Firestarter (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Firestarter" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Prodigy | ||
| from the album The Fat of the Land | ||
| Released | 18 March 1996 | |
| Format | 12 inch vinyl record CD single |
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| Recorded | Essex, England | |
| Genre | Electronica | |
| Length | 3:45 Firestarter (Edit) | |
| Label | XL Recordings Maverick Records Mute Records |
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| Writer(s) | Liam Howlett | |
| Producer(s) | Same as above | |
| Certification | None | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| The Prodigy singles chronology | ||
| "Poison" (1995) |
"Firestarter" (1996) |
"Breathe" (1996) |
"Firestarter" was the eleventh single released by the English band The Prodigy on March 18, 1996. It was the first single from the album The Fat of the Land.
The song was written by Liam Howlett and Keith Flint. 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 nature of violence. The music video further boosted these controversies. The writing credits also list Art of Noise's members, due to the use of sample from Close (To The Edit).
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.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] XL recordings
[edit] 12" vinyl record
- Firestarter (4:40)
- Firestarter (Instrumental) (4:39)
- Firestarter (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
- Molotov Bitch (4:51)
[edit] CD single
- Firestarter (Edit) (3:45)
- Firestarter (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
- Firestarter (Instrumental) (4:39)
- Molotov Bitch (4:51)
[edit] Maverick records 12" vinyl record
- Firestarter (4:40)
- Firestarter (Instrumental) (4:39)
- Firestarter (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
- Molotov Bitch (4:51)
[edit] Mute records CD single
- Firestarter (Edit) (3:45)
- Firestarter (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
- Firestarter (Instrumental) (4:39)
- Molotov Bitch (4:51)
[edit] Appearances, covers and parodies
An instrumental version of the song appeared on the PlayStation game WipEout 2097 from 1996. The song also appeared in the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, as a reference to Drew Barrymore's role as Charlie McGee in the film Firestarter, and as the opening song in the episode "Scorched" of the TV series Numb3rs. An other example of appearance is when the basketball team Phoenix Suns use "Firestarter" while being introduced at the US Airways Center.
Several bands and artists have made a cover of the song, including Jimmy Eat World on their Last Christmas EP and later Firestarter EP in 2001 and 2004 respectively, Gene Simmons of KISS for his second solo album Asshole in 2004 and Sneaker Pimps did a lounge style version for their Six Underground single re-release, though few copies were produced.
"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the video on The Weird Al Show in a song about a "stupid haircut".
[edit] External links
| The Prodigy |
| Liam Howlett | Keith Flint | Maxim |
| Sharky | Leeroy Thornhill |
| Discography |
| Albums: Experience | Music for the Jilted Generation | The Fat of the Land | The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One | Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned | Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005 |
| Singles: "What Evil Lurks" | "Charly" | "Everybody in the Place" | "Fire/Jericho" | "Out of Space" | "Wind It Up (Rewound)" | "One Love" | "No Good (Start the Dance)" | "Voodoo People" | "Poison" | "Firestarter" | "Breathe" | "Smack My Bitch Up" | "Baby's Got a Temper" | "Girls/Memphis Bells" | "Girls" | "Hotride" | "Spitfire" | "Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)/Out of Space (Audio Bullys Remix)" |
| Preceded by "How Deep Is Your Love" by Take That |
UK Singles Chart Number 1 single March 24, 1996 for 3 weeks |
Succeeded by "Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison |
