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From the The Rolling Stones – All the Songs book: “Congratulations” was one of the first ballads written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, possibly during the session on May 12, 1964, at Regent Sound Studios. Although it lacks the emotional power of the future “Play with Fire” and “Lady Jane,” it gives a hint of the duo’s taste for mockery and even cynicism. The congratulations in question are addressed by the songwriters to a master in the art of breaking hearts who sows nothing but sadness around him
“Congratulations” is thus a ballad whose tone is pretty bleak, and this is possibly why Decca and Oldham did not feel it was appropriate to offer it to the British public. With its somewhat muddled and untidy sound, the production cannot be counted among Oldham’s finest. Charlie Watts introduces the number with a tom break. Keith Richards immediately joins him on his Harmony 1270 12-string that gives the number its color. He even plays a solo, albeit not a particularly unforgettable one, on this instrument (1:38). Brian Jones accompanies him with distinctly fifties-sounding licks on his Gretsch (and a wrong note at 2:07!). Indeed the whole feel is reminiscent of the fifties, with Bill Wyman using a plectrum on his bass (no doubt his Framus), which is given plenty of reverb, as are Charlie’s drums. Mick Jagger whispers the ballad with emotion but a certain lack of conviction, while Keith (and possibly Brian?) provide vocal harmonies. “Congratulations” gives the impression of being a demo rather than a final version; the rhythmic ensemble is no more than average and the bridge is too predictable. This song is another surprising demonstration of the emphatically pop flavor and ballad style of the early Jagger-Richards compositions. The blues comes to the fore in their writing no more than rock. Forming the B-side of the single “Time Is on My Side,” which was released in the United States on September 26, 1964, “Congratulations” can also be found between “Under the Boardwalk” and “Grown Up Wrong” on the album 12×5, released in the United States on October 17, 1964. It was another nine years before “Congratulations” appeared on an album in the UK, and then only on the compilation No Stone Unturned, which was released in the United Kingdom in October 1973.
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