appeal of 'Hanging Tree'
00:08:08
Speaker
backing vocals. And they're not just like singing the chorus or harmonizing to the chorus. Often they're doing something, contributing in some interesting way to the song. And so it's just another thing that makes Counting Crows a great band.
00:08:22
Speaker
One thing I love about the lyrics, too, Jeff, is um that there's a bit of a we in it, right? It's like, where did we disappear? And who are these people that impersonate our friends? So I think it's like his whole crew, right, is kind of losing themselves and and not just us. i don't I don't know. I thought that was... yeah but that that but That was pretty neat, especially if he was hanging out with Bryan Adams at the time, who maybe also has some substance abuse problems. and you know so um any other That's a whole other problem podcast. Let's get that guy on the show. it maybe I also thought this was –
00:08:58
Speaker
You know, it's funny, they recorded for Hard Candy. So in a way, yes, it's it's the song that makes sense to be. And then, you know, I'm always equating things to the Pumpkins. But after they had Adore, right, Pumpkins, that very soft and melly mellow so mellow album, and then people are like, they were going this. and then when they did their new album, the first track was, ah I think it's Everlasting Gaze, or but it's like, you know, I'm not dead. It's like the hardest song on the album. So I think there's a little bit of Adam too, when people are right, this is kind of um a response a little bit to Big Yellow Taxi and Accidentally Love, right? And and yeah that he, oh, they just make these like kind of cool. And he's like, okay, take this, 1492, punch you right in the face and with these dark lyrics. And I don't think it's fake. Like this is also the Crows.
00:09:43
Speaker
Because that would somebody who's going to get response. Oh, they're going to overreact. You could make an entire, maybe not a super long record, but you could make an album of just Counting Crows hard rock songs. Yes, exactly.
00:09:57
Speaker
yeah exactly i mean, you mentioned Angels of the Silences, and it's it's definitely right in that same vein, for sure. So, and a couple other rockers we got coming up. So let's go to number six. Now this was, oh, this is the one that, good, this is fine. You know, I don't feel bad about this because a lot of so a lot of times you guys break my heart with your rankings and destroy them. So I have destroyed all your rankings with this one. I was the troll um that one of you had super high. One of you had number two.
00:10:29
Speaker
One of you had number four. One of you had also pretty high. I forget how high. Yeah, number five. I had it the lowest, so I will not talk about it too much, but I will talk about it a little. Which is Ballet Tour. And I knew Chris was going to have this high, and I have a couple reasons why I knew why, but let's go to Chris who had it as the second highest out song. I think it's a beautiful song. I think this is, in and and there's a a point that was made that ah earlier about how like,
00:10:57
Speaker
some of the um Sunday morning stuff feels very of a piece with one another. And I think this feels of a piece with that stuff and is the best version of those. It is like the most fully realized to me of those songs. um I think the structure is really beautiful.
00:11:18
Speaker
um It's really interesting. And again, lyrically, i just I love the idea of you know, leaving leaving these things behind you, but recognizing that that means leaving people and certain things behind that, like, you can leave these things behind and you can sort of go on to this new thing, but this is not easy.
00:11:38
Speaker
Some are lost to you. um I just think it's it's a a really striking song. I actually saw them once in 2012, like, open with this song, and I thought it was really, really worked um as a way to just sort of kind of begin um like a a story and then like sort of jump into that um in uh in anaheim i believe um yes i think i think this is an amazing song this is if we were picking songs for them to bring back from this record um that they haven't played in a long time i this would be like number one for me in that regard they haven't played this since 2018 it looks like um and uh
00:12:19
Speaker
Yeah, i this would be my number one choice for them to in terms of songs to bring back to the to the catalog. All right, Ryan, you also had it quite high, number four. Yeah, i I'm really... Honestly, I'm just... I'm so happy that I'm not on an island for this one because there were a couple in my rankings where I was like, I'm not sure I'm going to be with the group on this one. And I thought this was going to be one of them because this is... I had it number ah four and it's the highest of any of the Sunday sunday morning songs for me.
00:12:52
Speaker
But yeah, it's just just to echo what's already been said. It's it's just... a stunningly beautiful song. I love um the the the just the music is is so... i don't know. It doesn't sound like any of their other songs to me.
00:13:11
Speaker
um and I love just some of the lyrics. the Just the the imagery of all these foxes go down in their barrows to hide. and it just it just hooked me from the first time I ever heard this song.
00:13:25
Speaker
And for me, it's... ah in terms of the Sunday Mornings songs, this one's number one by a lot for me. And I know i know there's another song we we haven't talked about yet that ah that's gonna be maybe number one from the Sunday Mornings side for others. But yeah, this is just by far my favorite of the Sunday Mornings group.
00:13:46
Speaker
And yeah, i just I adore this
Dissecting 'Come Around' as a Band's Reflection
00:13:48
Speaker
song. And I i don't know if I've ever hurt if i've ever heard it and played live, it's maybe been once. ah I would love to to hear hear this one come back.
00:13:57
Speaker
Jeff, any other thoughts on the song? I'm in full agreement with the intelligent people who just spoke. um I had it number five, but this could have been my number one song on this album. I think it's incredible. um I think that the live versions, go watch them. They're amazing. So musical.
00:14:22
Speaker
Adam's best vocal performance on the album, in my opinion. um Reminds me in some ways of like Mercury and Walkaways, but it's so eerie and haunted.
00:14:32
Speaker
um The song, the... It literally means the golden ballet in French. um Let's go dance to the siren song. In Greek mythology, a siren song was sung by a mythical woman, the siren, who lured sailors to their death with their their beautiful songs. So a siren song is like a beautiful and tempting sound, um dangerous and leads to a person's downfall.
00:14:58
Speaker
Metaphorically, it's used to describe any powerful, seductive temptation that seems appealing, but ultimately leads to a bad ah outcome. I mean, wow. you know And he's like saying, let's go dance. you know He's almost playing the siren in this song. It's so cool. um Boxcars is mentioned in the lyrics. My God, you know, I mean, come on.
00:15:19
Speaker
I wrote down the same line about foxes, but, you know, like some are lost, some are leaving, but I'm not gone at all. I'm not going anywhere at all. Adam the poet, come on, wasted time running scared. Now autumn's fire is ashes on the breeze and it spins away like dust on pearls as winter comes to usher in the evening.
00:15:41
Speaker
Eric, and we're going to have to make you reconsider everything here and put put this with that way up. ah To top it all off, Brian Deck actually climbed inside a grand piano and played it like a harp on the end of the song. I mean, talk about dedication, right?
00:15:55
Speaker
yeah I think it's one of the the standout moments on the album. I think it's one of the standout moments in their career. I think it's an absolute masterpiece and incredible. It's shocking to me that it it ranked at only at number five, but because like I said, it could have been my number one song along with a few others. But I think it's it's one of the standout songs of the album and of the band's career. there's As Ryan said, there's really nothing else that sounds like this. I think i think it's a masterpiece.
00:16:25
Speaker
And this just hit me, Jeff, when in what you were saying. you Think about it, right? In some ways, this is the end of the album, right? Because Come Around sort of is this, this in some ways, an epilogue, I feel like. The first, the settler like, The Siren Calls the Sailors, right? That's...
00:16:40
Speaker
it's odd, the odyssey and whatnot. What's the first song on the record? It's about a sailor, right? It's about Columbus, right? It's imagery, right? So this is literally sort of bookending the record in that way. I'd never, I'd never thought of it until you sort of laid it out to me there, but that's, it's brilliant.
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah. It might've been a, uh, I agree with others have sort of said this, but to me, come around was not the way to end this album. It maybe would have been a good opener for the album too.
00:17:10
Speaker
But um yeah, this song is just so cool that I don't want to hear anything after this. Like I want the album to end on this song because it's just so good. It's just so
The Intensity of 'Cowboys'
00:17:21
Speaker
good. So Eric, you got to explain to us how on the Crows. I don't know. There's like three songs on the Crows catalog that just never totally gelled with me for any reason. this the second one we've done. Now I'm glad you meant...
00:17:37
Speaker
So one reason I knew this was gonna be low for me and high for Chris is because of what you said. I think this is a spiritual successor to Mercury, which was my least favorite song off that album. and um I might like that a little more.
00:17:50
Speaker
um in my defense, paul like this is actually tied with the next one and Paul did the tiebreaker because he also had this as his lowest ranked song. And the next the next one he has as his second highest ranked. So Paul, do you have any thoughts on Ballet D'Or? Do you remember anything about it? It's an incredible song. that is so good. ah Perhaps, I don't know. i I'm trying to remember. um Perhaps I didn't give it enough time. or
00:18:21
Speaker
You've got to re-listen, thanks to Jeff. It's not... um As I say, I'm not so familiar with this album. And I did give it a few listens recently just to refresh my memory.
00:18:33
Speaker
And um if I marked it so low, it's because it didn't hit me the same as it hit you guys, you know? Okay. Yeah. ah I guess I'm not just, I guess that's what it is, Jeff. It's not like I dislike the song. I just never, I don't know why. Maybe it's cause too bluesy, not melodic. I'm not sure. But I like the song, but I don't skip it.
00:18:53
Speaker
I think it would be hard for them to resurrect this song just because of the vocal performances. be a tough one for Adam to do. he's He's talked very honestly about losing his upper register. And there are just some songs in their catalog that he can't sing.
00:19:09
Speaker
And I think that this is probably would probably fall into that category. Although you can always reconfigure songs. even if You can't maybe hit the same way or hit the high notes, but you can do it a different way. Yeah, even, um what's the one he does? St. Robinson, he now the ending, he now plays at a lower octave. Yeah, I mean, this doesn't strike me as a song that needs to hit, you know, like like Up All Night and and Why Should You Come When I Call or songs that sort of like really thrive on sort of like the high note as driving the song. And I if i don't think this song relies on that in terms of its delivery. don't know. We'll see.
00:19:47
Speaker
Well, i here's why I don't feel guilty, Jeff. Not only have you, I think Hard Candy, you screwed me like six times. And and and I don't feel bad for Chris because he got his revenge on this one.
00:19:58
Speaker
oh Which, I mean, this is the ultimate revenge, actually, and I'll explain why in a second. Yeah. So Chris had this very low, and his rating was so um inappropriate that he is he knocked down. So I'll spoil our alert, because this is still Quadrant 2.
00:20:17
Speaker
The next song on the list... Ryan and myself had as our favorite song from Saturday Night, Sunday Mornings, but it did not make Quadrant One despite two number one votes, Hanging Tree.
00:20:29
Speaker
e okay I love Hanging Tree. Ryan, let's go to you to start. Why did you place it number? and but And also, Paul had it as the second highest. So I was really shocked at all this, by the way. And when Ryan wrote me and said, I'm probably the only one, I want to be like, no, me too. And then and then and then Jeff had it pretty high, which was his... Hanging Tree, no. Oh, no, you had it pretty medium. But it still was like hanging on because we got it so high. And it Chris gave his ratings and it sunk like a stone. So, um Ryan, Hanging Tree.
00:20:59
Speaker
ah First of all, I'm just I'm so like I'm so glad I'm amongst friends here. ah i just and the the reason I thought I would be on an island for this one is I just feel like i I never hear this song talked about, let alone played. I mean, I think i think maybe I've heard this song played once live.
00:21:19
Speaker
But I just feel like I don't hear this song talked about by Counting Crows fans very often. And again, this is another one right from the jump when I first heard this album. and Just something about it just clicked on me. I just love the...
00:21:33
Speaker
the The structure of the song, the sort of... It's it's sort of... a I don't even know what it's about. Like, I'll be honest. I have no clue. what You guys are better with with lyrical analysis and interpretation. But it's just the... it's It just connected with me and the the the flow of the song and... ah Yeah, i it it is this is my favorite song on this album, at which and I would definitely echo all of you as well and say that other than that those maybe those bottom two or three, it it really is ah pretty tight from for the top 10, top 11 of this album.
00:22:13
Speaker
But yeah, this one, Hanging Tree, i just i just always adored this song, and i can never get tired of hearing it. And again, I feel like it's another one where I i just don't i don't even think maybe one of you will will come with a great argument here, but this is one where I don't think it's it's really comparable to any other song they've ever done in terms of that's just- one of how it sounds. it's Yeah, that's one of the reasons I love it is that it's, its and that's why, i guess this is, I think when I first got the album, I probably had this maybe, I'm just guessing, my fifth highest or something and it's kind of moved around. But recently I'm like, not only is it unique, yeah, the lyrics, right. um I mean, I like I'm not sure exactly the Hanging Tree. it's I'm not saying the lyrics are as deep as as some of the other ones, but
00:23:00
Speaker
What I love, not only is it ah a song that I love singing to, see, even though 1492, I'm not singing to it as much. To me, this is more fun to sing as a car. playful. It puts me in a good mood to hear this song and to sing along to it. It's also there, because didn't Adam, well, Chris said he even heard a joke once about Adam and the three guitars, and you know and they they were started as basically one guitar, right? Bryson, and then two, and then three. This is one song that it's an awesome use of the three guitars, And what I like about it is
00:23:32
Speaker
it almost seems like, what's the word, cacophony? It almost seems like it's nonsense jamming, but it's not. It is like, ah somehow it seems like it's like structured chaos. And that's what I like about it. And even like when they're doing like fall down and you just hear some guitar in the background acting like they're falling and then the harmony kicks in. I don't know. I just love the song. um So yeah, I'm with you, Ryan. I'll go to Jeff who had it moderately low. That's okay.
00:24:00
Speaker
I had it at number 10, but I love the song. I have nothing bad to say about the song. And it's again, it was so hard to rank these. um yeah One thing I'll say is that Adam always writes on piano. And I think you really hear that in a song like this. You know you really hear that. you know Piano is, you know, so many writers in rock music write on guitar. And he writes on piano. And I think that that's one of the things that gives their music its sort of unique quality.
00:24:27
Speaker
And this song really brings it out. um I was saying that when this album came out, I was like totally immersed in a whole different genre of music. yeah But I saw Counting Crows. I happened to be in New Orleans in 2012. And I'm like, oh, Counting Crows are in town.
00:24:42
Speaker
They're one of my favorite bands. I forgot about them. And so I didn't forget about them, but I kind of forgot. And so I went and saw them and it resurrected my fandom. And um this was one of the albums I was like, i need to listen to this again. And Hanging Tree was like one of the songs that ah I was like immediately loved um when when I kind of came to. actually sit down and really spend some time with this album. Hanging Tree was one of the first ones that really grabbed me. And i I've always loved that song.
00:25:11
Speaker
It kind of surprised me that it ranked lower on the list for me or as low as it did. But as we've all been saying, it's not because I don't think it's a great song. I love it. It's just there are other songs that topped it for me. But um it it would, again, be ah ah an enthusiastic thumbs up for me. Love it.
00:25:30
Speaker
Yeah, and before we go to Chris, I guess I'll just say that even though the lyrics, as I said, they might seem... like The lyrics are perfect for the structure of the song, right? Like the Anna Begin lyrics or something, or even Mrs. Potter would not work with this. And instead you have some, maybe even some more Greek mythology references, I think, a little bit about fire and, I don't know, the sun and I think wings, right, are mentioned. and this desert life, this dizzy life. Oh, that's true. I've never thought about that connection until. yeah today like Again, this I love when Adams has the, you know, a song like the dizzy life, but it, you can feel the spinning around in, in, in, in the music behind it at least yeah in my opinion, which I love when ah the crows do that. That's why they're such a great band. Chris, I'll go to you. It's okay. I'm sorry, man. I know it obviously because i i like this. I like this. This comes back. I really like this song. There's nothing I sort of dislike about the song as I was working on my rankings. It just kind of kept falling. um Certain other songs from Saturday nights we'll get to.
00:26:33
Speaker
kind of hit me harder this time. um Maybe lyrically, structurally, i don't know, it something about like the way this landed for me on, as I was sort of thinking about these. um But it's always been a fun live song. I can literally like kind of see Adam jumping, you know, in the sort of the end part there. um So yeah, I don't,
00:26:53
Speaker
I got nothing bad to say about it. it's It's interesting, I think, with this record where normally when we've talked about songs being towards the bottom, there's been, or even at the very least, like a sort of a a gap in terms of like, I like the song, but this is my favorite song. As I'm saying, I think this was a really hard record to rank, um given that i I feel like I can't say anything negative to you about the song I had, like thirteenth so did um pop Paul, did you have any thoughts on this? You had you had the first two songs, which were 1492 and Hanging Tree, listed as your first top two songs. Is there any thoughts about that at all? Or just those are the two that... Well, yeah as i as I started to listen to the album and I first heard the first song, 1492, and I thought, what a great ah way to start the album. How energetic. And
00:27:44
Speaker
And then it kind of carried on onto Hanging Tree thereafter. And all the first part of the album, and I found to be more my kind of thing or whatever I was feeling at the time I could relate to.
00:28:01
Speaker
than the second part of the album. And um as I listened to all of the songs, I too had some trouble with rating them because as you guys say, they're all good songs, but how do you rank them fairly?
00:28:20
Speaker
um so So I just went for those two songs for one and two because they're the first ones I listened to and they just hit the spot, you know.
00:28:33
Speaker
All right. Spoken like a European philosopher. I love it. Ryan, I've mentioned on the podcast a couple times. Have you watched the official and then we'll move to the quadrant one? Have you watched the um the video, um the concert, like the official concert video of Hanging Tree? I think it's on the Counting Crows channel. It is live version. It is so good.
00:28:54
Speaker
I don't think I've seen that. I'm going to have to go check that out. Just watching Charlie on the piano. and just yeah it's it's If you like Hanging Tree, that's another video I actually go back to. When's it from? Do you know off the top of your head? But it's on the Count Crows channel. so if yeah okay and I'll look it up before yeah we are after we sign off. Okay.
00:29:12
Speaker
So let's go to the top four. Okay. um I guess, yeah, anyway, ah so we'll just, everyone had this. Ooh, Ryan, you're the one that kind of kept this down a little bit. But ah Jeff, you had this ranked the highest, so we'll go with you, which is another Counting Crows concert staple. And I thought this was going to be close because it's it's Michelangelo.
00:29:33
Speaker
And um I was actually surprised. I thought everybody, just like I put Los Angeles and and Sundays together, back to back or together. I always think of Michelangelo and Washington square in the same. I just got them confused the second ago, right. With the book thing.
00:29:47
Speaker
And, um and they're close to each other in the track listing, right. They're not exactly there. They're two songs away. um But also they're both played regularly in concert and they're both,
00:29:58
Speaker
fantastic songs. ah So let's go. Who had it the highest? Oh, Jeff. Yeah. So please, mike when I dream of Michelangelo, which he's talked a lot is kind of the spiritual successor to angels of the silences, but the acoustic version of it. So.
00:30:12
Speaker
Right. Well, um so this song, I have as number two and, you know, again, when you, especially when you get into the top songs on this album, that gets very hard to rank them. But to me, I think, I think if you could say, we've talked about this a little bit, maybe offline, but if there's one thing you can say about this album is that it does not have like a Rain King or a Mrs. Potter's lullaby or like that song that is just the absolute 10 out of 10 stone cold classic, knock me off my chair. This this is an incredible song. um
00:30:49
Speaker
All the songs are good, but I don't think it has that like bullseye you know perfect song like all their other albums did up until this album. um I think this is probably as close as it gets to that, as so like a one-listen classic.
00:31:05
Speaker
um As soon as I heard this, the like i said, that even when I was not... into this kind of music and in a whole different place, this song, I was like, oh yeah, that's amazing. And and it stayed with it. I always listened to it and always loved it. um Here's the fun fact that's interesting.
00:31:22
Speaker
I was today years old when I found out that this song was written long before Angels of the Silences. um that it predates it. And so he had this whole concept about Michelangelo and dreaming of Michelangelo. And it's ah obviously about Michelangelo painting um and trying to ah you know paint like a masterpiece and reach out to the hand of God and all this kind of stuff. So he had said that he had been working on this idea for a long time and that it had predated. um
00:31:54
Speaker
it was one of the earliest Counting Crows songs written. and But it was he had this idea when I dream of Michelangelo and this song, but he hadn't really developed it. And so he ended up using it um and then came back to it and kind of finished it here. So I never really knew that until I was digging deeper into this album today.
00:32:14
Speaker
But that's that's my my fun fact. I just think it's it's so it's just an obvious like one listen classic, you know, Counting Crows song. it's It's a great song, and and and it's pretty much perfected live now. I i understand they don't do an alternate. Part of me, like Chris and I say, we want to see alternate versions of all these songs. I want to hear like a hard-rocking Michelangelo. But as far as their performance of Michelangelo live, i I think it's pretty perfect now. Chris, you also had it quite high, number four.
00:32:44
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, again, with Jeff, it's ah it's a beautiful song. And I really love sort of the the lyrical themes. it's ah It's interesting. This is one I feel like um some songs you sort of struggle with the explanation. You had something in your head and, um you know, hearing someone explain it doesn't work or it's a totally different. This one, I'm not sure I would have totally gotten it um if I hadn't a heard the explanation. But when you hear Adam sort of explain it, And the idea of sort of the the artist yearning and sort of always reaching for something that they can't touch. um It makes perfect sense. It sort of unlocked the song for me. And I sort of, I relate to that as as someone who writes and podcasts and does all these different, tries to find ways to reach your reach somewhere. i don't know we're reaching what we're reaching for. Who knows exactly, but we're we're all reaching. um And it to me, it's also, again, it's part of what works, I think, about this record.
00:33:38
Speaker
especially the Sunday morning songs, is the way they kind of come up against other songs in the catalog. like the first Actually, I looked up the first time I saw the song.
00:33:48
Speaker
It was in a baseball field somewhere in Maryland. um A wonderful concert space, of course. the The perfect place, the perfect acoustical space to hear um these things. And they opened with this song straight into Have You Seen Me Lately, um which was as brilliant. I mean, and to me, that's sort of the way...
00:34:05
Speaker
like the sort of the version of the band I like the best is sort of like, we're going to start so quiet. Like, so in the middle of, again, a baseball field in Maryland following collective soul and live again, ballsy choice.
00:34:20
Speaker
um But say they start there and then they kind of kick it into the sort of the electric version of Have You Seen Me Lately. And it just it works so beautiful. And you have all these pieces and and pulling things, the sort of the most delicate. And this is kind of maybe the representation of that, like sort of the most delicate version of the band um in in sort of one song.
00:34:41
Speaker
great. I don't have much add, Ryan. Did you want to say anything? You had it a little lower, but I realized I could tell you like the song. You just had Absolutely. yeah i think I think Jeff and I are just kind of hanging tree in this. as i We had did the same thing just with two different songs where just, yeah, it's this is a great song.
00:35:02
Speaker
It just didn't quite bubble up to the top over over some other ones for me, but i I do absolutely love it. I mean, it's it's just a it's a beautifully written and and beautifully ah structured song.
00:35:16
Speaker
And as Chris said, this Chris, this is where ah Jim jim ah plays on the hardcover books, right, at some point. I wonder what book he plays. Does it change? Oh, don't know. Has he been playing the same book?
00:35:28
Speaker
I just know he got yelled at. Jim's got to come on the show so we can ask him those questions. I wonder how long, you know. Yep. i think And he got yelled at this summer because he forgot it at one of the one of the shows he forgot to come out or something. And and and not really yelled at, Adam made fun of him for a while, you know, on stage or... After the song or something like that, i' remember reading online, theyre like, oh, come on, we haven't done this enough, this song enough for you to remember or something like that.
00:35:53
Speaker
um But yeah, I love when they add little sound effects. In fact, I was even saying, I pointed out to my daughter who's in the band and is getting more into music and just saying like, Isn't that a neat sound? She goes, yeah, what is that? I'm like somebody playing a hardcover book and that just fit. I mean, that just shows the musicianship that I think I'm creative, but I'm not creative in that way. I would never come up with these weird ideas of how to record um you know certain sounds as well. So, okay. So, um great. All right, Michelangelo. As I said, concert staple. So now we get to the top three. This this is it. We're on the wind down now.
00:36:31
Speaker
Now, the next song is really interesting because it made nobody's top two and only one person's top three. But no one had it low, and that was enough to give it number three, which is insignificant.
00:36:42
Speaker
And I don't have a ton to say about it. I just think it's a solid, solid song. I had it number five, which is what? I think it should be. Who had it the highest was, oh, Jeff, you had it as number three. So let's go to you.
00:36:54
Speaker
Yeah. um Well, again, i don't have a lot to say other than i think great bass work from Millard on this one. The Hard Candy kind of era backup vocals are really nice on the pre-chorus.
00:37:09
Speaker
I feel like this song has this REM influence, but I can't put my finger on why I think that. It's not overt. and There's a little bit of daylight fading in there.
00:37:20
Speaker
um To me, I just think this is one of their most interesting songs on this album. There's really nothing else like this song in their catalog. It just stands out to me as being kind of different and interesting. And almost wish like they had more songs like this or something. It's it and like I think Michelangelo, you're like, that's counting crows. Like instantly, you know it. It's their sound. It's everything Counting Crows. Whereas is this song like almost doesn't sound like Counting Crows. And that's what I love about it. I just think it's a very cool um rock song. And also in this first Saturday Night's part,
00:37:58
Speaker
They have all these rock songs, but they kind of vary them and switch them up. And to me, this one is an example of that, of how it's it's a rock song, but it doesn't, um yeah it's not like 1492. It's really not like these other songs. So I just think it's a great tune. I'm not sure why I love it so much, but this has always just been a real standout to me.
00:38:18
Speaker
Yeah, and interesting, the two songs we just talked about, and they were both pretty close to number three, you know the the ranking between the two, how many points? There's only two points difference between the Insignificant and Michelangelo, but those are the two songs that are written by ah four band members. so So it's interesting that maybe having four cooks in the pot actually helped the songs a little bit. So let's go to Ryan. Any thoughts on Insignificant?
00:38:43
Speaker
I just love the the chorus. it's I love singing along to this song. um i think otherwise Jeff hit the nail on the head. But yeah, this one this one definitely bubbled towards the top for me. I had it number five. It's in my top five. And yeah, it's I i never have never and will never get tired of this song. It's just, yeah, it's it's a fun one to sing along to.
00:39:06
Speaker
right, Chris, final thoughts on Insignificant. Yeah, it's interesting because... I thought coming into this that I was going to have this a lot lower. I recall when they were playing this a lot... I don't know. Well, of the songs on the record, it wasn't one that hit me super hard, but like listening to it again, i really, i liked it a lot better. Um, and I think there's some really interesting lyrical stuff here. I think it's in a lot of ways, it's a successor to like, have you seen me lately? um he literally says, have you seen me a bunch of times yeah songs? thats I'm not that clever, but I think, no, but I think the, the intent of it there also, um
00:39:43
Speaker
in sort of encapsulates, I think this sort of interesting feeling that you can sort of get the sense of Adam having through a lot of the record, but of like, I, you know, i I have to have people look at me, but I don't necessarily want that. But I, you know, I don't want to feel like I'm this weird outcast. I don't want to feel like I'm being painted as something I'm not and sort of constantly being misunderstood. but I also, i don't want to be insignificant. I like being in a rock band. I like making these songs. I like making art and getting up on stage.
00:40:16
Speaker
and And thus you go, okay, well, We got to figure something out here. And I really actually listening to the song this time, I really like the idea of like, I don't know how to see the same things differently because in certain ways, if it sort of makes a lot of sense of if you're going to continue your career, even though it's sort of causing you all of this grief.
00:40:37
Speaker
It sort of fundamentally requires you to see take the same things and see them a little bit differently, like re-angle how you're approaching things, which in many ways, I guess the band did. Again, they've been playing another 17 years since this album was released. So clearly in some way they were able to sort of see things differently and kind of keep going.
00:40:57
Speaker
But in that way, it felt like an interestingly... the lyrics encapsulated the record for me better than mom i thought at the time. So anyway, interesting. I thought, and I didn't, to your point, it's, it's a good and kind of interesting tune as well.
00:41:10
Speaker
um Yeah. They have that change of um music, right. With the, like diving through the dark while the night turns blue. Right. Are you aware your intentions? I weren't in it it's so clear. Right. if you see, yeah, there's a couple of musical changes that I think are really good. Yeah.
00:41:24
Speaker
kind of to Jeff point. No, it's a great song. It's definitely one of those great and it's hard to put your hand on why. And I do appreciate, Chris, but what you say about the successor of of the lyrics. As I said, there's a lot of songs on here, which is, by the way, interesting because when you were explaining and you were like...
00:41:40
Speaker
talking through Adam, like, I feel this way, I feel this way. It reminded me is, don't forget, this is the last album that was really a lot of I, I, i right? And then he started moving into the, now he did say part of that was because after doing Underwater Sunshine, he was trying to write his songs different. He also said he wanted to be a little less autobiographical as he got older. And I've mixed opinions, you know, and thoughts about that as as we'll go up to the next album.
00:42:06
Speaker
um Okay, so let's go to the last. So we know what the top two songs are. And now it gets a little more interesting because this is where Paul... See, Paul thinks he's not helping out, but he's helping out quite a bit because that also tied. Our top songs tied, and we needed Paul to be the tiebreaker. And he was pretty... Well, I don't want to pretty clear. He had one as a moderate and one as a strong yes. So the top two songs...
00:42:33
Speaker
I think one a surprise, one not a surprise, were Come Around and Cowboys. um And so the winner, I guess scientifically, was actually Cowboys.
00:42:44
Speaker
So we will talk about Come Around first, which is number two. Now Come Around, no one... Oh, no, sorry. And it was really Ryan that knocked this this. Ryan's the only reason this didn't win because Chris and Jeff had it number one and I had it number two. Like it was a clean sweep. And then Ryan's like, that's moderate, moderate for this album. Such a good album. I'm putting it in moderate. And actually, Paul, I agree with you, Ryan. Paul had it as a moderate choice as well. And I know you love this song.
00:43:12
Speaker
But let's go to, let's start with Chris as my my gracious co-host of why you put it number one. So this has, i think, I think the reason why this got number one is this has my favorite lyric on the record. And one of the lyrics to me that is, is sort of, ah sort of up there in this. And again, ah we all talk about our emotional connections to your point, Eric, like, you know, where are you when you hear the record? yeah Um, this, I had a relationship that did a while ago, but the first time i heard them do this song, i think it was at the Bowery ballroom. I like walked out like singing the song. Um,
00:43:51
Speaker
the The line, um one of a million lies she said is all the things you love are dead, but I've seen what she thinks is love and it leaves me laughing. i'm So good.
00:44:03
Speaker
is In terms of a burn, if we're talking about burns... To be like, you think you think i'm you know i'm I'm the one who's like wallowing in pain and I'm all of this, but I know what you think all of these things are.
00:44:19
Speaker
And that's basically the thing that gives me the strength to go, no, no, I'm going to keep going because I know you've got this all wrong. And like that means I don't know if I'm right, but... you know um you're you're wrong. And I just think, Adam, as a song, musically, it works for me. um it feels...
00:44:39
Speaker
like a little bit of an uplift at the end of the record in a good way. um The only criticism, like, and I hadn't, like, again, i I feel like they don't do this in concert, but the intro, which feels very much like it was sort of pasted potentially from the acoustic version in listening to the acoustic version, is, like, weirdly close to Maggie Mae, which I love. Maybe I like that. I mean, I love Maggie Mae. It's a great song. It's one of the, like, all-time classic songs, but, like, it's very close to Maggie Mae.
00:45:10
Speaker
I don't know. um But yeah, i I just I love that line so much. And I love the the song. And um yeah. Jeff, you also had it number one. Best song on the album. Talk about it. one Yeah. So um I think I really love songs that are like declarations of intent.
00:45:30
Speaker
And I think they come around as a declaration of intent from Adam and from the band. And they use it this way. They meant it this way on the album and they use it this way in concert too. This is, you know, we're committed to playing live and to being a band and to going on tour and to showing up in your town. You know, not just this time, but we're going to come around again. And it's like a manifesto or something. And it's one of the things that I just love about the band and appreciate about this song and and their own dedication to what they do, their dedication to being a band, to being a touring band, to making music, you know, and.
00:46:10
Speaker
I think the, so I love this song and I think that that for that reason, it elevates it to me. You know, if I pull out this album, I'm probably not going to listen to like Michelangelo or Come Around is the first thing I go to. I might go to Insignificant or Cowboys or Ballet d'Or first. But um I always feel like I owe it to the song to rank it number one because it just deserves, it's deserving of that status.
00:46:35
Speaker
I think that my only critique is that I hate that they buried it as the last song on the album, even though conceptually I know that it works and I know they make albums and this is an album. But to me, it's like this song almost should have opened the album um because because it's just such a strong song because it's like,
00:46:56
Speaker
You got to front load CDs with your best tunes. And to me, this is one of the very best songs on the album. um And also, I think that that acoustic version is awesome. It came out as like the extra whatever. I think it's almost as good or even better than this one. The the real heavy electric guitars on this, the acoustic version is not acoustic. It's basically just substitutes the electric guitars for acoustic guitars. And I think that that's actually suits the song even better, but it doesn't matter either way. You slice it live on studio version. And the song dates to 2003. It's been around for a long time. Once again, oh but um I just think it's great. It's one of their it's it's, this is who we are as a band. And I really just, that's the thing I think I appreciate about it the most when they do it in concert and Adam's like, and we will come around, you know, it's like,
00:47:48
Speaker
I love you guys. You know, I just, you know, what a great band, you know, what a great band to write a song like this to their own dedication, to their, to their being a band, you know, I love it.
00:47:58
Speaker
Um, what a vocals too on this one? Oh yeah. I even had that too. The hard candy backing vocals are yep. Absolutely. did debris Did they record it for hard candy when you already recorded, but they were playing it live back in 2003.
00:48:13
Speaker
ah But it was around that time, the Hard Candy time? Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think they recorded it for Hard Candy. It was produced by Gil Norton and recorded as part of the Saturday Night Tracks. But yeah, it's this another song that had you know was sort of had been around for a while and they resurrected it for this album.
00:48:31
Speaker
Well, just like most Americans, like when I blame other people for things, it's really my fault. We just refuse to take acknowledge any fault of our own. So um I actually think... I you know i put Hanging Tree number one. I had this tied with them.
00:48:45
Speaker
But I actually think this is the better song. I gave Hanging Tree the slight edge only because it was... unique, I guess, and there's nothing like Hanging Tree, and I guess I like them equally. But I think Come Around is the best song on the album, and I would also argue is the most...
00:49:05
Speaker
The song that exemplifies, or I think it's the definitive Counting Crows song, even if it's not their best song. It has everything. If someone said, how what are the Counting Crows like as a band? I would play Come Around.
00:49:18
Speaker
And in some ways, I think it's a spiritual successor to Rain King. I don't know why. Something of the feeling of the song I'm i'm getting. um Even though it doesn't have the kind of the crescendo and the show stopping moment of Rain King. It has it has i mean, it almost makes me cry a little bit. Yes, you I'm glad you mentioned harmonies. The harmonies are some of the best which the crows should be famous for how good they are with harmonies.
00:49:40
Speaker
um It has a part with Bryson just strumming by himself, which to me is like a retro when it was just Adam, you know, that part in the middle where it kind of is a lull. And then it just starts again with Bryson. And then in in a live concert, he comes out next to, I think he comes out next to Adam or he goes to him and they play that together. They have some great guitar parts where they all play together.
00:49:59
Speaker
Charlie is amazing. And they also have both Charlie's piano and it begins with and ends with his organ work, right? Like it has that little organ at the end that is very crozy that they don't really do so much anymore. And it starts that. um So it has everything. It has Imi playing well. And it has definitive Counting Crows lyrics in two ways. One of them being...
00:50:23
Speaker
um So Adam says this, that people now I'm not using the right adjectives, but that people think of him as being like, you know negative and depressed and mopey. And he's like, that's only half of it. The other half is like the next things could get better in the future, like always kind of.
00:50:41
Speaker
Right. It could get better the next day. And this has both of it. Right. Like um they come around. And I also like um the fact that these lyrics and both of you hinted at this and you kind of made my point.
00:50:53
Speaker
These lyrics can apply, which I love when crows to different situations. Right. So. Jeff brought up about the band coming back and he said, that's a lot, but she's, he's mentioning she, and you could apply it to a girlfriend or boyfriend. And in my case, uh, so I said that Todd and I kind of gotten a little bit of fight when he gave him the album that week near the end. And we didn't like talk for like six weeks or something, but I knew that we would come around again. So I,
00:51:17
Speaker
felt that and maybe if you get in a fight with your child you could feel the same way you know that you know you're going to come around because you're family so for all those reasons I just can't yeah I just think it's a classic and although like Rain King he also did not want this to be a single when it was clearly singly kind of song is Not to play A&R Man from 17 years ago, but this really feels like it could have been the lead single from the record. It sort of announces that the band is back, which was kind of the theme of a lot of the press around that time.
00:51:49
Speaker
um It's got all of that. It's got those, I don't know, it it feels like that could have been the right call. I don't want to argue i don't want to argue with someone from Geffen from the past, but...
00:52:00
Speaker
Yeah, think I've heard him mention, I think I might be wrong. I thought he said something like, you know, one of those like, Adam, I don't want to give people the wrong impression of what the album is about.
00:52:11
Speaker
Fair. I love that he's the exact opposite of every other band that would be like, yeah, even though it's not representative of the album, that's the single because it's the catchiest and ah they trick them into buying my album or something like that. So, um okay. ah Ryan, you said you had thoughts on um on Come Around.
00:52:29
Speaker
Yeah, real quick though, so just to clarify, Eric, was it, so were the were the only songs that got number one votes come around in Hanging Tree? That is correct.
00:52:41
Speaker
Wow. I would never have guessed now those two. Again, because I thought I was going to be alone on Hanging Tree Island. That's that's cool. I like that those were the first that those were the the the ones that got number one votes. Yeah, top the top vote getters. Yeah, and Come Around surprises me being this high only because... i mean, I had it at... I actually had it at number eight. But again, it's not like... It's not nothing against that song. It's actually...
00:53:07
Speaker
It's my number two as far as the Sunday morning songs after Le Ballet d'Or. But yeah, um I guess I've, I've heard you guys on the podcast before we're doing this episode. Obviously I've, I've heard this come up and I've, and and and I just thought that the, the criticism of it being the closer of the album was going to, but that was going to knock this one down a bit more, but I'm, I'm happy to see it as high as it was. Now for me, like, you know, i think Jeff was talking about how it's like, it's a statement by the band that will come back around and, One of you other guys was saying that you know there's the the mention of of a she that's living maybe the relationship comes back around. For me, my my personal connection to this song is, again, coming right off of that divorce. like
00:53:58
Speaker
I needed... like that I really connected with this as like a as an optimism for, like no, like I will come back around like as a person and as somebody that can be... you know Because I was...
00:54:11
Speaker
it was pretty pretty broken at that point in time, having gone through that. And so, yeah, this one this one was really kind of an anthem for me personally, honestly.
00:54:21
Speaker
um And so i've I've always liked this. I mean, I could have easily had this song higher than than number eight where I've got it, but... But yeah, i it it is great. And i would I would echo all the positive things that everybody said about it, especially the, ah Chris, you're talking about like this absolutely would have been a better, so I know 2020 hindsight, but this totally would have been a better single than You Can't Count on Me, for sure.
00:54:49
Speaker
But no, it's a great point because i do think that, again, if if the if there's a theme to the record, it's sort of like, this sort of fading in and out of the main character who is, you know, Adam Duritz, who's singing in this stuff. um But like one of my other favorite lyrics in the song, right, is if you wait for what's coming and you listen to her lies, then she'll say the things you need to hear and the only one who will disappear is you.
00:55:12
Speaker
Right? So to that end, right, like you could disappear or you could just come around and like be, you know, keep yourself going. um And that's like it, I think that's one of the nice things about the song though. it does play to a lot of I don't know. it it plays It plays to an energy that's a little bit broader, um which I think it does in part, though, does set it apart from the rest of the record in a bunch of ways, too, right? That a lot of these songs are very either internal or sort of like you and a person. um Even Los Angeles, which is more fun, is about
00:55:47
Speaker
three people, maybe picking up some people along the way, but like this is very... Feels like universal and going outward in a way that a lot of the rest of the songs don't. Maybe that's what... I don't know. By the way, Mention's fading in the song. I love i love the recurring themes. yeah so I mean, they just crush it live. This is a song that they just kill this song live. I mean, they it just... did It elevates the whole audience in some ways. It's like, this is what... mean live music is all about, you know, about having that almost transcendent experience. And this song, they they just deliver that experience, I think, every time they play it. oh and I just love the optimistic note that that ends this album on. like totally Totally get, Jeff, where you're coming from with Le Ballet Door being the... beautiful, perfect thing. you know, you and I were definitely on the same wavelength of that song, but for sure for me, and maybe again, maybe it was where I was at that point in my life.
00:56:44
Speaker
I, I needed come around to be the, the, the thing, the last thing I heard on this album. So it's, well, um yes Adam intended it He really, he said, even on this one, he said, albums are going away, but we're determined to make one last great album, you know, an album, not just bunch of songs, but, And not like, hey, we got to front load the hits, you know, but like this is an album that's a complete statement. It starts with 1492. It ends with Come Around. And so, you know, that's that's what Adam really intended. I say like it's such a good song. I hate to see people who would not hear it and get to the end of the album. But, you know, it's there for a reason. Adam was very clear, even though it recorded for Saturday nights, that he wanted the album to end on this note. you know and And I think that I certainly get why he did that. you know It works totally for the concept. I just i love the song so much. I hate to see it get discounted like so many songs at the end of CDs do nowadays.
00:57:43
Speaker
And yeah clearly one of those songs that if it was recorded for an earlier album um or more people had the album, it would be a fan favorite in concert. No no doubt about it. ah So let's go to the song that kind of won the tiebreaker, Cowboys. i i did Nobody had it in their top Oh, I had it number, okay, Ryan had it to highest, number two. Chris and I had it number three and Jeff number four. I mean, that's why it won. It was everybody's top four or tied there. um So I will start with Ryan. I mean, I'll preface it by saying, I don't know, Cowboys, how, how, if someone says to me, um how about, how do you talk about having a mental ah breakdown in an amazing song?
00:58:25
Speaker
The answer to that question is Cowboys. Let's go to Ryan. Yeah, with ah Lincoln getting shot and all kinds of all kinds of stuff. But yeah, they again, i've i said earlier, i love when Counting Crows dials it up, just turns it up to 11 and gives us like a hard rocking song. And they they have not rocked this hard since. Like Boxcar is the closest box cars is the the closest approximation since this song.
00:58:53
Speaker
But yeah, it's just, it's such a high energy song, such a great... Just such a great song to drive to. Like if you're in the car and this song, you put this song on or if it comes on, you just it's just so much fun. And um yeah, it's ah the fact that we got two of these on this album, 1492 and and Cowboys in terms of harder rocking songs, ah maybe maybe definitely a part of the reason why I do love this album so much. But ah yeah, it's.
00:59:24
Speaker
It's you know great chorus, just super fun and and high energy. And i'm I'm not sure we'll ever see them play this again, at least unless they bust out an acoustic version of it. But boy, I would i would i would pay to see this again live with with all guitars plugged in.
00:59:44
Speaker
Oh, that's funny. yeah The only thing I'll say right now, and then I'll move to who else had it very high. Well, Chris did too. Me and you both, we both had it at three. The only thing I'll disagree with you, Ryan, is about being a fun listen. I guess to me, i sometimes it's ah it's a difficult listen to me because I really feel a lot of sadness in him in this that I don't hear. Even 1492 is a banger, but I don't feel the sadness as much in this one. But Chris, let's go to you.
01:00:10
Speaker
Yeah, I'm with you. it's it's like a it's a It's a dark song. It's a very, very dark song. um And it's a really interesting... i think musically, it's very, very interesting. I want to shout out, like, there's a piano part under um This Is A List Of What I Should Have Been. exactly. It's a really cool... Like, it's this heavy song, and then it breaks down into this, like, really interesting piano thing and then kind of comes back it's a Yeah, it's kind of of a fascinating thing to kind of put together. um it reminds me in a lot of ways of like um the parts in Round Here, you know, she says it's only in my head. These are kind of maybe the things that are in one's head, you know, that that are sort of bouncing around and sort of like losing. I think Adam's talked about the idea of this is basically someone who's losing tether with reality and that like literally the only way that maybe you could do that is to go out and like, you know, go on like a killing spree, theoretically. um
01:01:09
Speaker
So it's a really, it's dark, but it's in some ways, it's such a like a centerpiece. um And also as a live song, right? I mean, they crushed this. I mean, this was such a huge song live.
01:01:21
Speaker
um It's kind of a bummer that they don't use it anymore in that regard, because it really like hits. um And the the guitars drive it forward. You need you need all three guitars for it. Yeah.
01:01:34
Speaker
Well, what about the part... you know I'm just going back because there's so many notes I have of different things. But I always love the little parts when... um I think I mentioned this before in the podcast, but when when he references satellites and then Dan does the little satellite sound effect, you know i'm talking about, in in the background. If not, go listen. and i did I just love those little... And then it's like callback to recovering the satellites in a way. I just...
01:01:56
Speaker
um I can't get enough of that. And it's why I, it's, it's it's how those kinds of things are how the crows came. You Paul talked about all the bands he likes and I was like him when you're, I like like six bands equally. And the reason crow crows rose to the top are things like this fifth album, which I just can't compare to some of the other bands. I liked their fifth album. Jeff, let's go to you.
01:02:18
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, this could have been my number one on the album. I, it's my favorite, like, hard rocker on the album for sure. And I think one of their strongest hard rockers they've ever done. um ah Sort of something Chris was saying, the tempo changes, I think really give it so much dynamic range. Absolutely. And to me, it's like, I've said this about at least, this is the third song that I say, this could have been the opener for the album. You know, this would have been a great opener for this album. But,
01:02:53
Speaker
i think what makes I think in some ways, like what why I rank this higher than 1492 is 1492 is just a you know straight ahead fifth fifth gear rocker. This one, like the guitars actually pull back during the verses. You don't have you know Emmy slashing away on the guitar. You have Charlie comes to the fore. And I think that that, along with the tempo changes, really increases the power of the song. um The unhinged lyrics, the unhinged vocal performance, um I will make you look at me, you know, all that kind of stuff. It's like he really um is living this as he's singing it.
01:03:34
Speaker
um The only other thing I thought was interesting, we've talked about all the callbacks on here. This one has come on, come on. um just like accidentally in love, but talk about different uses of that lyric, you know, accidentally love, come on, come on is so different than the come on, come on in here. You know, it's like really different uses of the very same lyrics. So this is another one that I say, you know, this qualifies as a like masterpiece in my, in my opinion. And it could have been my number one song. i sometimes give credit to the songs that I think like,
01:04:09
Speaker
Like I ranked Long December as number one on recovering, not because it's the song that I go and play, um because I just think it's the song that deserves to be number one because it's just such an incredible achievement of a song. And I think that like Cowboys might be my number one song on this album, but I think um other ones I felt like I have to give credit to the greatness of and the achievements of what those songs are. But Cowboys to me is like,
01:04:37
Speaker
Absolutely incredible. I think this is another one. And as as Chris said, live, it just slays in concert too. So yeah, I can't say enough good things about Cowboys.
01:04:49
Speaker
Jeff, thanks for explaining um you know even yeah more clear ah clearly compared to me about why i rank. i Because I love Cowboys in 1492, but it was a clear difference of number three and four for the reasons that you said.
01:05:01
Speaker
Yeah. The complexity. And and you brought up something that we did not talk, we won't get into too much here, but Adam, he knows, and maybe he's not 100% right, but he kind of knows when to mute his lyrics, when to, you know what i mean? Like you said, you you said he sung unhinged on this because that's what the lyrics call for. That's what the music called for. He doesn't do that normally. And I can't think of any other. song off the top my head that he did that. But it it is it he needed to do it here. and um and even though and And clearly this song had to be the one, in my opinion, the edit that ended Saturday mornings, right? Because this is like the entire breakdown. this is how sad It's like a crash against the wall.
01:05:43
Speaker
right And then we'll see where the pieces come up on the next morning. so Yeah, it's amazing. I love Cowboys. It was one of the ones that probably kept moving up the list for me, kept moving up until I get to the point where I'm like, okay, I'm sorry, but I just have to, you know, I can't i can't do this to come around, man. i got like what I can't do that. But God, I love this song. And and it was probably in going back and listening to this album again, it was the one that I just kept playing over and over like, God, that's such a good song. You know, I'm singing in my head and Circle K Killers and all that stuff. I'm just, I love it.
01:06:20
Speaker
Well, thanks. We got through all of them. We can do some concluding remarks. you go through the list real quick again, Eric, since we've been going for so long? I'm just curious to rip through them. Oh, that's fine. Yeah, going from ah the lowest to the highest. So we yeah we basically had a tie for 13 with a slight edge to anyone but you. So Tuesday in Amsterdam, number 14, anyone but you. And then on any given Sunday mornings, then the other Sunday songs.
01:06:46
Speaker
Then Los Angeles, number 10, number nine, Washington Square, number eight, You Can't Count on Me, number seven, 14, number 92, number six, Ballet d'Or, right? Number five, Hanging Tree, number four, When I Dream of Michelangelo, number three, Insignificant, and then Tide, but a slight edge to Cowboys at number one, which means Come Around at number two.
01:07:07
Speaker
Nice. So yeah, great stuff. I know that we basically run out of time. Now, one thing that just to preface a new show, at some point, we will be talking about the B-sides and ranking them and going to a deep dive. and And one funny thing is when Paul revisited this yesterday, not knowing as much of the album as we did, he said, are you counting this track number 15, which is clearly the best song on, at least in his opinion, this What is this called? Something with a so big star or something? Isn't that what Adam likes? Big star? and yeah so great so
01:07:44
Speaker
It's a great song. great sound i all do you have any um I know got to go soon, Paul. Do you have any final, final lasting words before ah you go about either this album or Counting Crows?
01:07:57
Speaker
Well, I just um ah hope that the Counting Crows keep bringing out music and and we can continue to to enjoy and seeing them live.
01:08:11
Speaker
and and The band, I find them the band has a special place in my heart. and I think we can all say this, we all have this in common, that it's ah it's a special band.
01:08:28
Speaker
yeah we love adam and and the boys and they do a great job and we just hope they can keep keep bringing out more music and we can go to the shows and keep doing these podcasts thank you um and i don't have any other ah closing comments ryan who uh wrote and said uh can can i be back on the show for this album and the answer was yes and we loved having you on any closing comments ah Just i I'd love to throw my hat in the in the ring for ah for that B-sides because, boy, do i have I have thoughts on Sessions and Baby, I'm a Big Star now. There's some some great, great B-sides. But no, just appreciate you guys having me. i i I think a common theme that we might all agree on after getting to the end of this discussion is that
01:09:15
Speaker
this album for a number of reasons is pretty underappreciated in terms of the their entire catalog. And i know, you know, ah we're, we we all feel pretty strongly about how much we enjoy it. And yeah, just it's, this discussion has kind of reminded me like, yeah, this, this one this one,
01:09:36
Speaker
if you were to actually rank the albums instead of the songs on the albums, it would be interesting to see. I, I, I don't want to start a whole tangent, so I won't say where I would rank this album, but I, I, I just love this album and I appreciate the opportunity to talk, talk about it with all you guys. Well, Ryan, I'm glad to hear that. And if we ever do a ranking the albums podcast, I'll have you on so I can stack the deck a little bit. yeah Jeff, let's go to you closing comments.
01:10:04
Speaker
Yeah, well, like Ryan said, I think that the album is under sometimes underappreciated by the fans and also definitely by the band as well. You know, these these songs don't get nearly enough shine. And I would love to see Counting Crows, you know, bust out these some of the songs that they don't play a little bit more often because they're so good, you know, and I would say to the fans, probably if you're listening to this podcast, you're a pretty big fan of the band, but you might want to go back and take another listen to this because, you know, we've all heard recovering the satellites or this desert life a million times, but maybe this album hasn't gotten as many spins, but, um, and In some ways, that makes it a more engaging and interesting listen, just because it's like you may not know every nook and cranny of this album the way that you probably do with some of those other ones, certainly like August or something. and But the songs are so good and so interesting and so musical, and they still brought you know that whole everything that they bring to you know albums like Recovering the Satellites or This Desert Life. They're also bringing to this one. And I think it's just... um It's one, of again, one of those really special albums in their catalog. So it was very fun to rank this and to listen to it a bunch of times and to think about it. And also to just have this discussion with my fellow Counting Crows nerds. Is it the best is
Future Tour Planning and Fan Engagement
01:11:28
Speaker
it too early? and we're We're about to flip the calendar to 2026. Can we start trying to get a campaign going in the in the Counting Crows community sure for 2028, for the 20th anniversary of this album? So that, hey hey Adam, 20th anniversary, when you guys go out on tour in 2028, could you maybe play like...
01:11:48
Speaker
Oh, right. all of one side one night and all of another side, another night. Like yeah maybe, week maybe, maybe we're going to go back to that casino in Minnesota. We're going to play the whole thing. Yes. I'll come there. I'm going to play it again As you were saying that, I thought, boy, I'd love to see that concert now, you know, like go back and play this whole album. I'm like, yes, that'd be great. Uh, Chris, we'll end the podcast with you.
01:12:13
Speaker
ah God, I love this record. And love this time. i mean, we'll we'll talk at some point. We'll do episodes, I'm sure, about some of the concerts around this time. Yeah. Well, definitely, because we've got to cover the DVD at some point. um But man, what ah what a great time. What a great time to be a Counting Crows fan. It's still a great time to be a Counting Crows fan, that was a really, really great one. um And this record and all the awesome songs on it are part of the reason why. so Great. Well, thanks so much. I agree. I concur, but it is time to move on from our multi-hour session here. Thanks so much. We will come around.
01:12:45
Speaker
We will come around in 2026. We have all sorts of ideas. hopeful Hopefully we can actually implement some of the ideas and have a great time. And thanks everybody for listening and hanging out down here on Solomon Street.
01:12:57
Speaker
Goodbye.