Eating Crow With Counting Crows

I’m often asked, in my 10 years as Single Reviews Editor at Billboard magazine, if I ever believe I misjudged a song (lying: I’ve been asked twice). While taking a shower today—the only time I listen to radio—I heard one of two songs that I absolutely misfired upon… “Big Yellow Taxi,” covered by Counting Crows in 2003.

It was released as a comeback for the Crows, who hadn’t scored a top 40 hit since “Hanginaround” at the end of 1999. When “Taxi” was first released, radio turned its nose up. Counting Crows’ new album “Hard Candy” on Geffen, was about to tank—when A&M chief Ron Fair, who happened to have helmed Vanessa Carlton, decided to strip on "background vocals" from his act to the track. The gimmick here: Geffen + A&M = Interscope. All in the family, as it were.

Carlton reached the top 5 a year before with her ubiquitous “A Thousand Years,” while follow-up, “Ordinary Day,” barely scratched the top 30. It was obvious she needed a hit to stave off becoming a dreaded one-hit wonder. The new version was added to the “Two Weeks Notice” soundtrack (romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock & Hugh Grant), and hastily re-released.

Knowing the backdrop, to me, it smelled like crass commercial manipulation. My single review was hardly venomous, but I did note what I then regarded as an all-too-convenient alliance:

COUNTING CROWS Big Yellow Taxi
Producer: Ron Fair
Writer: J. Mitchell
Geffen/Interscope
"Big Yellow Taxi" has certainly been down the highway a few times, with charted versions by originator Joni Mitchell, Janet Jackson and Amy Grant. Counting Crows manage to jump-start new life into the old jalopy, while adding an amiable rock edge. The song is perfectly suited to Adam Durwitz's folksy storytelling vocal style and in fact, conjures fond memories of the group's quirky 1994 bow, "Mr. Jones." Producer Ron Fair stripped on Vanessa Carlton in one version to sing a series of "bop bops" in the background (a seemingly self-serving move, considering that he produced her debut), which adds an appreciable playfulness. It's been a while since these guys have burned up the charts, but "Taxi" is a warm reminder of the Crows' undeniable verve.—CT

(Ha, that’s right clever, reading it after all these years…) Ahem, but anyway, after publication, Ron Fair was unamused. He sent a letter to Billboard’s editor, accusing me of having an agenda; and it didn't help that I had (rightfully) panned “Ordinary Day.” Fair claimed I had it out for Vanessa Carlton.

While the notion was absurd, ultimately, I was just plain wrong. Those “bop bops” that she adds to the song bring a sweetness to the song. Today, I can’t imagine hearing it any other way.

The other song I was dead wrong about: Christina Aguilera’s “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You),” from 2000. But there's a very real explanation... Following No. 1s “Genie In A Bottle” and “What A Girl Wants,” and top 3 “I Turn To You,” “Come On Over” was released as a fourth single from her debut self-titled album. Unfortunately, when I heard tell, in an attempt to stay on top of new releases, I reviewed the CD version—which in no way remotely resembles the radio release.

In my review (which I cannot find anywhere online, since BB.com is too daft to have catalogued), I recall writing something along the lines of, “It’s time to stop milking a cow that’s dried up and move to the second album.” Here's what happened: Ron Fair—yeah, the same guy above—and Aguilera brought in production team Celebrity Status to give the track an overhaul, with a more rhythmic track, new lyrics, an Aguilera rap, midsection breakdown and a new vocal. In other words, the single release was an entirely new song. It not only reached No. 1 on the singles chart, but, in its reincarnation, became one of my top 20 personal faves of the year.

So ultimately I ate crow. Ironic, eh? (Please tell me you get it... Counting Crows... Aguilera... Ron Fair... okay, I thought so.)