DESCRIPTION:
"Firestarter" is a song by the English band The Prodigy, released on 19 March 1996. It was the first single from their third album The Fat of the Land, and their tenth single. It was also the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks. It was The Prodigy's first big national and international hit, also reaching number one in Finland and Norway. It featured Flint's punk vocals which showcased him as the group's front man. The title and lyrics were subject of controversy in the UK because of their violent nature. The music video further boosted these controversies.

The songwriting credits—among Liam Howlett and Keith Flint—include Kim Deal of alt-rock group The Breeders. The looped wah-wah guitar riff in "Firestarter" was sampled from The Breeders' track "S.O.S." from the album Last Splash. Because of 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, J.J. Jeczalik, Gary Langan and Paul Morley. The "Empirion Mix," which does not include these samples, is credited solely to Howlett and Flint. Howlett has also revealed that a version with additional "oomph" will feature in their set at the Warriors' Dance festival organized by The Prodigy.

In October 2011, NME placed it at number 52 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

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.