"Малдер мен Скалли" әні

1998 single by Catatonia

"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.

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. 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. 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. 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". 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".

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. "Mulder and Scully" was eventually released on 19 January 1998, 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". 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". 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". During its first week, "Mulder and Scully" peaked on the chart at number three and spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart. 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. It combined tracks from the title single, as well as the "I Am the Mob" and "Road Rage" singles. The entire video shoot took a full day to film. 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. 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.