Song of the Day 7/1: Counting Crows, “Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)”
Before Counting Crows became famous, the band circulated a demo tape that set off a bidding war among record companies. Most of the songs were rerecorded with T-Bone Burnett at the controls and appeared on their breakout 1993 LP “August and Everything After,” but this one was left out, apparently because upbeat jangle-pop didn’t fit the downbeat vibe of the rest of the album. So when the record company asked for a tune it could include on a sampler CD, Adam Duritz let them have this one, probably the least-gloomy thing he’s ever written.
He soon regretted it. The record company thought it heard a hit, and for once the suits weren’t wrong — it reached No. 1 on the alternative airplay chart. The band, fearing public backlash from overexposure (Duritz cited Hootie and the Blowfish as an example), didn’t make a video, and performed it only once in concert back in their pre-fame days in San Francisco. No matter — the band got overexposed and was soon scorned as uncool, a status it never really recovered from.
Duritz spent years disliking the song, which he dismissed as “a goof,” but eventually conceded he still listens to it because he likes the harmonies.
It did get some scant airplay, I like it and the harmonies as well.
One of the best songs of all time! When DGC Rarities came out in 1994 it was a huge musical moment for 11 year-old me.
I go back much further, and that remains one of the best sampler albums I ever heard. “Einstein” is the standout track, but The Posies’ “Open Every Window,” Weezer’s “Jamie,” and Urge Overkill’s “Dropout” were other highlights for me. Also, Nirvana contributed an early version of “Stay Away,” a reminder that Counting Crows and Nirvana were on the same label.