"Matilda" is a song by British
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Alt-J
Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...
from their debut studio album ''
An Awesome Wave
''An Awesome Wave'' is the debut album by English indie rock band Alt-J, released on 25 May 2012 through Infectious. The album includes the singles " Matilda"/" Fitzpleasure", " Breezeblocks" and " Tessellate". It peaked at number thirteen on ...
'', 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
Charles Andrew is a British record producer, mixer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with indie band Alt-J.
In 2013 he was awarded 'Breakthrough Producer of the Year' by his peers at Music Producers Guild awards, in 2016 he won th ...
. The song relates to the movie ''
Léon'' (1994), specifically the relationship between the main character (a hitman) and a young girl called Mathilda. The opening lines are the last ones said by the main character (portrayed by
Jean Reno
Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...
) 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
Ball's Pyramid is an uninhabited islet in the Pacific Ocean located southeast of Lord Howe Island, between Australia and New Zealand. The steep rocky basalt outcrop is the eroded plug of a shield volcano and caldera that formed 6.4million ye ...
.
The song has a
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
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 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 and is now a 10-second skip so it no longer syncs up with the video.
Track listing
Digital download
#"Matilda" – 3:48
10" single
#"Matilda" – 3:48
#"Fitzpleasure" – 3:39
7" single
#"Matilda" – 3:48
#"Matilda" (Johnson Somerset Radio Mix)
Digital iTunes EP
#"Matilda" – 3:48
#"Fitzpleasure" – 3:39
#"Matilda" (Remix) – 3:49
#"Fitzpleasure" (bretonLABS Ghost Remix) – 4:23
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2012 singles
2012 songs
Alt-J songs
Songs written by Thom Sonny Green
Infectious Music singles
Music based on films
Adaptations of works by Luc Besson