Mulder and Scully (song)
| "Mulder and Scully" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Catatonia | ||||
| from the album International Velvet | ||||
| Released | January 1998 | |||
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| Genre | Britpop | |||
| Length | 4:11 | |||
| Label | Blanco y Negro | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | TommyD, Catatonia | |||
| Catatonia singles chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Melody Maker | "Single of the Week" |
"Mulder and Scully" is a song by Catatonia, released as a single from their 1998 album, International Velvet. The song makes direct reference to fictional FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), the two main characters of the popular sci-fi TV series The X-Files who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In an interview Cerys Matthews, co-writer of the song, explained that while she was not a serious fan of the show, the basic premise of the series matched the conceit of what she was trying to express.
"Mulder and Scully" was released as the second single from the band's album International Velvet. Originally, it was supposed to be the first single, but was delayed due to circumstances beyond the band's control. The song was Catatonia's first single in the United States. "Mulder and Scully" became the group's break-out hit and received a mixed to positive from the music press; many critics felt that, musically, the song was well played, but that the track's pop culture references were out of place.
A music video was released that featured the band performing the track while Mulder and Scully, played by look-alikes, search the concert venue with torches. It was popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart, making it Catatonia's highest UK charting song. It also charted in Ireland, peaking at number 17.
The song makes direct reference to FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), the two main characters of the popular sci-fi TV series The X-Files who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Although the title and refrain reference the popular show, the song has little to do with the two characters. The use of Mulder and Scully are used to represent a metaphor for a relationship being so "strange" that it could be "a case for Mulder and Scully", a reference to the paranormal cases—the titular X-Files—the two investigate on the show.Cerys Matthews, the co-writer of the song, explained that the conceit of the song was "about asking Mulder and Scully to figure out this thing called love. I like the idea of two people going round the planet investigating odd phenomena, in this case love".
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