The Lowdown On The X-Files Theme Song

With the new X-Files mini-series out tonight, we thought we give you the lowdown on the story behind the show’s creepy yet captivating theme song!

Since 1993, when X-Files first started airing, its’ theme song was known as one of the scariest. It’s actually hard to listen to it without getting goosebumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBX6aEzEz8

The horror-drama show follows FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and their encounters with supernatural events, and their own relationship. This show became very popular with nine seasons and two movies so far!

According to the “Behind the Truth” segment in the DVD of the first season, Mark Snow created the theme’s famous echo effect by accident. Snow said he went through several revision styles, but Chris Carter, the series creator, didn’t think it fit. That was until Snow accidentally put his hands and forearms on his keyboard in frustration and produced the echo effect sound. 

For Carter’s birthday last year, the cast, the crew, and the fans all wished him a happy birthday. One of the happy birthday wishes was in the form of the Happy theme song which a fan took and auto-tuned it from a minor scale to a major scale. It still sounds quite creepy in my opinion. 

There are some mixes and other musicians’ versions of the theme such as the Triple X version (which was less successful), The Mike Oldfield version and Italian producer DJ Dado’s which became a top ten hit in many countries:

This recognizable theme, composed by Mark Snow, is now back on our TV’s with the show’s new six-episodes mini-series! 

I know what I’ll be watching every night of the week!