Congratulations I'm Sorry | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 13, 1996 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1995 | |||
Studio | Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; [2] Vintage Recorders, Phoenix, Arizona | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:29 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Gin Blossoms, John Hampton [2] | |||
Gin Blossoms chronology | ||||
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Singles from Congratulations I'm Sorry | ||||
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Congratulations I'm Sorry (typeset as Congratulations...I'm Sorry) is the third studio album by the American alternative 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 closely by the suicide of the 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 most versions of 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 as its final.
The album's title, according to the 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 their friend and former band member Doug Hopkins. The album eventually reached platinum status.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [3] |
The Music Box | [5] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
Reception to the album was mixed. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine explained that "the only fault of Congratulations...I'm Sorry is that it sounds a bit too close to the debut -- there's virtually no difference in terms of style and production." [4] Entertainment Weekly critic David Browne said that "there’s something too generic about the Gin Blossoms." [3]
People called the album "a quick fix for any dark mood", continuing, "the songs are so upbeat they almost conjure sunny summer afternoons." [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Day Job" | Robin Wilson, Scott Johnson, Jesse Valenzuela, Bill Leen, Phillip Rhodes | 3:51 |
2. | "Highwire" | Wilson | 2:24 |
3. | "Follow You Down" | Wilson, Johnson, Valenzuela, Leen, Rhodes | 4:30 |
4. | "Not Only Numb" | Wilson, Rhodes | 3:06 |
5. | "As Long as It Matters" | Wilson, Valenzuela, Rhodes | 4:31 |
6. | "Perfectly Still" | Johnson, Leen | 4:05 |
7. | "7th Inning Stretch" | 0:14 | |
8. | "My Car" | Valenzuela | 4:17 |
9. | "Virginia" | Valenzuela | 4:02 |
10. | "Whitewash" | Wilson, Leen | 3:19 |
11. | "I Can't Figure You Out" | Valenzuela | 3:18 |
12. | "Memphis Time" | Johnson, Valenzuela | 3:14 |
13. | "Competition Smile" | Wilson, Rhodes | 4:48 |
Total length: | 44:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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13. | "Til I Hear It from You" | Wilson, Valenzuela, Marshall Crenshaw | 3:47 |
Among tracks excluded from the album are "Seeing Stars", a song written by the lead singer Robin Wilson about the band's ex-lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, and the 1995 hit "Til I Hear It from You". The latter was released as a single (although it is included on the international edition of the album) and can be found on the soundtrack of the movie Empire Records , while 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 .
Gin Blossoms
Additional personnel
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, New Miserable Experience, and the first single released from that album, "Hey Jealousy". "Hey Jealousy" became a Top 25 hit and went gold, and New Miserable Experience eventually went quadruple platinum; four other charting singles were released from the album. The band's follow-up album, Congratulations I'm Sorry (1996), went platinum and the single "As Long as It Matters" was nominated for a Grammy Award. Gin Blossoms broke up in 1997. Since reuniting in 2001, the band has released Major Lodge Victory in 2006, No Chocolate Cake in 2010, and Mixed Reality in 2018.
New Miserable Experience is the second studio album by alternative rock band 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 the lead single "Hey Jealousy" entered the top 40. With "Found Out About You" following a few months later, the album eventually reached multi-platinum status.
Douglas Owen Hopkins was an American musician and songwriter. He co-founded Gin Blossoms, a popular modern rock band of the early 1990s, with Richard Taylor. He was the band's lead guitarist and a principal songwriter. Hopkins' writing credits included the hits "Hey Jealousy", "Found Out About You", "Hold Me Down" and "Lost Horizons".
Marshall Howard Crenshaw is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as "Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, "Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He is also the co-author of one of the biggest radio hits of the 1990s, the Gin Blossoms's "Til I Hear It from You." His music has roots in classic soul music and Buddy Holly, to whom Crenshaw was often compared in the early days of his career, and whom he portrayed in the 1987 film La Bamba.
Robin Wilson is an American musician most notable for his work as the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms.
Jesse Valenzuela is an American rock musician and singer who is perhaps best known as a member of the alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. He was originally the vocalist in Gin Blossoms when the band first formed in 1987.
Mixed Reality is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. It was released on June 15, 2018, on Cleopatra Records.
"Hey Jealousy" is a song by American rock band Gin Blossoms. The song was included on the group's debut album, Dusted (1989), and was re-recorded for their 1992 album, New Miserable Experience. It was written by lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, who was fired from the band before New Miserable Experience was released.
Dusted is the debut album by the alternative rock band the Gin Blossoms. It was released through San Jacinto Records, a small independent label as a 12-song tape and record in 1989.
Up and Crumbling is an EP released by the American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms on October 8, 1991. It was released after the Gin Blossoms signed with A&M Records and, while attempting to create a full-length album, ran into a creative drought during the recording sessions. According to the band's official website, the band recorded Up and Crumbling "on their own in hopes of rekindling the spark from Dusted that had been missing from the recent recordings." The songs from this EP were remastered and included on the 2002 deluxe edition of the band's breakthrough album, New Miserable Experience.
Major Lodge Victory is the fourth studio album by the power pop band Gin Blossoms. It was the first album released by the band since their 1997–2002 breakup. It was released on August 8, 2006, on Hybrid Recordings, making it the Gin Blossoms' first new album in over 10 years.
"Found Out About You" is the fourth single from American rock band Gin Blossoms' second studio album, New Miserable Experience (1992). Written by lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, who was fired from the band after the album, it first appeared on their 1989 debut recording, Dusted.
From Beyond the Back Burner is the debut album by Arizona-based pop rock band Gas Giants, released on Atomic Pop Records on October 19, 1999.
"Til I Hear It from You" is a song by the Gin Blossoms that was released as the lead single from the soundtrack to the film Empire Records in July 1995. It topped the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart for six weeks, rose to number eight in Iceland, and reached number 39 in the United Kingdom. In January 1996, it was re-released as a double-A side with "Follow You Down" in the United States, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard described "Til I Hear It from You" as "the closest thing to a perfect pop song to hit radio in recent memory" lauding its "breezy and wonderfully infectious melody, the boy-needs-girl lyrics, and the earnest execution."
"Allison Road" is a song by the American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms.
"Follow You Down" is a song by American rock band Gin Blossoms, and the first single released from their album Congratulations I'm Sorry. It was released as a double A-side single with "Til I Hear It from You" in the United States. The song received a fair amount of radio play and has been featured in several films, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 in a 46-week stay on the chart. It also became the band's second number-one single in Canada, after "Til I Hear It from You", and reached number 30 in the United Kingdom.
This discography of American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms, consists of six studio albums, one live album, two EPs, four compilation albums, and 15 singles.
No Chocolate Cake is the fifth studio album by power pop band Gin Blossoms. It was released on September 28, 2010, worldwide, and the first single, "Miss Disarray", was released to radio stations on August 2, 2010. The album reached #1 on Amazon.com MP3 album charts on the release date. No Chocolate Cake entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 73 after selling 7,000 copies in its first week of release. It was the album's peak position, after falling off the chart the following week.
Outside Looking In: The Best of the Gin Blossoms is a greatest hits album by American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms. It was released in 1999 on A&M Records. It includes eleven songs from their previous two A&M studio albums, New Miserable Experience and Congratulations… I'm Sorry. The remaining three songs are from different sources. "Just South of Nowhere" was originally included on the 1991 EP Up and Crumbling. The hit single "Til I Hear It from You" was originally found on the soundtrack of the 1995 movie Empire Records. "Whitewash" is a previously unreleased 1996 live recording of the song originally included on Congratulations… I'm Sorry.
"As Long as It Matters" is a song by American power pop band Gin Blossoms. It was released in July 1996 via A&M Records as the third single from their third studio album, Congratulations I'm Sorry (1996). The song was written by Phillip Rhodes, Jesse Valenzuela, and Robin Wilson and produced by John Hampton and the band.