Mulder and Scully (song)

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.{{cite news|last=Trewyn|first=Hywel|title=Catatonia Split Up; Sadness and Shock as Welsh Band Calls it a Day|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Catatonia+split+up%3B+Sadness+and+shock+as+Welsh+band+calls+it+a+day.-a078504879|access-date=28 June 2012|newspaper=Daily Post|date=22 September 2001|author2=Anthony Barnes}} 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. 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".{{cite web|title=Chart Slot; Top 10 Singles|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CHART+SLOT%3b+TOP+10+SINGLES.-a060606798|newspaper=Daily Record|date=16 January 1998|access-date=28 June 2012}}

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.{{cite news|author=Roberts, Leo|title=Catatonia are Restless|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Catatonia+are+restless.-a061048521|access-date=28 June 2012|newspaper=The Mirror|date=18 December 1997}} 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". 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".{{cite news|last=Dingwall|first=John|title=Tomboy Jones|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/TOMBOY+JONES%3b+Catatonia+babe+Cerys+Matthews+is+the+best+thing+to+come...-a060608243|access-date=28 June 2012|newspaper=Daily Record|date=30 January 1998}} 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".{{cite news|title=MUSIC; Bubbly Cerys is Off the Pop After Gliding Shock|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MUSIC%3b+Bubbly+Cerys+is+off+the+pop+after+gliding+shock.-a060661630|newspaper=Sunday Mirror|author=Hyland, Ian|date=29 March 1998|access-date=28 June 2012}}

{{Album reviews

| rev1 = Allmusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}

| rev2 = Melody Maker

|rev2score = "Single of the Week"

}}

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'".{{cite news|title=Best Albums|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Best+albums.-a060659445|author=Hyland, Ian|newspaper=Sunday Mirror|date=1 February 1998|access-date=28 June 2012}} Ben Myers from the now-defunct music magazine Melody Maker named the song the "Single of the Week" and called it "fantastic". He noted that "they've damn near written a perfect pop song. The first best single of the year".{{cite magazine|last=Myers|first=Ben|title=Mulder & Scully|magazine=Melody Maker|date=17 January 1998|volume=75|issue=3|pages=38}} 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."{{cite magazine|first=|last=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1998/Music-Week-1998-01-17.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=Music Week|date=17 January 1998|page=25|access-date=31 August 2023}} Jerry Rubino, host of the popular radio show "Left of Center", named the song one of his favorite "Brit Things".{{cite magazine|last=Rubino|first=Jerry|title=A Few of Our Favorite Brit Things|magazine=Billboard|date=13 February 1999|pages=80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gw4EAAAAMBAJ&q=catatonia+mulder+and+scully+music+video&pg=RA1-PA80|access-date=28 June 2012}} Sarah Zupko from PopMatters noted that the song was built around "somewhat silly X-Files references", but that it possessed "hooks to die for".{{cite web|url = https://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/c/catatonia-equally.shtml|title = Pop Matters review: Equally Cursed and Blessed|author = Sarah Zupko|access-date = 12 January 2007}} 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". Despite this, he noted the band was successfully able to "bring memorable melodies to the [song]".{{cite web|url =https://www.allmusic.com/album/international-velvet-mw0000037415|title = International Velvet – Catatonia|publisher=AllMusic|access-date = 12 January 2007}} A subsequent review by AllMusic awarded the single, by itself, two-and-a-half stars out of five.{{cite web|title=Mulder and Scully – Catatonia|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mulder-amp-scully-mw0001029252|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=28 June 2012}} NME called the song "little more than fodder for nostalgia TV", written by a "lazy television researcher's imagination".{{cite web|title=Catatonia : Greatest Hits|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/catatonia/6675|website=NME|access-date=28 June 2012|date=27 August 2002}}

Cerys Matthews and the band were extremely pleased with the final product, calling it a "better song" than "All Around the World" by Oasis, the single's main competitor at the time. Matthews later said that the lyrics for "Mulder and Scully" were "good, top to bottom". Catatonia later released the song as part of their 2002 greatest hits album, And the song was later included on various Britpop compilations, including the Common People: The Britpop Story album,{{cite web|title=Pulp, Elastica, Supergrass for 'Common People' Britpop compilation|url=https://www.nme.com/news/nme/44335|website=NME|access-date=28 June 2012|date=29 April 2009}} and the 100 Hits of the 90s album, released by the BBC.{{cite web|title=100 Hits – 90s at BBC|url=http://www.bbcshop.com/music/100-hits-90s/invt/dmg100004/|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 June 2012}}

Originally, Catatonia wished to release "Mulder and Scully" during mid-1997. However, due to complications, these plans were scrapped and the song "I Am the Mob" was released instead.{{cite web|title=Catatonia|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/catatonia/pages/biography.shtml|work=Wales Music|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 June 2012|date=17 November 2008}} "Mulder and Scully" was eventually released on 19 January 1998,{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1998/Music-Week-1998-01-17.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=35|date=17 January 1998|access-date=6 July 2021}} and, due to heavy promotion via BBC Radio 1, soon became the band's break-out hit, propelling them "into the limelight [...] numerous interviews and television appearances".{{cite news|title=Cerys Matthews: Rise of a Star.|url=http://galenet.galegroup.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/servlet/BCRC?srchtp=adv&c=1&ste=31&tbst=tsVS&tab=2&aca=nwmg&bConts=2&RNN=A92765353&docNum=A92765353&locID=ksstate_ukans|access-date=28 June 2012|newspaper=Europe Intelligence Wire|date=22 September 2002}} {{subscription required}}{{cite web|title=Catatonia Biography|url=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Catatonia-Biography/DE267838C0DA1D32482569AE000E16F8|publisher=Sing365.com|access-date=28 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711121435/http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Catatonia-Biography/DE267838C0DA1D32482569AE000E16F8|archive-date=2012-07-11|url-status=dead}} The band's record label, Blanco y Negro Records, promoted the single with a press release that described the song as "[s]pooky but spiky" and a "clever grower of a track".{{cite news|title=Catatonia: Mulder And Scully (Blanco Y Negro NEG109CD)|url=http://go.galegroup.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=ksstate_ukans&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=21&contentSet=GALE%7CA59545021&&docId=GALE%7CA59545021&docType=GALE&role=|access-date=28 June 2012|work=Music Week|date=17 January 1998}} {{subscription required}} The song debuted on the United Kingdom chart on 31 January 1998 and made its last appearance on 4 April 1998. During its first week of release, the single performed exceptionally well. Music stores reported that the physical release of "Mulder and Scully" was selling slightly fewer copies than Usher's single "You Make Me Wanna...". Cerys Matthews later told Melody Maker that the single out-sold Oasis "for two days".{{cite magazine|title=Nine out of 10 Cats Prefer It|magazine=Melody Maker|date=31 January 1998|volume=75|issue=5|pages=5}} During its first week, "Mulder and Scully" peaked on the chart at number three and spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart.{{Cite web | title = British chart positions | url = https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/ | publisher = Official Charts Company | access-date = 3 March 2010 }}{{cite web|title=1998 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive 31st – January 1998|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19980125/7501/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=28 June 2012}} The song also charted on the Irish Singles Chart, entering the charts on 2 May 1998. It peaked at number 17 and spent five weeks charting. On 15 September 1998, a Japanese EP was released under the name Mulder and Scully EP.{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/54285/products/307429/1/|title=モルダー・アンド・スカリーEP {{!}} カタトニア|trans-title=Mulder & Scully EP {{!}} Catatonia|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=27 January 2024}} It combined tracks from the title single, as well as the "I Am the Mob" and "Road Rage" singles.

The music video for "Mulder and Scully" was directed by Gerald McMorrow and features the band performing at a venue intercut with scenes of life on a tour bus at night. All the while, Mulder and Scully—played by look-alikes—investigate the area around the concert with torches. Eventually, the agents begin passionately kissing while Catatonia plays their song on a stage. The video was filmed at 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.{{cite web|last1=Fletcher|first1=Alex|title=Ten Things You Never Knew About Rhys Ifans|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/10-things-about/news/a151322/ten-things-you-never-knew-about-rhys-ifans/|website=Digital Spy|date=April 2009|publisher=Digital Spy Ltd|access-date=7 March 2016}} The entire video shoot took a full day to film.{{cite magazine|title=New Adventures in Sci-Fi|magazine=Melody Maker|date=24 January 1998|volume=4|issue=75|pages=24}} The video for "Mulder and Scully" was popular; according to Billboard magazine, it received "heavy rotation" and was played "30 to 35" times weekly in the United Kingdom.{{cite magazine|last=Pride|first=Dominic|title=Welsh Act Catatonia Hopes to Rouse U.S. with Vapor Debut|magazine=Billboard|date=4 July 1998|pages=11, 87|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-gkEAAAAMBAJ&q=catatonia+mulder+and+scully+music+video&pg=PA87|access-date=28 June 2012}} 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.{{cite magazine|title=The Clip List|magazine=Billboard|date=8 August 1998|page=73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8AkEAAAAMBAJ&q=catatonia+mulder+and+scully+music+video&pg=PA73|access-date=28 June 2012}}

• UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Mulder and Scully|others=Catatonia|year=1998|type=UK CD single disc notes|publisher=Blanco y Negro Records|id=NEG109CD, 3984219312}}

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

• UK 7-inch and cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Mulder and Scully|others=Catatonia|year=1998|type=UK 7-inch single vinyl disc|publisher=Blanco y Negro Records|id=NEG 109, 3984219327}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Mulder and Scully|others=Catatonia|year=1998|type=UK cassette single cassette notes|publisher=Blanco y Negro Records|id=NEG109C, 3984219324}}

1. "Mulder and Scully" – 4:10
2. "No Stone Unturned" – 3:28

• Japanese EP{{cite AV media notes|title=Mulder and Scully|others=Catatonia|year=1998|type=Japanese EP liner notes|publisher=Blanco y Negro Records|id=WPCR-2083}}

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

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

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Mulder and Scully"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Catatonia|title=Mulder and Scully|award=Silver|relyear=1998|certyear=2013|id=10971-2241-1|access-date=6 July 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

• The X-Files franchise
• Music of The X-Files

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101107035641/http://www.mtv.com/videos/catatonia/8261/mulder-and-scully.jhtml Official Music Video] on MTV.com

{{Catatonia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1997 songs

Category:1998 singles

Category:Blanco y Negro Records singles

Category:Catatonia (band) songs

Category:Songs written by Cerys Matthews

Category:Songs written by Mark Roberts (singer)

Category:The X-Files music