From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the album by Ultramagnetic MCs see Smack My Bitch Up (Ultramagnetic MCs album).

"Smack My Bitch Up"
Single by The Prodigy from the album The Fat of the Land
Released	17 November 1997
Format	12 inch vinyl record CD single
Recorded	Essex, England
Genre	Big Beat
Length	4:45 (Edit)
Label	XL Recordings Maverick Records
Writer	Liam Howlett
Producer	Liam Howlett
Certification	None
The Prodigy singles chronology
"Breathe" (1996) "Smack My Bitch Up" (1997) "Baby's Got a Temper" (2002)

"Smack My Bitch Up" was the thirteenth single released by the British electronica/rave/rock band The Prodigy on November 7, 1997. It was the third and final single from the album The Fat of the Land. The song was highly controversial because the lyrics and title of the song were believed to promote violence against women.

Contents 1 Structure 2 Release 3 Music video 4 Track listing 4.1 XL recordings 4.1.1 12" vinyl record 4.1.2 CD single 4.2 Maverick records 4.2.1 12" vinyl record "Black sleeve" 4.2.2 12" vinyl record 4.2.3 Digipak 5 External links

The lines "Change my pitch up/Smack my bitch up" are repeated through the whole song, as can be heard in the sample. The band defended the song, saying that the lyrics were being misinterpreted as mysogynistic and the song actually meant "...doing anything intensely..."^{[citation needed]} The "Smack My Bitch Up" sample is actually taken from the Ultramagnetic MCs song "Give the Drummer Some". The vocal on the original Ultramagnetic hip hop track is performed by Kool Keith. The same artist was again sampled by the Prodigy in the track "Out of Space" using his spoken vocal "I'll take your brain to another dimension", this time sampled from the Ultramagnetic track "Critical Beatdown" from the 1988 album of the same name, on Next Plateau Records. The female vocals in "Smack My Bitch Up" were performed by Shahin Badar.

Prior to the release of the single Liam Howlett was presented with three remixes of the title song, one by Jonny L, one by DJ Hype and one by Slacker. Eventually, Howlett chose the DJ Hype remix to be released on the single. The Jonny L remix was released through a free CD that came along with the January issue of Muzik magazine in 1998, while the Slacker remix was never officially released, although it surfaced on a rare and limited set of white labels.

The song was banned by the BBC and only a lyric-free version was played on Radio 1. On the chart rundown, other tracks from the single release were played, and the title "Smack My Bitch Up" was not mentioned. On BBC World Service radio chart run down it was mentioned as "Smack" and was not played. Yet on the first episode of Top of the Pops in which it charted, the DJ Hype remix was played over the Top 10 countdown, including the offending lyric of "Change my pitch up, Smack my bitch up."

Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine covered this song on his 2000 album Lounge Against the Machine. This is the song where he introduces the whole band.

The song appears in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, however the song is not on the film's soundtrack. It also appears in the 2001 film Scary Movie 2, in the scene that spoofs the Charlie's Angels' scene that uses this song.

The song "No Man Army" appears on the single and is a slightly different instrumental version of "One Man's Army", a song which Howlett created together with guitarist Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave for the soundtrack to the movie Spawn.

The song is used in the Mike Nichols film Closer.

The music video for "Smack My Bitch Up" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, featured Teresa May, and proved as controversial and popular as the song itself. Though universally banned from television, massive demands on MTV eventually had them relent and show the video, but only after midnight and following an MTV News warning. The video depicts a night out in the city from an innovative and much imitated first-person perspective, portraying drinking and driving, snorting cocaine, fighting, vandalism and sex. Detractors deplored the wantonly aggressive and misogynistic behaviour of the video's protagonist, despite the fact that at the end of the video the protagonist looks into a mirror and is revealed to be a woman.

In mid-2002, the full unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Smack My Bitch Up" and several other videos on the countdown. This video was at #1 on the countdown and therefore named the "Most Controversial Video" in MTV's history. Programming blocks in the United States containing the unedited video for "Smack My Bitch Up" automatically gained a rating of TV-MA-SLV (previously TV-M-DSLV).

Despite the controversy, the video would be nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards, and eventually win Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video.

In 2006 the full version of this video was aired on New Zealand show U Choose 40 - Most shocking Videos On C4.It was ranked #1 as voted by viewers. On June 10 2007 it came #2 on U Choose 40 - Banned In The USA! as ranked by viewers and on August 24 2007 it came #1 on Top 10 - That's Shocking!

1. "Smack My Bitch Up" (LP version) (5:42)
2. "No Man Army" (Featuring Tom Morello) (4:44)
3. "Smack My Bitch Up" (DJ Hype remix) (7:17)
4. "Mindfields" (Headrock dub) (4:34)

1. "Smack My Bitch Up" (Edit) (4:45)
2. "No Man Army" (Featuring Tom Morello) (4:44)
3. "Mindfields" (Headrock Dub) (4:34)
4. "Smack My Bitch Up" (DJ Hype Remix) (7:17)

A1. "Smack My Bitch Up" (Album Version) (05:43)

A2. "Mindfields" (Headrock Dub) (04:35)

B1. "Smack My Bitch Up" (DJ Hype Remix) (07:17)

A1. "Smack My Bitch Up" (LP Version) (05:42)

A2. "No Man Army" (Featuring Tom Morello) (04:44)

B1. "Mindfields" (Headrock Dub) (04:34)

B2. "Smack My Bitch Up" (DJ Hype Remix) (07:17)

1. Smack My Bitch Up (Edit) (04:45)
2. No Man Army (Featuring Tom Morello) (04:44)
3. Mindfields (Headrock Dub) (04:34)
4. Smack My Bitch Up (DJ Hype Remix) (07:17)

The digipak was released in cooperation with Sire.

• 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