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Songs in the Key of X
Studio album by X-Files
Released	March 26, 1996
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	Warner Bros. Records
X-Files chronology
	Songs in the Key of X (1996)	The X-Files: The Album (1998)

Songs in the Key of X: Music From and Inspired by the X-Files was the first album released in association with the popular television series The X-Files. It contained both music that had been featured in the show, as well as music whose themes were in line with the concepts of the show.

1. "X"-Files theme - Mark Snow
2. "Unmarked Helicopters" - Soul Coughing
3. "On the Outside" - Sheryl Crow
4. "Down in the Park" - Foo Fighters
5. "Star Me Kitten" - R.E.M. and William S. Burroughs
6. "Red Right Hand" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
7. "Thanks Bro" - Filter
8. "Man of Steel" - Frank Black
9. "Unexplained" - Meat Puppets
10. "Deep" - Danzig
11. "Frenzy" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
12. "My Dark Life" - Elvis Costello and Brian Eno
13. "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)" - Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper
14. "If You Never Say Goodbye" - P.M. Dawn
15. X-Files theme (P.M. Dawn Remix) - Mark Snow

There are also two hidden tracks, "Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum (Dread the Passage of Jesus, For He Will Not Return)" by Nick Cave and the Dirty Three, and a version of The X-Files theme by the Dirty Three. In keeping with the cryptic nature of the X-Files, they had a very original and unintuitive methodology for hiding them. Both of the tracks were recorded before the actual track index for the first track on the compact disc, so a listener would have to actually manually rewind the first track a full nine minutes to hear both tracks. This is hinted at in the CD booklet - "Nick Cave and the Dirty Three would like you to know that "0" is also a number".

• Former Pixies frontman Frank Black (aka Black Francis) contributes a song here. X-Files creator Chris Carter would debut his other series Millennium (TV series) later in 1996. The show's main character was named Frank Black, after the musician.
• The recording of the Soul Coughing song for this soundtrack, "Unmarked Helicopters," resulted in serious acrimony within the band, almost leading to their dissolution. Frontman Mike Doughty had planned the band's 1996 album Irresistible Bliss to depart from their style for a more new wave sound, and accordingly hired producer David Kahne, with the band finishing the album quickly. Soon afterwards, he enlisted another producer, Steve Fisk, for a recording session for "Unmarked Helicopters," a one-off song for this soundtrack that would not appear on the Soul Coughing album. However, other members of the band, after hearing the results on the X-Files song, insisted that the entire finished album be re-recorded with the new producer. Veteran Tchad Blake, who had worked on the previous Soul Coughing album, had to return to prevent the band's breakup, and the album ultimately contained tracks from all three producers.