Songoftheday 7/3/19 - Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog, where no one notices the contrast of white on white...
from the album August and Everything After (1993)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: not eligible to chart
Billboard Hot 100 airplay peak: #31 (one week)
Weeks in the Hot 100 airplay top-40: 9
Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Counting Crows, whose breakthrough hit "Mr. Jones" in the summer of 1994 climbed to the top five on the pop airplay chart in Billboard magazine without being released commercially (in order to goose up sales of the album, of course). Such was also the case with their follow-up "single", "Round Here". Originally conceived by lead singer Adam Duritz with members of his old band the Himalayans, the topical look at ones surroundings was revamped by the Crows, leading to a crowded songwriter list. The result was an emotional vocal performance from Adam as he tries to find his place and purposes in the world...
Because "Round Here" wasn't released as a physical single, it was unable to make it onto the official pop Hot 100 chart in America. Nevertheless the song earned enough airplay on mainstream radio to climb to #31 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart in September of 1994. The song went to #11 on the magazine's Mainstream Rock chart, while peaking at #7 on their Modern/Alternative Rock format tally. Internationally, the single climbed to #6 in Canada, and was a minor hit in both Australia (#58) and the UK (#70). At the Grammy Awards in 1995, "Round Here" was nominated for Best Rock Duo/Group Performance, which went to Aerosmith for "Crazy".
A third radio release, "Rain King", went to #66 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, while making it to #4 on the Mainstream Rock list. Finally, "A Murder Of One" rose to #17 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
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Here's the band appearing on Letterman live to promote the song...
and later that year on SNL...
Fast forward to 1999 with the band's appearance at Woodstock 99...
And lastly, live at the Sydney Opera House in Australia in 2013...
Up tomorrow: Post-punk woman is pretty faithful.
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