Firestarter (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Firestarter” | |||||
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| Single by The Prodigy from the album The Fat of the Land |
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| Released | 18 March 1996 | ||||
| Format | 12 inch vinyl record CD single |
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| Recorded | Essex, England | ||||
| Genre | Electronic, electropunk, breaks | ||||
| Length | 3:45 (Edit)
4:42 (album version) |
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| Label | XL Recordings Maverick Records Mute Records |
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| Writer(s) | Liam Howlett | ||||
| Producer | Liam Howlett | ||||
| Certification | UK gold, US gold | ||||
| The Prodigy singles chronology | |||||
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"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.
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] 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.
[edit] Appearances, covers and parodies
An instrumental version of the song appeared on the PlayStation game WipEout 2097 in 1996. It showed up in xXx as Vin Diesel drives a sports car off a bridge, and the song also appeared in the film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, 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.
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.
"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.
[edit] External links
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| 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 |
