I love Counting Crows. I realized I had depression in listening to August and Everything After. Thirty years later, I’m coming off of Cymbalta after 10+ years and listening to this song again could absolutely describe the feeling of coming off of a medication that helped me sooo much at first but made me so emotionless by the end. I felt “colorblind” in every sense. Not just vision, but music lost any feeling for me, food was blah, all experiences felt as if they were in black and white. Coming off the medication (and switching to another under doctor supervision for anyone worried) and listening to music, I kept telling people it was like the music was in color again! So now listening to this now, I feel that line “I am ready, I am ready, I am ready, I am fine” so strongly. But the funny thing is that, before my meds, it was the same. I had gone so deeply into myself with depression that all experiences had lost any life or color. So I really feel this is possibly about depression, but more specifically about the apathy that can happen in depression. I remember telling my doctor when he asked if I ever thought of suicide, “I’m not gonna kill myself, but I don’t care if I live or die.” I know I know… so angsty! But I meant it. Apathy is a scary place to be.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, as painstaking as it might have been. I am glad you made it out to the other side, and that their music helped you through that. It can be one hell of an antidote at times. Be well. - Andy
I enjoyed the analysis of the lyrics. Objectively speaking, the tune was quite monotonous and there wasn't enough there with the auxiliary instruments to really keep me interested in the music.
IMO something imitating a flute at the low end of its register, both in the middle and towards the close. Compare rLvShcrp1c4 rather than Ian Anderson. I also hear glockenspiel (or some other metallophone), but can't find it credited. The twangy sound might be a mellotron (which is credited); too much sustain for a harpsichord. Not at all like The Fab's feeling fine, either - though the mood (and piano part) very much reminded me of Lennon's "Isolation". The piano part may also be inspired by the opening movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and why not? Has anyone interpreted the image 0:40, which could be ASL aith the second line reading "love" and the fourth being a heart? @Jon, in the bit about having a skin, did you reject the possibility that he was adopting the persona of a rice pudding or a sausage? After sex and drugs meanings, I stop at rock'n'roll (the modern version of wine, women and song) and never get as far as vampires.
I love Counting Crows. I realized I had depression in listening to August and Everything After. Thirty years later, I’m coming off of Cymbalta after 10+ years and listening to this song again could absolutely describe the feeling of coming off of a medication that helped me sooo much at first but made me so emotionless by the end. I felt “colorblind” in every sense. Not just vision, but music lost any feeling for me, food was blah, all experiences felt as if they were in black and white. Coming off the medication (and switching to another under doctor supervision for anyone worried) and listening to music, I kept telling people it was like the music was in color again! So now listening to this now, I feel that line “I am ready, I am ready, I am ready, I am fine” so strongly.
But the funny thing is that, before my meds, it was the same. I had gone so deeply into myself with depression that all experiences had lost any life or color. So I really feel this is possibly about depression, but more specifically about the apathy that can happen in depression. I remember telling my doctor when he asked if I ever thought of suicide, “I’m not gonna kill myself, but I don’t care if I live or die.” I know I know… so angsty! But I meant it. Apathy is a scary place to be.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, as painstaking as it might have been. I am glad you made it out to the other side, and that their music helped you through that. It can be one hell of an antidote at times. Be well. - Andy
Nice song which reminded me of REM, nice back story as well cheers guys.
I enjoyed the analysis of the lyrics. Objectively speaking, the tune was quite monotonous and there wasn't enough there with the auxiliary instruments to really keep me interested in the music.
IMO something imitating a flute at the low end of its register, both in the middle and towards the close. Compare rLvShcrp1c4 rather than Ian Anderson. I also hear glockenspiel (or some other metallophone), but can't find it credited. The twangy sound might be a mellotron (which is credited); too much sustain for a harpsichord.
Not at all like The Fab's feeling fine, either - though the mood (and piano part) very much reminded me of Lennon's "Isolation". The piano part may also be inspired by the opening movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and why not? Has anyone interpreted the image 0:40, which could be ASL aith the second line reading "love" and the fourth being a heart? @Jon, in the bit about having a skin, did you reject the possibility that he was adopting the persona of a rice pudding or a sausage?
After sex and drugs meanings, I stop at rock'n'roll (the modern version of wine, women and song) and never get as far as vampires.
Jeesh. Put some thought into your post please 😅