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"Firestarter"
Single by The Prodigy from the album The Fat of the Land
Released	18 March 1996
Format	12 inch vinyl record CD single
Recorded	Essex, England
Genre	Electronica
Length	3:45 (Edit)
Label	XL Recordings Maverick Records Mute Records
Writer	Liam Howlett
Producer	Liam Howlett
Certification	None
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. It was also the group's first #1 single on the UK Singles Chart.

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 The Breeders' 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 1 Track listing 1.1 XL recordings 1.1.1 12" vinyl record 1.1.2 CD single 1.2 Maverick records 12" vinyl record 1.3 Mute records CD single 2 Music Video 3 Appearances, covers and parodies 4 External links

1. "Firestarter" (4:40)
2. "Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
3. "Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
4. "Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

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

1. "Firestarter' (4:40)
2. "Firestarter" (Instrumental) (4:39)
3. "Firestarter" (Empirion Mix) (7:49)
4. "Molotov Bitch" (4:51)

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

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.

An instrumental version of the song appeared on the PlayStation game WipEout 2097 in 1996. 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.

• Further information about the single

v • d • e The Prodigy
Liam Howlett · Keith Flint · Maxim Sharky · Leeroy Thornhill
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)"
Related articles	Discography

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