It was released in December 1993 by Geffen Records as the lead single from the band's debut album, August and Everything After (1993).

The song is written by band members David Bryson and Adam Duritz, and produced by T-Bone Burnett.

[6] "Mr. Jones" debuted on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart on January 22, 1994, and entered the top 10 five weeks later.

The song is about struggling musicians (Duritz and bassist Marty Jones of The Himalayans) who "want to be big stars", believing that "when everybody loves me, I will never be lonely".

Mark Tremblay from Calgary Herald found that "they’re best uptempo, especially when they parade their youthful naivete" as in "Mr.

[15] Stuart Bailie from NME wrote, "On "Mr. Jones", Adam Duritz sings, I want to be a lion/Everybody wants to pass as cats, and you're on his side, even if the music and the tortured scrawl of a voice suggest that lionisation may be a long way off.

He viewed it as "an inoffensive folk-pop tune that trundles along without the obscene diversions into Hothouse Flowers hell that you half expect.

"[17] Clark Collis from Select wrote that "re-writing Dylan" with Mr. Jones, "the San Franciscan five-piece plot a steady bitter-sweet course between the clashing rocks of country-rock and braindead MOR.