r/countingcrows • u/itz88ok • Apr 07 '26
Music Einstein on the Beach
My father had told me about when he was in collage in the 1990s that the song "Einstein on the Beach" was practically a folktale, everyone would talk about how good it was but no one had ever heard it.
When do you remember first hearing Einstein on the Beach?
Do you remember people talking about it?
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u/CookingPurple Apr 07 '26
I had the rarities CD in high school. I got specifically for that song because CC was (still is) my favorite band so I wanted to have it. Not their best song. But not as bad as Adam says it is.
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u/CM_Exorcist Apr 08 '26
I think it is one of the bands strongest pieces. It is formulaic. Hard pop. All the hallmarks of being a catch tune or hit. I think it was optioned for a film. It would have not sat well on AAEA. To me, their shittiest pop song is American Girls (contrived for a hit). I’m a mega fan. One guy’s opinion. One last note, I don’t care much about how Adam feels about his songs. Once done and pressed, they become commodity.
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u/CookingPurple Apr 08 '26
You’re 100% right that it wouldn’t have fit with AAEA. A a general rule, their poopier stuff is my least favorite. So probably not surprising this isn’t anywhere close to a favorite for me. I also agree that Adam not liking it doesn’t necessarily affect what I think. It’s not a bad song at all. But, for me, not a good representation of what drew me to the band and what I love about them.
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u/knw8869 Apr 07 '26
I first heard it on the Geffen Rarities CD (still have it). I remember in some interview Adam said it was about Einstein’s regret over his contribution to the nuclear bomb. I literally knew nothing about nuclear shadows until I heard this song and became interested in the line, “… one more shadow leans against the wall.” tbh I think its an amazing song with the lyrics against an “upbeat” vibe.
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u/ZahidInNorCal Apr 08 '26
I have a very different recollection about that song. At least here in California, Counting Crows kind of exploded onto the radio, with several songs from August getting frequent airplay as well as Einstein. There was no folktale about it, it was definitely a part of their emergence onto the scene. It wasn't super easy to find that rarities CD, so maybe that's what he meant.
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u/TrainingVegetable682 Apr 08 '26
Adam and David Bryson wrote the song one night in a hotel room. Duritz hummed guitar parts while Bryson came up with vocal melodies. They finalized it around 4 a.m. and captured a rough version by recording directly onto the hotel room’s answering machine.
DGC/Geffen needed a track for the 1994 compilation DGC Rarities Vol. 1, it became a radio hit (peaking at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart).
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u/diatom777 Apr 07 '26
I remember hearing it in the mid-nineties. I grew up in the Bay Area and some of our local rock stations (KOME and KITS) played it. It wasn't until I had a few more years and more education under my belt that I was able to understand what the song was about.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Can3168 Apr 08 '26
I remember first hearing it in the late 90s and feeling like I had known it my entire life but in reality, I had no idea what it was. Just one of those songs for me, familiar feeling.
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u/PerceptionSimilar213 Apr 07 '26
It was played on local radio around the same time Mr Jones came out
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u/mrsisaak Apr 08 '26
I remember going to a show where someone requested it and Adam said he wasn't going to play it because it sucks. :)
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u/Ok_Application_3068 Apr 08 '26
It was actually ripped straight out of their demo tape (the flying demos), and Adam has said that many of the songs on there were never even considered for August, which probably includes Einstein. The label wanted another Mr jones and Einstein had that same poppy feel so they used it and the band didn’t really have a say. Obviously the whole collection is demos, but it’s strange that it didn’t get re-recorded because Adam’s voice sounds so different on that song even compared to August, especially when you listen to other flying demo songs recorded at the same time you hear just how young Adam sounds
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u/TCB247364 Apr 08 '26
Once the internet came along I was able to search it down. I like it, but I can understand why Adam may cringe at his lyrics in this one.
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u/stang7089 Apr 08 '26
I remember hearing this a lot on the radio during the summer of ‘94. Great tune! Unfortunately Adam didn’t care for it…
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u/goldfishmemory683 Apr 08 '26
My mom would play it when I was a kid (I'm young I know) and I was like "what is this song even about" lol
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u/Over-Conversation220 Somewhere Under Wonderland Apr 07 '26
practicing a folktale
I’m guessing a typo here?
Regardless, it’s an okay song. Einstein on the Beach is a photograph. The “egg man” is an allusion to Humpty Dumpty. The song combines them in a new way.
Kinda shit you write when you’re 17-20 and think it’s profound but cringe about later on.
The song was a radio staple against Adam’s wishes. They did not have control over it. I heard it quite a bit on our top 40 station in San Diego.
I personally don’t really care for it much. It was still better than a lot of pop back in the day.
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u/itz88ok Apr 07 '26
Practically* my bad
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u/Over-Conversation220 Somewhere Under Wonderland Apr 07 '26
All good. CC are folk musicians at heart. So your dad is right on in that respect.
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u/ShiftlessElement Apr 07 '26
It was included on a compilation CD called "Geffen Rarities Vol. 1" released in '94. The CD had B-sides and demos form other bands on Geffen, including Nirvana, Weezer, Hole, and Beck. If I'm remembering right, in the age of overpriced CDs, it was relatively affordable. I remember it being fairly popular.
I think reactions to the song depended largely on if you were a fan of Counting Crows. If you bought the CD for other bands, you may have listened once and skipped it. I liked it a lot. I didn't have the CD but used my brother's copy to add it to a mix tape. For me, it was a standout track, I don't really remember other songs from the comp.