Firestarter (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Firestarter


Artist = The Prodigy
from Album = The Fat of the Land
Released = 18 March 1996
Format = 12 inch vinyl record
CD single
Recorded = Essex, England
Genre = Electronic, electropunk, breaks
Length = 3:45 (Edit) 4:42 (album version)
Label = XL Recordings
Maverick Records
Mute Records
Writer = Liam Howlett, Keith Flint
Producer = Liam Howlett
Video director = Walter Stern
Certification = UK gold, US gold, SWE gold
Chart position =

• #1 (UK)
• #1 (Norway)
• #1 (Finland)
• #30 (US)

Reviews = "N/A"
Last single = "Poison"
(1995)
This single = "Firestarter"
(1996)
Next single = "Breathe"
(1996)"Firestarter" is the tenth single released by the English band the Prodigy, released on March 18 1996. It was the first single from the album "The Fat of the Land". It was also the group's first #1 single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks.

The songwriting credits - among Liam Howlett and Keith Flint - mention Kim Deal of The Breeders. The looped wah-wah guitar riff in "Firestarter" was sampled from The Breeders' track "S.O.S." from the album "Last Splash".

Furthermore, due to the use of a sample from a 1984 single "Close (To the Edit)" songwriting credits also list Art of Noise's then-members: Anne Dudley, Trevor Horn, Johnathon J. Jeczalik, Gary Langan and Paul Morley.

It was The Prodigy's first big national and international hit. It featured Flint's punky vocals which showcased him as the group's frontman. The title and lyrics were subject of controversy in the UK due to their violent nature. The music video further boosted these controversies.

Track listing

XL recordings

12" vinyl record

#"Firestarter" (4:40)
#"Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
#"Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
#"Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

CD single

#"Firestarter" (Edit) (3:45)
#"Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
#"Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
#"Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

Maverick records 12" vinyl record

#"Firestarter' (4:40)
#"Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
#"Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
#"Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

Mute records CD single

#"Firestarter" (Edit) (3:45)
#"Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
#"Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
#"Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

Music Video

The music video was directed by Walter Stern and was filmed in an abandoned London Underground tunnel at Aldwych. Keith Flint's appearance and the video's stark black and white also instigated controversies about being too scary for children watching it. Some television channels even refused to show the video until after the watershed.

Appearances, covers and parodies

An instrumental version of the song appeared on the PlayStation game "WipEout 2097" in 1996. The song appeared in the film "", as a reference to Drew Barrymore's role as Charlie McGee in the film "Firestarter". It also appeared in the film "The Condemned" in 2007 and featured as the opening song in the episode "Scorched" of the TV series "Numb3rs". The basketball team Phoenix Suns use "Firestarter" while being introduced at the US Airways Center. The National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils play the song when they take the ice for the third period at Prudential Center.

Several bands and artists have covered the song, including Jimmy Eat World on their "Last Christmas EP" and later "Firestarter" in 2001 and 2004 respectively, Gene Simmons of KISS recorded it for his second solo album "Asshole" in 2004 and Sneaker Pimps did a lounge version for their "Six Underground" single re-release, though few copies were produced. The song is again due to be covered later this year by british OAP band The Zimmers.

"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song and video on "The Weird Al Show" in a song about a haircut entitled "Lousy Haircut". It featured Yankovic dancing in an abandoned tunnel with a suit and haircut similar to Keith Flint's outfit in the original.

There was a small parody of the song and video in a recent episode of The Venture Bros., where Doctor Venture is trapped in an underground tunnel with an underground inhabitant dressed like Keith Flint while the opening riff of the song plays.

In the "Kenny vs. Spenny" Show, one of the Episodes consisted them being in the Woods. While Kenny started the fire he sung the famous line of the song "I'm the Firestarter".

External links