Baby's Got a Temper
Encyclopedia
"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song recorded by English
electronica
group The Prodigy
, released on 1 July 2002. It was the band's first single in five years, following "Smack My Bitch Up
" in 1997, and was their second that was not a song from any of their albums. It was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill
left the band in 2000.
The Keith Flint
-written song's lyrics heavily played upon the misuse of the drug rohypnol. This resulted in the controversy surrounding the song, in which a lawsuit was filed against the band. "Baby's Got a Temper" was released as their "thirteenth single" to generally negative reviews. Liam Howlett
responded to the negative reaction to the single that he didn't own it. Despite this criticism, the song was a top five hit on the Canadian Singles Chart
.
, a side project of The Prodigy who co-wrote the song. The band performed several gigs, with their first being a brief set at the Download Festival
on 1 June 2003. Having thought that the band were in the industrial metal
genre, Flint decided that the song would largely contrast with the band's style, and invited Jim Davies to be featured in the song. Liam Howlett, the song's producer, would later argue he disowned the single.
"Baby's Got a Temper" briefly samples The Prodigy's earlier hit "Firestarter
," while its tempo is set in 100 BPM. In contrast to the slow tempo of the song, the majority of the lyrics focus on the misuse of rohypnol. The band generated controversy by including references to the so-called "date rape
" drug in the lyrics however they explained that the song mentions only own use and makes no statements on actual "date rape" use of the drug.
. However, the album got reworked and the song was removed from its tracklisting. Because of the song's release as a non-album single, in 2008, the band's official website's discography classified it as an EP
.
Many critics disliked "Baby's Got a Temper" when released. PopMatters
commented that the song "doesn’t sound like a great leap forward from the last Flint-fronted tracks, and that’s a big disappointment considering that we’ve been waiting five years for it." In addition, NME
panned the song, and called The Prodigy "just total fucking idiots" while unfavorably comparing it to glue
. Despite negative reviews, it was a commercial success, with the single being a top five hit on the Canadian Singles Chart
.
A Traktor-directed music video
for the song was released as a DVD single
that included a short "making of" film. It featured three ordinary men, dressed in suits, who walk into a disused funfair. They enter a makeup trailer, dress up and apply makeup, turning out to be the band members, Howlett, Flint, and Maxim Reality
. The group go onstage where they perform before a crowd consisting of cattle, which are milked by women dressed like strippers. The milk is then passed to a booth and sold to the public waiting outside who is desperate to get some in an addict manner. The video was apparently based upon one of Howlett's dreams.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
electronica
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
group The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, released on 1 July 2002. It was the band's first single in five years, following "Smack My Bitch Up
Smack My Bitch Up
"Smack My Bitch Up" is a song by The Prodigy, released as the band's twelfth single on 17 November 1997. It was the third and final single from the album The Fat of the Land....
" in 1997, and was their second that was not a song from any of their albums. It was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill
Leeroy Thornhill
Leeroy Thornhill is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and live keyboardist of the British rave act The Prodigy. He has produced solo work under the names Longman and Flightcrank. He was born in Barking but raised in Rayne near Braintree in Essex, and grew up as a...
left the band in 2000.
The Keith Flint
Keith Flint
Keith Charles Flint is a dancer and vocalist of the British Electronica band The Prodigy.- Early life :Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England, to Clive & Yvonne Flint and initially raised in East London; in the mid-1970s his parents moved out to Springfield, Essex, but due to his parents'...
-written song's lyrics heavily played upon the misuse of the drug rohypnol. This resulted in the controversy surrounding the song, in which a lawsuit was filed against the band. "Baby's Got a Temper" was released as their "thirteenth single" to generally negative reviews. Liam Howlett
Liam Howlett
Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett , is a member of the English band The Prodigy, occasional DJ, and a music producer.-Life and career:...
responded to the negative reaction to the single that he didn't own it. Despite this criticism, the song was a top five hit on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
.
Recording and composition
The song was written by Keith Flint when he was in FlintFlint (band)
Flint was a musical project fronted by Keith Flint of The Prodigy. The band consisted of Keith Flint , Jim Davies , Kieron Pepper and Rob Holliday , and Tony Howlett ....
, a side project of The Prodigy who co-wrote the song. The band performed several gigs, with their first being a brief set at the Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
on 1 June 2003. Having thought that the band were in the industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
genre, Flint decided that the song would largely contrast with the band's style, and invited Jim Davies to be featured in the song. Liam Howlett, the song's producer, would later argue he disowned the single.
"Baby's Got a Temper" briefly samples The Prodigy's earlier hit "Firestarter
Firestarter (song)
"Firestarter" is a song by the English band The Prodigy, released on 18 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...
," while its tempo is set in 100 BPM. In contrast to the slow tempo of the song, the majority of the lyrics focus on the misuse of rohypnol. The band generated controversy by including references to the so-called "date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
" drug in the lyrics however they explained that the song mentions only own use and makes no statements on actual "date rape" use of the drug.
Release and reception
The single was initially intended to support their then-upcoming album, Always Outnumbered, Never OutgunnedAlways Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is the fourth studio album by English electronic dance music group The Prodigy. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 23 August 2004 under XL Recordings, and in North America on 15 September 2004 by Mute Records and Maverick Records. It was the last...
. However, the album got reworked and the song was removed from its tracklisting. Because of the song's release as a non-album single, in 2008, the band's official website's discography classified it as an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
.
Many critics disliked "Baby's Got a Temper" when released. PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
commented that the song "doesn’t sound like a great leap forward from the last Flint-fronted tracks, and that’s a big disappointment considering that we’ve been waiting five years for it." In addition, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
panned the song, and called The Prodigy "just total fucking idiots" while unfavorably comparing it to glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
. Despite negative reviews, it was a commercial success, with the single being a top five hit on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
.
A Traktor-directed music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was released as a DVD single
DVD single
A DVD single is a music single in the form of a DVD. The format was introduced in the late 1990s/early 2000s as a replacement for the VHS single...
that included a short "making of" film. It featured three ordinary men, dressed in suits, who walk into a disused funfair. They enter a makeup trailer, dress up and apply makeup, turning out to be the band members, Howlett, Flint, and Maxim Reality
Maxim Reality
Keith Andrew Palmer , known by his stage name Maxim Reality or simply Maxim, is an English singer-songwriter and MC, famous for his work with electronica band The Prodigy....
. The group go onstage where they perform before a crowd consisting of cattle, which are milked by women dressed like strippers. The milk is then passed to a booth and sold to the public waiting outside who is desperate to get some in an addict manner. The video was apparently based upon one of Howlett's dreams.
12" vinyl record
- A1. "Baby's Got a Temper" (Main mix) (4:24)
- A2. "Baby's Got a Temper" (Dub mix) (5:28)
- B1. "Baby's Got a Temper" (Instrumental) (4:24)
- B2. "Baby's Got a Temper" (Acapella) (3:25)
CD single
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Main mix) (4:24)
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Dub mix) (5:58)
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Instrumental) (4:24)
Maverick Records CD single
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Main mix) (4:24)
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Dub mix) (5:28)
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Instrumental) (4:23)
- "Baby's Got a Temper" (Acapella) (3:25)