"It's Working" is the third single released from the album ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television * Congratulations (2010 film), an Egyptian film * Congratulations (2023 film), a Gujarati drama film *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme ...

'' by

MGMT MGMT () is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...

. The album covers were made by

So Me Bertrand Lagros de Langeron, known professionally as So Me, is a French graphic designer, animator, director and music producer. He is the art director for Ed Banger Records and also releases his own tracks on that label. He has created videos f ...

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's commentary on the track, before the ''Congratulations'' sessions at the Blanker Unsinn Studio on 2010, is "Love? Or Confusion? Reality? Contusion? Subterranea or Sub-fusion. The Quest begins."

History

The single was added to

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's C-Playlist in May 2010 and later upgraded to the B-Playlist. On June 29, the single was released as a

digital download Digital download may refer to: *Downloading, the processing of copying data to a computer from an external source *Digital distribution, a method of downloading software or audio-visual media as opposed to buying it at a traditional point of sale * ...

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, with the name of "It's Working Digital 45" and contains the

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and Violens remix. On June 30, the remix by

was given as a free download on

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Music video

MGMT said in an interview for

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about the song, "We just shot the coolest video in Paris with director

ustice's "D.A.N.C.E."">D.A.N.C.E..html" ;"title="ustice's "D.A.N.C.E.">ustice's "D.A.N.C.E."for 'It's Working'. In it, Ben and I find this box and these instructions to put together a machine that's constantly changing, and we end up losing control over it. Saying this now, it sounds so metaphorical for our musical career, which is really funny." The video was premiered on June 15 on their website. The video has Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser finding a box that contains a giant machine. They find a booklet with the title "Construction Manual" on it. They look through it and push different buttons on the machine. While VanWyngarden and Goldwasser push the buttons a woman walks past but they do not take any notice of her and the machine takes photos of her that MGMT show to a photo booth. While the song keeps playing, VanWyngarden and Goldwasser do various things with the machine such as pour ice cream all over a sombrero on Will Berman's head and locking Matthew Asti in with a giant gopher. Near the end of the video, the machine starts shrinking VanWyngarden tries looking for Goldwasser and finds him in bed with the woman from before as the song starts fading. He wakes Goldwasser up and try getting out of the machine. VanWyngarden, Richardson and Asti escape but VanWyngarden goes back for Goldwasser who gets stuck in the machine along with VanWyngarden. The video ends with the box closing itself and a man (played by the video's director,

), picking up the box.

Track listing

Personnel

* Andrew VanWyngarden – Singing, vocals, guitar, bass guitar * Ben Goldwasser – Synthesizer, synthesizer and samples, omnichord * James Richardson – guitar * Matt Asti – guitar * Will Berman –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Britta Phillips Britta Phillips (born June 11, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actress. Phillips' music career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as the singing voice of the title character ...

– additional vocals * 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

{{authority control 2010 singles MGMT songs 2010 songs Columbia Records singles Songs written by Andrew VanWyngarden Songs written by Benjamin Goldwasser