Spending several years away from the limelight has not changed the Prodigy.
It took only one broadcast of their new single and the band that sparked debate with “Smack My Bitch Up” is already stirring up controversy.
“Baby’s Got a Temper,” which debuted on Britain’s Radio 1 Thursday night, was heavily edited by the station because of the track’s many references to Rohypnol, a tranquilizer that causes muscle relaxation and memory loss and is often called the “date rape drug.”
The song, which the Prodigy performed at last month’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, features Keith Flint singing lyrics like “We love Rohypnol/ She got Rohypnol/ We take Rohypnol/ Just forget it all” over a techno beat.
“Baby’s Got a Temper” will be released in the U.S. on July 2 in CD, 12-inch vinyl and DVD formats, according to the Prodigy’s spokesperson. The single will include a dub mix and instrumental mix of the track.
“It’s a reflection on going out, maybe doing cocaine, then doing downers,” Flint told Britain’s New Musical Express. “You know, some people do all manner of downers, and Rohypnol is one of them.”
Prodigy fans eagerly awaiting the follow-up to 1997’s The Fat of the Land shouldn’t get too excited by the single, however. The group, which also includes programmer Liam Howlett and vocalist Maxim Reality, has yet to set a release date for its next long player, which has carried the working title Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned for more than two years.
