The Fat of the Land

The Fat of the Land
Studio album by
the Prodigy
Released30 June 1997 (1997-06-30)
Recorded1995–1997
Studios
Genres
Length56:21
LabelXL
ProducerLiam Howlett
The Prodigy chronology
Music for the Jilted Generation
(1994)		 The Fat of the Land
(1997)		 The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One
(1999)
Singles from The Fat of the Land
  1. "Firestarter"
    Released: 18 March 1996
  2. "Breathe"
    Released: 11 November 1996
  3. "Smack My Bitch Up"
    Released: 17 November 1997

The Fat of the Land is the third studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. As of 2019 it has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and is their best-selling album.

Background, artwork and album title

While Liam Howlett is generally responsible for the compositions and Maxim Reality is featured on two tracks, this is the first record to include contributions by Keith Flint. The Fat of the Land album cover featured an image of a moon crab and a new logo, dropping "The" and adding an ant silhouette. The photo of the crab was taken on the Playa Las Gemelas in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica. The album title comes from the old English phrase 'living off the fat of the land', which means living well or being wealthy.

After the release of single "Firestarter", Howlett joined a PlayStation league for dance musicians organized by Muzik reporter Martin James, who would become his friend and Prodigy's official biographer. Howlett's gaming habits ended up delaying the album for several months, with him eventually asking James to send games to Leeroy Thornhill instead to cut distractions, saying “The record label are on my back about the album and I can’t get on with it ‘cos I’m spending all my time on Tomb Raider.

Release

Released in the first week of July, the album hit number one on the Billboard chart on 19 July 1997. Certified double platinum on 2 December that year, it sold 2,600,000 copies in the United States.

In 1999, The Fat of the Land entered the Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling dance album in the UK. The album was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Radiohead's OK Computer.

Controversy

The National Organization for Women objected to the seeming misogyny of "Smack My Bitch Up", though the band maintains that its true interpretation is "doing anything intensely". Liam Howlett observed, "That record was for the fans. Only brainless people get some stupid message out of it ... I'm often misquoted. Some magazine said, 'Liam Howlett says his band are dangerous.' What I said was, 'For this band to survive, it has to be dangerous for us' ... I wasn't saying we were dangerous because we're firestarters and we have spiky hair."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star
Entertainment WeeklyB
The GuardianStarStarStarStarStar
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStarStar
The New Zealand HeraldStarStarStarStarHalf star
NME8/10
Pitchfork7.9/10 (1999)
5.9/10 (2018)
QStarStarStarStarStar
Rolling StoneStarStarStarHalf star
Spin7/10

The album has been featured in a number of music publication lists:

The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was nominated for the 1997 Mercury Music Prize.

Following Flint's death on 4 March 2019, fans used the hashtag 'Firestarter4Number1' on various social media platforms to replicate the song's success by getting it to the number one spot again; this was done out of respect for Keith Flint and to raise awareness of suicide among men. Shortly afterwards, "Firestarter" returned to the Billboard charts, entering number 13 on its Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart in its 26 March 2019 issue.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Smack My Bitch Up"
5:42
2."Breathe"
5:35
3."Diesel Power"
  • Howlett
  • Thornton
4:17
4."Funky Shit"
5:16
5."Serial Thrilla"
5:11
6."Mindfields"
5:40
7."Narayan"
9:05
8."Firestarter"
4:41
9."Climbatize"
  • Howlett
  • Timothy Taylor
6:38
10."Fuel My Fire" (L7 cover)
4:19
Total length:56:27
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Molotov Bitch"Howlett4:56
12."No Man Army"
4:10
2012 reissue bonus: The Added Fat EP
No.TitleLength
1."Smack My Bitch Up" (Noisia Remix)5:53
2."Firestarter" (Alvin Risk Remix)3:18
3."Breathe" (Zeds Dead Remix)4:36
4."Mindfields" (Baauer Remix)3:51
5."Breathe" (The Glitch Mob Remix)4:25
6."Smack My Bitch Up" (Major Lazer Remix)5:05

Personnel

Charts

Singles

Year Song Chart Peak
position
1996 "Firestarter" UK Singles Chart 1
1996 "Breathe" UK Singles Chart 1
1996 "Firestarter" Australian ARIA Singles Chart 22
1996 "Breathe" Australian ARIA Singles Chart 2
1997 "Smack My Bitch Up" UK Singles Chart 8
1997 "Smack My Bitch Up" Australian ARIA Singles Chart 41
1997 "Smack My Bitch Up" Canadian Singles Chart 12
1997 "Firestarter" US Billboard Hot 100 30
1997 "Firestarter" US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 11
1997 "Firestarter" US Modern Rock Tracks 24
1997 "Breathe" US Modern Rock Tracks 18
1997 "Breathe" Canadian Singles Chart 65
1997 "Smack My Bitch Up" US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 19
1998 "Smack My Bitch Up" US Billboard Hot 100 89

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BRMA) Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada) 3× Platinum 300,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) Platinum 42,426
France (SNEP) 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI) Gold 250,000^
Iceland — 7,500
Italy (FIMI) Gold 50,000*
Japan (RIAJ) Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) Platinum 15,000^
Spain (Promusicae) Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) Gold 25,000^
Sweden (GLF) Platinum 80,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) 5× Platinum 1,500,000‡
United States (RIAA) 2× Platinum 2,600,000
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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Further reading