Counting Crows went from unknown to smash success nearly overnight in 1994. The group's debut album, August and Everything After, showcased the somber-sounding, contemplative brooding of lead singer Adam Duritz. But it was one of the few upbeat cuts off the record, "Mr. Jones," that catapulted the group into superstardom. The catchy tune, complemented by the quirky vocal stylings of Duritz, made for a big hit and set the stage for the band to become one of the headlining acts of the 1990s.

Despite their success being bolstered by an upbeat song, much of Duritz's lyrics came from what sounded to be somewhat of a tortured soul. This naturally appealed to a lot of fans that yearned for the rock and roll of the ‘70s and wanted some music with downtrodden emotional substance. The band's follow-up effort, Recovering the Satellites, showed that the group was unwilling to conform to the sound that had made them so popular. Duritz and the Crows stuck to their guns and the angst-ridden Satellites earned the band number their first number one record. The album's success was spearheaded by the piano-driven, cold-sounding "A Long December," which remains one of the group's most popular titles to this day.

After releasing a live album, the band cut their third record, This Desert Life. It did not fare as well as either of its predecessors, but still managed to work its way into the top 10. The album featured the familiar mix of solemn, tragic-sounding songs, ala "Colorblind," and buoyant tracks, such as "Hangingaround."

Hard Candy was released in 2002 and again the Crows had a hit. The album was headlined by the vibrant track "American Girls," but, as usual, contained some gloomy gems such as "Holiday in Spain" and "Black and Blue." Sounding a bit more polished, the album may have lacked some of the poetic feel of the first three, but this was in sound alone as Duritz's lyrics were as deep and rich as ever. The Crows have released a few live albums since, as well as 2008's Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.