An X (formerly Twitter) user has solved an X-Files mystery the likes of which agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) would struggle to get to the bottom of.
For years, fans of the iconic sci-fi horror series have wondered what the country song is that plays in the sixth season’s two-part “Dreamland” episode. Given that the song title isn’t listed in the credits or anywhere online, social media sleuth @laurenancona decided to get to the bottom of the mystery, recruiting other detectives to join the cause.
After exhausting IMDb, YouTube, Twitter, and Shazam, the Twitter user scoured the episode’s credits to find the music editor, Jeff Charbonneau, and another X member was able to contact him. Unfortunately, the music editor had no recollection of the song in question and speculated that it probably came from a stock music library
However, someone by the name of @wilroymusic was able to track down the original cue sheet from 1998, disproving Charbonneau’s theory. Remember this part, as it becomes crucial in uncovering the X-Files “Dreamland” country song mystery later on.
Afterward, confirmation of the song’s name and creators finally came to light. Television music supervisor Jonathan Leahy said it’s called “Staring at the Stars,” written by Glenn Jordan and Dan Marfisi. The songwriters also provided additional tracks for the series, but this particular mysterious gem has been capturing fans’ imaginations for over 25 years.
But was that the end of the mystery?
Love, Death, and Robots composer Rob Cairns tracked down Marfisi, who confirmed that he and Jordan indeed wrote the song. He also provided some details about its creation, noting that it was a speedy process that was designed to fit the episode’s theme.
The truth is out there, after all. Sometimes we just need obsessed internet sleuths to combine their efforts to bring it to light.
