Congratulations… I'm Sorry
Encyclopedia
Congratulations I'm Sorry (typeset as Congratulations...I'm Sorry) is the third studio album by American pop rock band Gin Blossoms
, and the follow-up album
to the successful 1992 release New Miserable Experience
, released in 1996 by A&M records. The album was named in reference to the success of 1992's New Miserable Experience, followed so closely by the suicide of former band member Doug Hopkins
in 1993.
Reaction to Congratulations I'm Sorry was mixed, with some critics feeling that the music lay too close to the sound of the previous album. One common complaint was that the album lacked the successful 1995 single "Til I Hear It From You" from the Empire Records
soundtrack
, however some editions of the album did contain the track. The album's title, according to lead singer Robin Wilson, came from the response band members usually received from people who both wanted to congratulate the band for the success of New Miserable Experience, while then offering apologies for friend and former band member Doug Hopkins, who committed suicide in 1993. The album eventually reached platinum status.
There is also a hidden track
following the last song.
" The latter was released as a single (although it is included on the international edition of the album), and the former was included as a B-side on the "Follow You Down" single, along with Wilson's "Idiot Summer" from the soundtrack
of Wayne's World 2
.
magazine called the album "a quick fix for any dark mood," continuing, "the songs are so upbeat they almost conjure sunny summer afternoons."
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Additional personnel
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, and the follow-up album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
to the successful 1992 release New Miserable Experience
New Miserable Experience
New Miserable Experience is the breakthrough album by pop-rock band the Gin Blossoms, released on August 4, 1992. The album was released to little fanfare and relatively lackluster reviews. However, nearly a year after its release, lead single "Hey Jealousy" ascended into the top 40, with "Found...
, released in 1996 by A&M records. The album was named in reference to the success of 1992's New Miserable Experience, followed so closely by the suicide of former band member Doug Hopkins
Doug Hopkins
Douglas "Doug" Hopkins was an American musician and songwriter from Tempe, Arizona. He co-founded the Gin Blossoms, a popular modern rock band of the early 1990s, with Richard Taylor...
in 1993.
Reaction to Congratulations I'm Sorry was mixed, with some critics feeling that the music lay too close to the sound of the previous album. One common complaint was that the album lacked the successful 1995 single "Til I Hear It From You" from the Empire Records
Empire Records
Empire Records is a 1995 coming of age film that follows a group of record store employees over the course of one exceptional day. The employees of this independent music store try to fight off a large chain, all while learning about each other...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, however some editions of the album did contain the track. The album's title, according to lead singer Robin Wilson, came from the response band members usually received from people who both wanted to congratulate the band for the success of New Miserable Experience, while then offering apologies for friend and former band member Doug Hopkins, who committed suicide in 1993. The album eventually reached platinum status.
Track listing
- "Day Job" (Johnson, Leen, Rhodes, Valenzuela, Wilson) – 3:51
- "Highwire" (Wilson) – 2:24
- "Follow You DownFollow You Down"Follow You Down" is the third song from the album Congratulations... I'm Sorry by Gin Blossoms, and was released as a double-A side single along with "Til I Hear It from You". According to an interview by Songfacts with Gin Blossoms songwriter Jesse Valenzuela, this song was written at the very...
" (Johnson, Leen, Rhodes, Valenzuela, Wilson) – 4:30 - "Not Only Numb" (Rhodes, Wilson) – 3:06
- "As Long as It Matters" (Rhodes, Valenzuela, Wilson) – 4:31
- "Perfectly Still" (Johnson, Leen) – 4:05
- "7th Inning Stretch" – 0:14
- "My Car" (Valenzuela) – 4:17
- "Virginia" (Valenzuela) – 4:02
- "Whitewash" (Leen, Wilson) – 3:19
- "I Can't Figure You Out" (Valenzuela) – 3:18
- "Memphis Time" (Johnson, Valenzuela) – 3:14
- "Competition Smile" (Rhodes, Wilson) – 4:47
- "Til I Hear It from YouTil I Hear It from You"Til I Hear It from You" is a single from the Gin Blossoms. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the film Empire Records in 1995...
" (Valenzuela, Wilson, Marshall CrenshawMarshall CrenshawMarshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
) – 3:47
There is also a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
following the last song.
Excluded songs
Among tracks excluded from the album are "Seeing Stars," a song written by lead singer Robin Wilson about the band's ex-lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, and 1995's hit "Til I Hear It from YouTil I Hear It from You
"Til I Hear It from You" is a single from the Gin Blossoms. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the film Empire Records in 1995...
" The latter was released as a single (although it is included on the international edition of the album), and the former was included as a B-side on the "Follow You Down" single, along with Wilson's "Idiot Summer" from the soundtrack
Wayne's World 2 (soundtrack)
Wayne's World 2 is the soundtrack of the film of the same title. It features two live tracks from Aerosmith, and a version of "Louie, Louie" by Robert Plant.-Track listing:#"Louie, Louie" #"Dude " *...
of Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
.
Critical
PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine called the album "a quick fix for any dark mood," continuing, "the songs are so upbeat they almost conjure sunny summer afternoons."
Chart performance
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 10 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | Adult Contemporary | 22 |
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | Adult Top 40 | 3 |
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | Top 40 Adult Recurrents | 1 |
| 1996 | "Follow You Down" | Top 40 Mainstream | 5 |
| 1996 | "Day Job" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 29 |
| 1996 | "Day Job" | Modern Rock Tracks | 21 |
| 1996 | "As Long as It Matters" | Adult Top 40 | 30 |
| 1996 | "As Long as It Matters" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 75 |
| 1996 | "As Long as It Matters" | Top 40 Mainstream | 40 |
Personnel
Gin Blossoms- Scott Johnson - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, background vocals - Bill LeenBill LeenBill Leen is a bass player from Tempe, Arizona. He is a member of the band Gin Blossoms, which he co-founded in 1987 with his longtime friend Doug Hopkins....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocals - Phillip Rhodes - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, background vocals - Jesse ValenzuelaJesse ValenzuelaJesse Valenzuela was the original vocalist of the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms when it was formed in 1987. In 1988, he switched roles with the band's new guitarist, Robin Wilson. He continued to be a member until the band's breakup in 1997, and reunited with the rest of the group in 2002...
- guitar, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Robin WilsonRobin Wilson (musician)Robin Wilson is an American musician, most notable for his work as the lead vocalist of the rock band, Gin Blossoms.-Career:...
- acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, vocals
Additional personnel
- Art Neville - Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Rick SteffRick SteffRick Steff is a Memphis musician who has recorded with bands such as Lucero, Cat Power, Dexy's Midnight Runners, and Hank Williams Jr.. Rick inherited his musical skills from his father, Dick Steff, a trumpet player who appeared on many songs with Elvis Presley...
- accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Robby Turner - pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
Production
- Producers: Gin Blossoms, John Hampton
- Engineers: Erik Flettrich, John Hampton, Billy Siegle
- Assistant engineer: Billy Moss
- Mixing: John Hampton
- Mastering: Dave Collins
- Pre-production: Billy Siegle
- Direction: Bill Graham
- Art direction: Robin Wilson
- Design: Karen Walker, Robin Wilson
- Photography: Danny Clinch, Robin Wilson
- Cover photo: Robin Wilson