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Counting Crows

Date: Aug 12 2002

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

About 9 years ago, I heard a song call “Mr. Jones” on the radio. I didn’t know who sang it, but I knew I liked it. I went down to the record store and asked the people working there if they’d heard the song. They pointed me to a CD by the Counting Crows. I listened to the CD at the store, then bought it immediately. I loved the Counting Crows then, and I still love them now. They are a great rock band.
The Crows recently released their fifth album, titled Hard Candy. I can’t say that it’s better than their other albums, but it’s definitely as good. I really like the first single, “American Girls.”
Read on to learn more about the Counting Crows.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Hard Candy is a great rock & roll album because Counting Crows is a band full of great musicians. From the guitar players, to the keyboard player, every member of the group is extremely talented. More importantly, however, is the singer – Adam Duritz. He’s an amazing vocalist and a great songwriter.
“American Girls” is a perfect example of Duritz’ abilities. In the song, he sings about the ups and downs of being in love. He tells the story of a girl he met, and the way she affected him. She could make him feel like he was on top of the world one minute, and absolutely terrible the next.
Check out some of the lyrics:
American girls are weather and noise
Playing the changes for all of the boys
Holding a candle right up to my hands
Making me feel so incredible
She comes out of closets every night
But then she locks herself away
Where she could keep everything from me
I could have been anyone you see
The girl Adam sings about could make him feel “so incredible,” but she could also “keep everything from (him).” She held him in the palm of her hand, and then she broke his heart.

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Discussion

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m a big Counting Crows fan. I like all of their albums and just about all of their songs. If you haven’t checked them out yet, I really think you should. You won’t be disappointed.
And, if you like the Crows, you should check out some other great bands and musicians, like Ryan Adams, Wilco, the Old 97’s, and John Mayer.
Have you heard Hard Candy? Are you a Counting Crows fan? Come to the Music Mix message board and let us know!
Rock on,
Migs