"A Long December" is a song by American
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist ...
. The
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
is the second
single and 13th track from their second album, ''
Recovering the Satellites'' (1996). Lead singer
Adam Duritz
Adam Fredric Duritz (born August 1, 1964) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, of which he is a founding member and principal composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 mi ...
was inspired to write the track after his friend was hit by a car, making the song about reflecting on tragedy with a positive disposition.
Released in December 1996, "A Long December" peaked at number five on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart and number one on the Canadian ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...
'' Top Singles chart. In December 1997, the song was re-released in the United Kingdom and reached number 68, six places below its original peak of number 62. ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwr ...
'' magazine named "A Long December" the best Counting Crows song in April 2022.
Background and composition
In an interview with ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' magazine, lead singer
Adam Duritz
Adam Fredric Duritz (born August 1, 1964) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, of which he is a founding member and principal composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 mi ...
explained that he was inspired to write "A Long December" after one of his friends had been hit by a car. While the song is a reflection on tragedy, it also possesses an optimistic tone. According to Duritz, the song is about "looking back on your life and seeing changes happening" while simultaneously looking forward to change in the future.
Although "A Long December" never has the narrator obtaining a firm resolution from his retrospect, a sense of hopefulness exists by the song's conclusion.
Musically, "A Long December" is an
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
.
The track is composed in the key of
F major
F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor.
The F major scale is:
:
F major is ...
and written in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
, possessing a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 72 beats per minute.
Chart performance
In the United States, "A Long December" was ineligible to chart on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100 since it was never released as a physical single there, which was a rule at that time. The song instead appeared on the
Hot 100 Airplay
The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...
chart, where it peaked at number six in February 1997 and spent 29 weeks on the chart.
On other ''Billboard'' rankings, the song entered the top 10 on five of them, reaching number one on the
Adult Alternative Songs
Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by ''Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radi ...
chart for two weeks.
In Canada, the song became a number-one hit for two weeks and was the seventh-most-successful song of 1997.
On the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, "A Long December" charted twice, peaking at number 62 during its original run in December 1996 and re-entering the listing at number 68 one year later.
The single also charted in the Netherlands, reaching number 68, and in Australia, peaking at number 86.
Music video
Lawrence Carroll directed the music video for "A Long December", which features American actress
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 199 ...
, whom Duritz was dating at the time. Filmed in Hollywood, California, the video was produced by Victoria Vallas. The clip was first added to
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
,
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communic ...
, and
The Box on the week ending December 1, 1996. The video, which evokes a somber mood with its images of snow and dull colors, features Duritz playing a piano in the woods and Cox writing a letter in a dark room. Throughout the clip are scenes of a chalkboard with dates written on it and Counting Crows playing their instruments.
Cox eventually leaves the building she is in and walks to a bus stop, clutching her note. Niko Stratis of ''
Spin'' magazine called the video "perfect".
Track listings
All songs were written by Duritz except where noted. All live tracks were recorded at
Elysée Montmartre (Paris, France) on December 9, 1994.
UK CD1 and Australian CD single
# "A Long December" (LP version)
# "Ghost Train" (live)
# "Sullivan Street" (live)
UK CD2
# "A Long December" – 4:55
# "
A Murder of One
"A Murder of One" is a song by Counting Crows, released as the fourth single from their debut album, ''August and Everything After''.
Frontman Adam Duritz explained the song's meaning as follows:
"I can remember being eight years old and having i ...
" (live) – 14:57
European CD single
# "A Long December" (LP version)
# "Ghost Train" (live)
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the ''
Recovering the Satellites'' booklet.
Studios
* Recorded in late 1996 at The Sound Factory (Hollywood, California)
* Mixed at River Sound (New York City)
* Mastered at Gateway Mastering (
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...
, US)
Counting Crows
* Adam F. Duritz – words, music, vocals, piano,
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
, tambourine
* David Bryson – guitars,
Dobro
Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar.
The Dobro was origin ...
, tambourine, vocals
*
Dan Vickrey – guitars, vocals
* Matt Malley – electric bass guitar, double bass, vocals
*
Charles Gillingham
Charles Thomas Gillingham (born January 26, 1960) is a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist best known for his performance on the Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, piano, and keyboards for the band Counting Crows. He has also played the bass guita ...
–
Hammond B-3
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, piano,
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. ...
, Wurlitzer, accordion, vocals
* Ben Mize – drums, tambourine, vocals
Other personnel
*
Gil Norton
Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo P ...
– production
* Bradley Cook – recording
*
Michael Barbiero
Michael Francis Barbiero (born June 25, 1949)[Infidel Biography](_blank)
. Infidel Records. Retri ...
– mixing
* Mark Phythian – programming
* Sevon Smokes Wright – assistant engineering
*
Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Quee ...
– mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long December, A
Counting Crows songs
1990s ballads
1996 singles
1996 songs
DGC Records singles
Geffen Records singles
Rock ballads
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Song recordings produced by Gil Norton
Songs written by Adam Duritz