Matilda (alt-J song)

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"Matilda"
Single by alt-J
from the album An Awesome Wave
B-side"Fitzpleasure"
Released10 January 2012
Recorded2009
Genre
Length3:48
LabelInfectious
Songwriter(s)Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Gwilym Sainsbury and Thom Green
Producer(s)Charlie Andrew
Alt-J singles chronology
"Bloodflood"
(2011)
"Matilda"
(2012)
"Breezeblocks"
(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, 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.

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]

  1. "Matilda" – 3:48

10" single[3]

  1. "Matilda" – 3:48
  2. "Fitzpleasure" – 3:39

7" single[4]

  1. "Matilda" – 3:48
  2. "Matilda" (Johnson Somerset Radio Mix)

Digital iTunes EP[5]

  1. "Matilda" – 3:48
  2. "Fitzpleasure" – 3:39
  3. "Matilda" (Remix) – 3:49
  4. "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]

Certifications for Matilda
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]

  1. ^ "Alt-J (∆) interview - Joe Newman (part 1)". YouTube. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  2. ^ "iTunes - Music - Matilda - Single by alt-J". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ^ "alt-J - Matilda / Fitzpleasure (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  4. ^ "alt-J - Matilda". Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  5. ^ "iTunes - Music - Matilda / Fitzpleasure - EP by alt-J". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Alt-J – Matilda" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Alt-J – Matilda" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  10. ^ "British single certifications – Alt-J – Matilda". British Phonographic Industry.