Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz recently revisited the rapid timeline behind A Long December, using the text commentary on a Vevo Footnotes edition of the music video to reconstruct how the track came to life. Recorded during the sessions for Recovering the Satellites, the song moved from an initial idea to a completed master take in less than a day, emerging out of a grueling stretch of hospital trips, bartending, and recording.
At the time, Duritz was dealing with intense personal stress while the band worked on their second record. His friend Jen was in the hospital after being struck by a car, and his daily schedule revolved around visiting her, heading to the studio, and then working shifts behind the bar at the Viper Room in West Hollywood. That routine carried late into one night when he finished his shift, spent time with his friends Samantha and Tracy, and eventually made it home around 4 a.m.
Rather than going to sleep, Duritz sat down and wrote A Long December between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., only getting some rest once the composition was finished.
The rest of the day moved at the same brisk pace. Duritz woke up around noon, heading straight to Geffen Records to share the new song with Tony Berg. Next came another stop at the hospital to spend time with Jen, followed by a 4 p.m. arrival at the studio to join the rest of Counting Crows. Right before dinner, he played the song for his bandmates. Once the meal was finished, he spent the break teaching the group their instrumental parts, and the band began recording that evening.
The take that ended up on the finished record was either the sixth or seventh attempt. After getting it down, the other musicians went to the kitchen to celebrate the session, while Duritz stayed in the live room with the engineer to record two harmony vocal passes. Beyond those vocal overdubs, the track captures the sound of the entire band playing together live in the room.
That live group dynamic was a central focus of the sessions for Recovering the Satellites. Released in October 1996, the album went on to reach number one on the Billboard 200, with A Long December issued as its second single a few months later. Duritz viewed working with British producer Gil Norton as a milestone, calling Norton a personal hero. He explained that while the group had very little idea of what they were doing on their debut album, their work with Norton was guided by deliberate artistic choices and a clear sense of purpose.
The song's video, which featured actress Courteney Cox while she and Duritz were dating, went on to become a staple on music television. Duritz has noted that he has not watched that video in years, preferring the clip for Hanginaround, which was filmed in a far more casual setting at his house with close friends.
The group's early work has also been receiving attention on the physical reissue front. Their 1993 debut album, August and Everything After, which launched them with singles such as Mr. Jones, Round Here, and Rain King, was recently added to the Vinylphyle audiophile series by UMe. Cut from the original analog master tapes by mastering engineer Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound, the two-LP set is pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at RTI. The package includes a gatefold jacket and a four-panel insert with archival photos, original tape scans, and liner notes by Rick Florino.
Looking back, the rapid birth of A Long December shows how quickly personal upheaval and sheer exhaustion can turn into a lasting recording when a group captures the moment as it happens.
