A Long December
| "A Long December" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Counting Crows | ||||
| from the album Recovering the Satellites | ||||
| Released | December 2, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1996 | |||
| Studio | The Sound Factory (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:57 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Adam F. Duritz | |||
| Producer(s) | Gil Norton | |||
| Counting Crows singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "A Long December" on YouTube | ||||
"A Long December" is a song by American rock band Counting Crows. The ballad is the second single and 13th track from their second album, Recovering the Satellites (1996). Lead singer Adam Duritz was inspired to write the track after his friend was hit by a motorist and injured, making the song about reflecting on tragedy with a positive disposition.
"A Long December" was released to radio in November 1996 and was physically released as a single in December. It peaked at number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number one on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks 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 magazine has named "A Long December" the Counting Crows' greatest song of all time.