Congratulations I'm Sorry

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.

Congratulations I'm Sorry
Studio album by
Gin Blossoms
ReleasedFebruary 13, 1996[1]
Recorded1995
StudioArdent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee;[2] Vintage Recorders, Phoenix, Arizona
Genre
Length44:29
LabelA&M
ProducerGin Blossoms, John Hampton[2]
Gin Blossoms chronology
Shut Up and Smoke
(1994)		 Congratulations I'm Sorry
(1996)		 Outside Looking In: The Best of the Gin Blossoms
(1999)
Singles from Congratulations I'm Sorry
  1. "Follow You Down"
    Released: February 5, 1996
  2. "Day Job"
    Released: 1996
  3. "As Long as It Matters"
    Released: 1996
  4. "Not Only Numb"
    Released: 1996

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.

Track listing
  1. "Day Job" (Scott Johnson, Bill Leen, Phillip Rhodes, Jesse Valenzuela, Robin Wilson) – 3:51
  2. "Highwire" (Wilson) – 2:24
  3. "Follow You Down" (Johnson, Leen, Rhodes, Valenzuela, Wilson) – 4:30
  4. "Not Only Numb" (Rhodes, Wilson) – 3:06
  5. "As Long as It Matters" (Rhodes, Valenzuela, Wilson) – 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" (Leen, Wilson) – 3:19
  11. "I Can't Figure You Out" (Valenzuela) – 3:18
  12. "Memphis Time" (Johnson, Valenzuela) – 3:14
  13. "Competition Smile" (Rhodes, Wilson) – 4:47
  14. "Til I Hear It from You" (bonus track) (Valenzuela, Wilson, Marshall Crenshaw) – 3:47

There is a hidden track following "Competition Smile".

Excluded songs

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.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Music Box[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Reception to the album was mixed. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it three stars out of five explaining 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 gave the album an extremely negative review, saying "there’s something too generic about the Gin Blossoms."[3]

People magazine called the album "a quick fix for any dark mood", continuing, "the songs are so upbeat they almost conjure sunny summer afternoons."[7]

Personnel

Gin Blossoms

Additional personnel

Production
  • Producers: Gin Blossoms, John Hampton
  • Engineers: Erik Flettrich, John Hampton, Billy Siegle
  • Assistant engineer: Billy Moss
  • Mixing: John Hampton
  • Dave Collins - mastering
  • 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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "GIN BLOSSOMS RELEASED "CONGRATULATIONS I'M SORRY" 25 YEARS AGO TODAY". Magnet. February 13, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. "GIN BLOSSOMS BEAR FRUIT". MTV. January 3, 1996. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  3. Browne, David (February 16, 1996). "Congratulations I'm Sorry". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Congratulations I'm Sorry - Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  5. "Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I'm Sorry (Album Review)". The Music Box. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  6. Manning, Kara (February 2, 1998). "Congratulations I'm Sorry - Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  7. Tomashoff, Craig (1996-02-26), "Congratulations I'm Sorry". People. 45 (8):23
  8. "Australiancharts.com – Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I'm Sorry". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  9. "Charts.nz – Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I'm Sorry". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  10. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  11. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  12. "Gin Blossoms Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  13. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  14. "American album certifications – Gin Blossoms – Congratulations, I'm Sorry". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
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