I love this song, probably more than any other song I’ve ever come across, and I’m proud of that fact. I won’t even go into how "catchy" the song itself is, it just simply is. The lyrics are perfect flowing poetry. And well, it’s just a great song any way you look at it.

I have read a lot about how much this song has changed(lyrically and musically) since it first came out. It was the ultimate "wannabe" anthem, a song for very aspiring and hopeful person(including me) to sing about. The original version was just so alive, it’s true beauty lay in its innocence, it’s idealism. Adam sang about "being a big star" like it was the best thing in the world. I just love that line "When I look at the television I wanna see me, staring right back at me", it’s so positive and determined. The song, in it’s entirety was just one sweet sounding fairy tale, complete with the singer(Adam) actually getting what he wanted, he became famous. And then, the song grew up.

The new version I heard in "Storytellers" was a new song, and a more powerful one at that. The cliché "the grass is always greener on the other side" rings so true here. The Crows sold a whole lot of albums and became the "big stars" that they always dreamed of being, but no one seemed to live happily ever after. I really wouldn’t know how it is in the "other side" and can only guess about how it is from those who’ve gone there. But all their stories sound the same, it’s not as great as it seems. And that doesn’t sound so hard to believe.

The direction this "new Mr. Jones" takes though could have easily been one of cynicism, or anger, but you know what? It doesn’t. Maybe the phase has passed, but when I heard Adam sing it, he seemed almost at peace with himself. This was a mature "Mr. Jones" no longer innocent and ideal, scarred by the tough lessons of life and made stronger. Gone is the "Van Morrison sha la la las" in place is a quiet and reserved "So you wanna be a rockstar?…..". Many key lines are phrases are also changed, and I find it just so amazing how little things like that can change the whole meaning of a song. Adam sings about "wanting to be big big stars but now we all get second thoughts about that", makes simple statements, "I get so confused these days." And asks "can you hear me cause I’m screaming?". Everyone envies a rock star, they hate even more the rock star who bitches about his fame. But you know what? In all our envy or admiration, we tend to forget one small thing, that they too are human beings with the same feelings and reactions as we do. The most powerful moment of the song I believe was the ending line, "Mr. Jones and me, are gonna be big stars", well, that’s gone as well, replaced by the sad truth that "Mr. Jones and me don’t see each other these days".

With all these alterations to the song though, one thing remains constant, the song remains true to itself and the message it portrays. The line "So you wanna be a rock star?" could have easily been followed up by "fuck it! You won’t want to go there…trust me, I’ve been there, it sucks", but its doesn’t, instead Adam simply says "just pick up your guitar and play". In "Storytellers" Adam introduced this song as one "about my dreams". But I guess the beauty of this song is that it’s about anyone’s dream. It’s about having a passion in life, be it being a rock star or president, and going for it, being true to yourself. It’s about dreaming, it’s about hope. But put even more simply, it’s about living, being human.