Mulder and Scully (song)

"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 alternative rock band Catatonia, released as a single by Blanco y Negro Records from the band's second album, International Velvet (1998). 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 American 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 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.

  1. ^ John Everhart (23 April 2014). "Caught By The Buzz: A Look Back At Britpop's B-List". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 January 2017.