Counting Crows - Anna Begins

[@slackerlitgeek]

"Okay guys, I'm gonna go ahead and forecast heavy emotion." (See also: Every Counting Crows song ever.) "Bro, this is the most conflicted man you'll ever encounter in life." (See also: Every Counting Crows song ever, also.)

[@chrisdaly7802]

"August and everything after" may be one of the best albums ever recorded.

[@TristanandIsolt]

No may be about it. It is one of the best. It may be the best.

[@jamiewilson9280]

This is by far my favourite Counting Crow’s song. In fact, top 5 songs in the world ever!

[@larshansen2340]

Totally agree ❤

[@ramblin_man_81]

I'm with you, brother 😁

[@Dropla]

same

[@Jenwatchesstuff]

SAME!!!!!

[@seanhutt4621]

Definitely the raw emotion here is so real

[@hibhibb5429]

Adam Duritz is such a freaking legend with words and the way he delivers the songs is incredible. He knows how to paint the picture so you can see it in your mind when you close your eyes. He's so talented!! I love him!!

[@Atackoftheevilvendingmac-pb5iq]

I love Counting Crows

[@gurulimbo]

Yes! Absolutely amazing song. This entire show is absolutely incredible! Try “Like Teenage Gravity” and “On Almost any Sunday Morning! Again, thank you so much to whoever suggested this particular version, and you for reacting to it! He conveys so much!

[@CadillacDream]

Like Teenage Gravity is absolutely amazing, probably my favourite cover they've done

[@tomm2907]

The Counting Crows are one of my all time favorite bands. Seeing them in concert next month. More songs for you : Omaha Round Here Long December Miami Holiday in Spain

[@lauraleonard5404]

I am seeing them tomorrow night in Tampa, FL!

[@S5King7]

How do you feel about their newer material?

[@philosophicsblog]

As I understand it, the genesis of this song is that while a younger man, Adam was on a short holiday on a Greek island, where he met "Anna". The two fell in love, but they knew they'd soon be worlds apart.

[@gurulimbo]

I’m sure you do.. but the studio version is also amazing so check it out when you have time.

[@AuditoryStorytelling]

If you want to understand the whole story of the song, watch the video of it from their VH1 Storytellers show in 97. It's a story about the right thing at the wrong time. The situation just couldn't work at the time Adam and Anna met. They were young, and Adam was from California and Anna from Australia, and back in 1987 there just wasn't a way to make things work without uplifting their whole lives. So they just tried to remain in denial of their actual feelings for each other.

[@TristanandIsolt]

This song is a true story. They met while on vacation in Greece. He's American and she's Australian. They both went home and kept in touch. She eventually got married and had a child with another man. She loves the song.

[@scottNNJ]

Counting Crows often changes the melody during different performances. This one is much more musically interesting than the album version. In that one, the instrumentals fade to the background and it’s just his hollow introspective voice… with a bit of a different inflection. I can’t say which is better, but I like that you can rediscover the same CC songs for the first time when they change up like this. I really like the reaction and the interpretation!

[@bigoz1977]

I do love this song but live, it’s a different song. Please listen to the album version. Also your lyrics will be much easier to follow. And this is my favourite CC song. 👍🏻

[@S5King7]

Agreed. You appreciate the beautiful and unique lyrics better with the album version.

[@Jenwatchesstuff]

One million percent agreed. I hadn't heard this version before but for me nothing compares to the original. It's awesome that live CC always switches it up but for this, yes, the original is EVERYTHING.

[@gimmethunder]

The story behind this song is that he was backpacking through Europe and he met a girl and they started a relationship that was just supposed to be a holiday fling, but as time went on, they slowly started to realize that it was growing into something more. They were reluctant to admit it because they knew they were going to have to go back to their lives on opposite ends of the world. The song is a beautiful display of transition from denial, to reluctant admission, then to the sorrow of not being able to do anything about it.

[@S5King7]

A lot of great songs throughout history, but I've never heard one greater than this. Peak of musical, lyrical, and vocal artistry.

[@MuricaTurkey]

Oh man, one of my teenage favorites

[@thabudmaster]

one of the greatest songs ever, by one of the greatest bands 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

[@S5King7]

I once had an record collection of 3000 albums. This song has no peer.

[@Fersch13]

This is one of my ALL TIME favorite songs by any band - it related to my life so much at this time

[@christineg8151]

Wow, this is very different from the album version! Lyrics seem to be the same, but the performance is very different. I do really like the mandolin, though. Going to have to listen to it a couple more times to see how I feel about the rest.

[@marcstein6776]

Pure poetry…. Best song on an incredible album

[@quinjesuis9187]

Fields of gold 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻💎💎🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[@jodiwattel-bccs2345]

Thank you !!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉 I'm so glad you were able to do this. Love him! And love all you do!!

[@RomesThe59]

“Every time she sneezes I believe it’s love”

[@cjr1324]

Killer song.

[@ShadPJGrunge]

The greatest counting crows song! You should really listen to the album version 👍

[@ScottKiley]

I really like the Counting Crows and the band is great live, but I don’t love how far they stray with the vocals sometimes at their shows.

[@jabbott6748]

I was coming to the comments to say basically the same thing. I enjoy this album a lot but I do not at all like this live version of this song.

[@S5King7]

Music sounds great, but yeah the vocal delivery is better on the album. This mainly sounds like he's talking. Adam's voice is amazing. Not sure why he seems to like performing this song this way. Maybe to give people a different experience than hearing the album version?

[@mama_nez]

Love this song!!

[@BM-hb2mr]

Round Here

[@Wilders53]

Been my favorite Crows song

[@girlshapedbox]

Oooooo, I've never heard this version. It's super interesting.

[@miconis123]

This whole album is a mood

[@dreb64]

This i the best song about a guy cheating ever written. You should listen to the non-live recording. The lyrics are amazing.

[@tanyaweathersby9393]

❤

[@Angryburrito]

I was thrilled to see that it was this live performance. My favorite performance of Anna begins by Adam that I’ve came across on here.

[@jddelvec1870]

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Radio City “bartender” I think you will really enjoy. Would love to see your reaction to it.

[@YTDumpsterBaby]

Dude wanted a casual relationship so much he loved bombing his friend with holidays to a coconut island. he promised he'd even change his name if that's what she meant (Get married) She warned that she had feelings for him but she believed he was just smitten with desire and she didn't want her heart broken.. He continued to reassure her that everything was ok. He gets what he wants and falls in love. He can't believe he has fallen in love but she's now being pushed away by her doubts of his sincerity in the first place and his change in behaviour.

[@lemaygaming6952]

Dude in the thumbnail looks like Daniel Radcliffe in a wig.

[@brianarsuaga5008]

I notice that an awful lot of these comments are suggesting the studio verison. This is a live version that's much closer and has nearly the same emotional content (but still quite different): kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIake6qKg7-Xr80 ; But the studio/album version is REALLY stellar, so either would be great

[@jeremygumke5150]

This song is a masterpiece. But I do prefer the album version. You nailed this reaction, sir.

[@bobbyb2725]

I wish you would do studio tracks first

[@jamesgrieco1643]

I hope you listened to the studio version where he ACTUALLY sings the words instead of saying them LOLL

[@Wilders53]

The studio version is 100 percent better 😊

[@brianarsuaga5008]

This rendition works if you know the original song, but... only in that context. This... I couldn't possibly call this "bad," but... this is a severely divergent arrangement of this song, drastically different, and it's a little too avant garde to be a good representation for the song, in its time. I would highly, highly recommend doing this again with a more contemporaneous version that hews a little closer to the source album (August and Everything After). This song is much better than this.

[@andreshernandez1180]

Oh no, you reacted to the live version, rookie mistake.

[@timwhite5562]

This is a very different version from the album. Personally i prefer the album.

[@datdudecollins]

Studio version is a million times better.

[@ryanside9117]

This is actually a great song but this version is trash. Check out the studio version

[@willowbeederouaux4750]

This is one of my FAV Counting Crows song, but one of the WORST versions.

[@CoboProdz]

Live version always always always a bad idea. Not even the same song. Terrible!

[@davehansen7213]

Really I love this song!!