"Congratulations" is a song by the American rock band

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

, released as the fourth and final

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

and the title track from their second

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Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary Music Albums * ''Congratulations'' (album), an album by ...

'' (2010) on November 26, 2010. The single was released as a limited edition 7" vinyl record with a special 20-page illustrated booklet. On November 2, 2010,

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

announced the limited edition 7" of the single as one of their Black Friday exclusives, containing the

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rework of the song. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was released on August 25, 2010. "Congratulations" was released to radio on September 28, 2010. The song was featured during the credits of the 2010 Oscar award-winning documentary ''

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''. American hip hop recording artist

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

, sampled the song for his third album ''

Indicud ''Indicud'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on April 16, 2013, by GOOD Music, Wicked Awesome Records, and Republic Records. It was the first album of Cudi's solo career to not be ...

'' (2013), on the song "

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Music video

The video for "Congratulations" features the two lead members of MGMT, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, journeying through the desert with a strange four-legged creature that

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described as a "sad-eyed Duck-dog-o-saurus". Throughout the video, the creature gradually falls apart, losing a leg and then its beak, each body part sinking into the sand. Stopping to rest, VanWyngarden attempts to comfort the creature. Nearing the end of the video, the creature loses its footing and tumbles down a large sand dune. The two pick up what is left of the creature, and as dusk settles in, they come upon a portal-like structure. Just before reaching the structure, the creature's head falls off and sinks into the sand. From the sand, a cluster of lights rises towards the sky, blending with the stars, and shimmering in sync to the music. The song ends with the two men gazing up to the sky and applauding. The video was filmed at Dumont Dunes in California’s Mojave Desert, and was directed by

Tom Kuntz Tom Kuntz (born July 7, 1972) is an American director and filmmaker who is most known for his unique television commercials and music videos, which either have colorful settings, time-lapse photography or wildly eccentric humans. He has enjoy ...

and edited by Steve Gandolfi. The creature was created by

Legacy Effects Legacy Effects, LLC is an American special effects studio specializing in creature design, prosthetic makeup, animatronics, and specialty suits. History Founding partners Lindsay Macgowan, Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, and Alan Scott supervised pr ...

. Vance Hartwell, of Legacy, said: "The puppet was made of materials including foam latex and fibreglass. We had an actor inside. His legs fitted into the hind legs of the puppet and his head was at the base of the neck. With the heat of the desert and the wear and tear of the conditions, there was always someone with him, both to make sure he was ok and to hold up the puppet head."

Track listing

Notes *A ^ The remix on the 7" is 6:30 long and the remix as digital download is 4:03 long (radio edit version).

Personnel

Andrew VanWyngarden Andrew Wells VanWyngarden (born February 1, 1983) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitar player and songwriter for the band MGMT, praised for (according to ''Interview Magazine'') "an uncanny knack for producing pop music that s ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Ben Goldwasser Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser (born December 17, 1982) is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song "Electric Feel" (co-written with bandmate ...

– synths and samples,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

*Gillian Rivers –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Congratulations (Mgmt Song) 2010 singles MGMT songs Record Store Day releases 2010 songs Songs written by Andrew VanWyngarden Columbia Records singles Songs written by Benjamin Goldwasser Pop ballads Rock ballads