It's Working

Andrew VanWyngarden has stated in interviews that Congratulations is influenced by the massive rise in popularity of MGMT since the release of their first major label album, Oracular Spectacular. He told Spin Magazine that on this track, the duo explore the topic of spoils of their new found fame. The MGMT member added: "It was the first song that we demo-ed almost a year ago. Ben [Goldwasser] and I went up to this little cabin in the woods in upstate New York, and the second I walked in the door I sat down and played this chord progression. The next day we expanded it into a song."

Lyrically, the song was inspired by the duo's narcotic experiences in the UK. VanWyngarden told Spin: "I didn't realize it until now, but it's kind of funny, because the first song on our first album was 'Time to Pretend,' which was about the imagined rock star scenario. So, 'It's Working' is like, 'Yeah, we went out there and we did a lot of drugs and it's not that great.' The song is mostly about Ecstasy."
Spin asked VanWyngarden if there was any specific experience with Ecstasy that influenced the song? He replied: "No, not really. But that's how we envisioned the track when we were writing it. It stops and starts a lot; it's frantic, confusing. There's also a surfing thread throughout the record. When you're surfing, there's a specific break you're paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, "It's working." The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It's like surfing on ecstasy. Which is what the 'Time to Pretend' video is like. Actually, the video is more like surfing on acid."

This song is loosely fashioned after Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play." Ben Goldwasser told Mojo magazine: "Syd Barrett set the precedent for completely changing gears on a pop song."