Mulder and Scully (song)

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"Mulder and Scully"
Single by Catatonia
from the album International Velvet
B-side
  • "No Stone Unturned"
  • "Mantra for the Lost"
Released19 January 1998 (1998-01-19)
GenreBritpop[1]
Length4:11
LabelBlanco y Negro
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)TommyD, Catatonia
Catatonia singles chronology
"I Am the Mob"
(1997) 		"Mulder and Scully"
(1998) 		"Road Rage"
(1998)

"Mulder and Scully" is a song by Welsh

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 concept of what she was trying to express.

"Mulder and Scully" was released as the second single from International Velvet on 19 January 1998. 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 response 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.

The song reached number three on the

UK Singles Chart
, making it Catatonia's highest-charting UK song. It also became a hit in Iceland, reaching number two, and in Ireland, where it peaked at number 17. 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.

Lyrics and composition

The song makes direct reference to

X-Files.[2] Although the title and refrain reference the popular show, the song has little to do with the two characters. Instead, the reference to Mulder and Scully is 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.[3] 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".[4]

Matthews later admitted that she was not a serious fan of the show, but that she only used the line because it adequately described the type of relationship she was singing about.[5] In an interview with the Daily Record, she explained, "I'm not a big fan of [The X-Files] but I got the line about things getting strange for Mulder and Scully from watching the odd episode".[6] After questioning, she later said that she would "prefer to go out for a night on the town with Gazza and Chris Evans than meet [The X-Files] stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny".[6] Matthews also related that "I'm sure loads of people bought the record by mistake, but who cares? They should be flattered we wrote a song about [The X-Files] anyway".[7]

Release and acclaim

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
[8]
Melody Maker"Single of the Week"[3]

The song was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics; many reviewers lauded the band's musical composition, but maligned the track for its heavy reliance on pop culture references. The Sunday Mirror wrote positively of the song and called it "hard rockin'".[9] Ben Myers from the now-defunct music magazine Melody Maker named the song the "Single of the Week" and called it "fantastic".[3] He noted that "they've damn near written a perfect pop song. The first best single of the year".[3] Music Week gave the song five out of five, remarking that "the Welsh indie-popsters take their inspiration from The X-Files rather than The Mob this time around and are certain to hit the charts with this clever grower of a track. Spooky but spiky."[10] Jerry Rubino, host of the popular radio show "Left of Center", named the song one of his favorite "Brit Things".[11] Sarah Zupko from PopMatters noted that the song was built around "somewhat silly X-Files references", but that it possessed "hooks to die for".[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave the song a relatively positive review and singled it out as an "AllMusic Pick". He also praised the song's "terrific [hook]" but was slightly critical of the "self-conscious pop culture references".[13] Despite this, he noted the band was successfully able to "bring memorable melodies to the [song]".[13] A subsequent review by AllMusic awarded the single, by itself, two-and-a-half stars out of five.[8] NME called the song "little more than fodder for nostalgia TV", written by a "lazy television researcher's imagination".[14]

Cerys Matthews and the band were extremely pleased with the final product, calling it a "better song" than "

greatest hits album,[14] And the song was later included on various Britpop compilations, including the Common People: The Britpop Story album,[16] and the 100 Hits of the 90s album, released by the BBC.[17]

Chart performance

Originally, Catatonia wished to release "Mulder and Scully" during mid-1997. However, due to complications, these plans were scrapped and the song "

Road Rage" singles.[26]

Music video

The music video for "Mulder and Scully" was directed by

T.J.'s, a rock concert venue in Newport, Wales. A call was made for fans of the band to arrive and play the part of the audience. While actor Rhys Ifans, one year before his breakout performance in Notting Hill, features prominently.[27] The entire video shoot took a full day to film.[28] The video for "Mulder and Scully" was popular; according to Billboard magazine, the video for "Mulder and Scully" received "heavy rotation" and was played "30 to 35" times weekly in the United Kingdom.[29] The video was heavily promoted in the United States, due in part to its direct allusion to The X-Files, and it received decent airplay.[29][30]

Track listings
  1. "Mulder and Scully" – 4:10
  2. "No Stone Unturned" – 3:28
  3. "Mantra for the Lost" – 2:47
  4. "Mulder and Scully" (The Ex-Files) – 4:53
  1. "Mulder and Scully" – 4:10
  2. "No Stone Unturned" – 3:28
  1. "Mulder and Scully" (album version) – 4:10
  2. "Road Rage" (radio edit) – 5:10
  3. "Jump or Be Sane" – 4:00
  4. "No Stone Unturned" – 3:28
  5. "Mantra for the Lost" – 2:47
  6. "I'm Cured" – 2:55
  7. "Blow the Millennium Pt.2" – 2:30
  8. "I Am the Mob" (Luca Brasi mix) – 3:41
  9. "Mulder and Scully" (The Ex-Files mix) – 4:53
  10. "Road Rage (Ghia)" – 5:10

Personnel

  • Cerys Matthews – vocals
  • Mark Roberts
    – guitar
  • Paul Jones – bass
  • Owen Powell – guitar
  • Aled Richards – drums

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Mulder and Scully"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ John Everhart (23 April 2014). "Caught By The Buzz: A Look Back At Britpop's B-List". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. ^ Trewyn, Hywel; Anthony Barnes (22 September 2001). "Catatonia Split Up; Sadness and Shock as Welsh Band Calls it a Day". Daily Post. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Myers, Ben (17 January 1998). "Mulder & Scully". Melody Maker. Vol. 75, no. 3. p. 38.
  4. ^ "Chart Slot; Top 10 Singles". Daily Record. 16 January 1998. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  5. ^ Roberts, Leo (18 December 1997). "Catatonia are Restless". The Mirror. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  6. ^ a b Dingwall, John (30 January 1998). "Tomboy Jones". Daily Record. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  7. ^ Hyland, Ian (29 March 1998). "MUSIC; Bubbly Cerys is Off the Pop After Gliding Shock". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Mulder and Scully – Catatonia". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  9. ^ Hyland, Ian (1 February 1998). "Best Albums". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ^ Rubino, Jerry (13 February 1999). "A Few of Our Favorite Brit Things". Billboard. p. 80. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  12. ^ Sarah Zupko. "Pop Matters review: Equally Cursed and Blessed". Retrieved 12 January 2007.
  13. ^ a b "International Velvet – Catatonia". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 January 2007.
  14. ^ a b "Catatonia : Greatest Hits". NME. 27 August 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  15. ^ a b c "Nine out of 10 Cats Prefer It". Melody Maker. Vol. 75, no. 5. 31 January 1998. p. 5.
  16. ^ "Pulp, Elastica, Supergrass for 'Common People' Britpop compilation". NME. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  17. ^ "100 Hits – 90s at BBC". BBC. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Catatonia". Wales Music. BBC. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  19. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Cerys Matthews: Rise of a Star". Europe Intelligence Wire. 22 September 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2012. (subscription required)
  21. ^ "Catatonia Biography". Sing365.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  22. ^ "Catatonia: Mulder And Scully (Blanco Y Negro NEG109CD)". Music Week. 17 January 1998. Retrieved 28 June 2012. (subscription required)
  23. ^ "British chart positions". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  24. ^ "1998 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive 31st – January 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  25. ^ "モルダー・アンド・スカリーEP | カタトニア" [Mulder & Scully EP | Catatonia] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  26. ^ a b Mulder and Scully (Japanese EP liner notes). Catatonia. Blanco y Negro Records. 1998. WPCR-2083.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ Fletcher, Alex (April 2009). "Ten Things You Never Knew About Rhys Ifans". Digital Spy. Digital Spy Ltd. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  28. ^ "New Adventures in Sci-Fi". Melody Maker. Vol. 4, no. 75. 24 January 1998. p. 24.
  29. ^ a b Pride, Dominic (4 July 1998). "Welsh Act Catatonia Hopes to Rouse U.S. with Vapor Debut". Billboard. pp. 11, 87. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  30. ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. 8 August 1998. p. 73. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  31. ^ Mulder and Scully (UK CD single disc notes). Catatonia. Blanco y Negro Records. 1998. NEG109CD, 3984219312.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ Mulder and Scully (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Catatonia. Blanco y Negro Records. 1998. NEG 109, 3984219327.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ Mulder and Scully (UK cassette single cassette notes). Catatonia. Blanco y Negro Records. 1998. NEG109C, 3984219324.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 7. 14 February 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  35. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (2.4. – 9.4. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 April 1998. p. 30. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  36. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mulder and Scully". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  37. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  38. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  39. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  40. ^ "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  41. ^ "British single certifications – Catatonia – Mulder and Scully". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

External links

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