Deciphering the story of cult hit ‘David Duchovny’
The 1990s certainly unfolded as a peculiar era, marked by surreal occurrences ranging from Noel Gallagher’s rendezvous with Tony Blair to Mike Tyson’s infamous ear-biting incident against Evander Holyfield. Amidst this backdrop, the music scene witnessed its own share of oddities, including the emergence of cult hits that seemed to materialise out of thin air. Among the most memorable was Bree Sharp’s ‘David Duchovny’, a romantic homage to the charismatic star of The X-Files.
In 1999, Bree Sharp released her debut album, A Cheap and Evil Girl. In a bold move, the lead single was ‘David Duchovny’, and it quickly gained cult reverence due to the sharply comic lyrics referencing the actor and the infectious music.
One fateful evening, Sharp found herself ensnared in the throes of obsession, much like countless others of her time, with The X-Files and its enigmatic male lead. Portraying the FBI agent Fox Mulder opposite Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully, David Duchovny captured the collective imagination, inspiring Sharp to pen her ode to the captivating star. Appropriately, the lyrics include classic lines such as: “But I can’t help feeling I could love this secret agent man / I can’t… / Wait anymore for him to discover me / I got it bad for David Duchovny / David Duchovny, why won’t you love me?”
Reflecting on the work, Sharp later told Rolling Stone in 1999: “[The] song is about David, but it’s also about the way fantasy and reality can blur, and how giddy, hot, and excellent that can be.”
Famously, tension simmered between Duchovny and Anderson while filming The X-Files from 1993 to 2002. However, an intriguing moment emerged that perhaps eased their rocky relationship. The set of the show received a demo for the song, prompting Anderson and two assistants, Charles Forsch and Will Shivers, to devise a humorous video, reportedly with permission from the songwriter’s label, for their Christmas party.
To bring the video to life, they got everyone they could to participate and lip-synced the song. This included Anderson and Duchovny, as well as Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden – who were filming Fight Club at the time – George Clooney, the cast of Frasier, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, all of Kiss, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Springer, and many others. Even Pamela Anderson and David Spade appear. It was then presented to Duchovny at the Christmas party. He greatly appreciated the track.
Recalling first seeing the video, Sharp commented: “It was so exciting, and so shocking, and underground, and wonderful. I don’t know what to say about it except that it was one of the thrills of my life to see the likes of Charles Nelson Reilly and all four members of Kiss and Brad Pitt.”
‘David Duchovny’ made such an impact that it was referenced during an episode of the high point of the actor’s career, Californication. In the season four episode ‘The Trial’, Duchovny’s character, Hank Moody, puts on a suit, an uncharacteristic aesthetic, and complains that he “looks like a fucking FBI agent”.
In response, his ex-wife Karen, played by Natascha McElhone, says: “A very brooding and comely FBI agent.”
Watch the video for ‘David Duchovny’ below.
