Matilda (Alt-J song)

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Matilda

| cover = alt-J matilda.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Alt-J

| album = An Awesome Wave

| B-side = Fitzpleasure

| released = 10 January 2012

| recorded = 2009

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = {{Hlist|Indie folk|progressive folk|art rock}}

| length = 3:48

| label = Infectious

| writer = Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green

| producer = Charlie Andrew

| prev_title = Bloodflood

| prev_year = 2011

| next_title = Breezeblocks

| next_year = 2012

}}

"Matilda" is a song by British rock band Alt-J from their debut studio album An Awesome Wave, released on 10 January 2012 as a digital download. It was released as a split single with "Fitzpleasure" on 24 February as a digital download and on 10" triangle-shaped vinyl. It was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. The song relates to the movie Léon (1994), specifically the relationship between the main character (a hitman) and a young girl called Mathilda.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyJSgAJxazY |title=Alt-J (∆) interview - Joe Newman (part 1) |website=YouTube |access-date=1 May 2017}} The opening lines are the last ones said by the main character (portrayed by Jean Reno) in the film. The band would later release the song "Leon", a tribute to the main character of the film. The cover image is a photograph of Ball's Pyramid.

The song has a YouTube video featuring imagery of human faces which steadily morph so that every so often you are looking at a new face. This video contained a self-referential gimmick as at the time of release {{key press|Alt|J}} was the shortcut for a YouTube video to rewind 7 seconds which was the perfect amount of time to go from one "finished" facial image to another so you would see a new face each time you pressed it. This no longer is the case as the shortcut is simply {{key press|J}} and is now a 10-second skip so it no longer syncs up with the video.