"Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" by Counting Crows has allusions to Harry Potter.

There is a scene in the Harry Potter series that is very poignant. It is when Harry looks into a mirror that shows whatever one desires the most. He of course sees his dead parents in the mirror, alive. Dumbuldore (sp?) walks in and tells him that he has to stop going to the mirror, or he will go insane. It occured to me awhile ago that this song much of this song alludes to that, at least on some level (I would say a pretty obvious level), and that's why I've always liked the song so much. If you are a Harry Potter fan, the song is definitely worth another listen.

I'm posting this because I just heard the song on the radio and did some quick googling, expecting that others would have made this connection, but it doesn't seem to be the case. All great songs operate on a variety of levels, of course (I believe it is also about a woman named Maria?), but am I the only one who sees a major portion of this song alluding Harry Potter's experience looking in the the mirror of one's deepest desires?

Counting Crows
Mrs. Potter's Lullaby

Well I woke up in mid afternoon cause that's when it all hurts the most
I dream I never know anyone at the party and I'm always the host
If dreams are like movies then memories are films about ghosts
You can never escape, you can only move south down the coast
Well I am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame
I am an acrobat swinging trapezes through circles of flame
If you've never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame
And though I'll never forget your face sometimes I can't remember my name

Hey, Mrs. Potter, don't cry
Hey, Mrs. Potter, I know why
But, hey, Mrs. Potter, won't you talk to me
Well there's a piece of Maria in every song that I sing
And the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings
And there is always one last light to turn out and one last bell to ring
And the last one out of the circus has to lock up everything
Or the elephants will get out and forget to remember what you said
Oh and the ghosts of the tilt-o-whirl will linger inside of your head
Oh and the Ferris wheel junkies will spin there forever instead
When I see you, a blanket of stars covers me in my bed
Hey, Mrs. Potter, don't go, I said
Hey, Mrs. Potter, I don't know, but
Hey, Mrs. Potter, won't you talk to me
Well all the blue light reflections that color my mind when I sleep
And the lovesick rejections that accompany the company I keep
All the razor perceptions that cut just a little too deep
Hey, I can bleed as well as anyone but I need someone to help me sleep
So I throw my hand into the air and it swims in the beams
It's just a brief interruption of the swirling dust sparkle jet stream
Well I know I don't know you and you're probably not what you seem
Aw, but I'd sure like to find out
So why don't you climb down off that movie screen
Hey, Mrs. Potter, don't turn
Hey, Mrs. Potter, I burn for you
Hey, Mrs. Potter, won't you talk to me
When the last king of Hollywood shatters his glass on the floor
And orders another
Well, I wonder what he did that for
That's when I know that I have to get out cause I have been there before
So I gave up my seat at the bar and I head for the door. Yeah.
We drove out to the desert just to lie down beneath this bowl of stars
We stand up in the Palace, like it's the last of the great pioneer town bars
Aw, we shout out these songs against the clang of electric guitars
Well, you can see a million miles tonight
But you can't get very far
Aw, you can see a million miles tonight
But you can't get very far
Hey, Mrs. Potter, I won't touch and
Hey, Mrs. Potter, it's not much but
Hey, Mrs. Potter, won't you talk to me <3X>

where do you see harry potter in that song? Was this a joke post that went over my head? (P.S. Maria is the name of the girl in one of their earliest hits "round here")

Granted, that could be mere coincidence.

Like I said, all great songs operate on a variety of levels, and this song I am sure is on some level about the girl Maria, but not only about Maria, just a "piece" of Maria.

In my opinion, there is also quite a large "piece" of Harry Potter longing for his mother in it.

Have you read the Harry Potter series? I could list some of the allusions for you, but I think it's more fun if you discover them yourself. I'm also curious if anyone else sees the same allusions, so I don't want to make a list of of all the Harry Potter allusions I see in this song quite yet.

I want to see what others think, because I have always interpreted a large portion of the song this way from the first time I heard it.

Edit: Another interesting fact is that this song came out in the same time as the Harry Potter book where he looks in the mirror and sees his mother, so if the allusions are there the time frame is right.

but i think it's just a coincidence. The song is really about the singer's life. While he could have been alluding to the mirror of erised, he could also not have been. Potter isn't that rare a name.

And I am sure it's about the singers life as well.

However, all great songs operate on a variety of levels, and often have multi-layered interpretations...I just don't what I'm hearing is just a coincidence, expecially considering the timeframe. Just my opinion, of course :-).

O.K., I'm going to list my first allusion (granted, just one possible allusion doensn't mean much, but this is just ONE of many).

"I dream I never know anyone at the party and I'm always the host."
O.K...I can see how that could be about the singers life perhaps, but it's also a good description of how a world-famous boy must feel his first day at a school, don't you think?

Like I said, that's just ONE allusion. I see more than half of this song filled with them.