And here to one of my two favorite songs by the Counting Crows ["Sullivan Street," "Walkaways"], performed in much the same way as it was on the album, which is comforting in a comfortable sort of way. This song strikes me in two vaguely different ways; depending on the mood I'm in, it can be either promising or very much of a let-down. It can be seen as the singer of the song calling out to someone lost, saying, you know, "Come home, but be careful; go this way and not that one, because it's too messed up and you'd get lost." Simple interpretation.

And then you can see it as what I really believe it's written as; the song of a man longing for the relationship in his past. The conflicts he feels knowing he can't go back; wondering if maybe just even a little part of her wants him back, too. He sees himself as just one of many torn apart by her, but to him, his destruction can also be his happiness -- and she's almost everything he needs. A little piece of him realizes that she's not good for him, she's not what he needs -- but still he wants her back, wants to be back with her again.

It's the saddest predicament a person can be in; rival it with the pain of "Goodnight, Elisabeth," which is the true account of a relationship lost. In that song, the singer has lost her to another man [now, the real Elisabeth is married, making it that much more difficult to deal with], yet continues to love her -- even as he's caught up with somebody new.

These topics are no strangers to the albums of the Crows. I think the realism of the songs is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy their music. Okay, if I don't end this review now, I'll never move on to the next song. So onward we go..