"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, specifically the relationship between the main character (a hitman) and a young girl called Mathilda.[1] 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.
| "Matilda" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by alt-J | ||||
| from the album An Awesome Wave | ||||
| B-side | "Fitzpleasure" | |||
| Released | 10 January 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:48 | |||
| Label | Infectious | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green | |||
| Producer(s) | Charlie Andrew | |||
| Alt-J singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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 was a neat gimmick as at the time of release "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 "j" and is now a 10 second skip so it no longer syncs up with the video.
Track listing edit
Digital download[2]
- "Matilda" – 3:48
10" single[3]
- "Matilda" – 3:48
- "Fitzpleasure" – 3:39
7" single[4]
- "Matilda" – 3:48
- "Matilda" (Johnson Somerset Radio Mix)
Digital iTunes EP[5]
- "Matilda" – 3:48
- "Fitzpleasure" – 3:39
- "Matilda" (Remix) – 3:49
- "Fitzpleasure" (bretonLABS Ghost Remix) – 4:23
Charts edit
| Chart (2012–13) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[6] | 59 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 6 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 83 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[9] | 7 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 10 January 2012 | Digital Single | Infectious |
| 24 February 2012 | Digital EP, 10" vinyl | ||
| 10 December 2012 | 7" vinyl |
References edit
- ^ "Alt-J (∆) interview - Joe Newman (part 1)". YouTube. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Matilda - Single by alt-J". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ "alt-J - Matilda / Fitzpleasure (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ "alt-J - Matilda". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Matilda / Fitzpleasure - EP by alt-J". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ "Alt-J – Matilda" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "Alt-J – Matilda" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "British single certifications – Alt-J – Matilda". British Phonographic Industry.