The Prodigy appear to have changed the problematic lyrics to their 1997 hit “Smack My Bitch Up” after years of debate. At least this is the impression fan recordings of their London performance on November 24, 2023 suggest. Because that show singer Maxim, who instead of the line “smack my bitch up” now “change my pitch up” intoned.
See the current live recording here:
Controversy surrounding the song
The track from The Prodigy’s album “The Fat of the Land” caused a stir when it was first released. For the original line, the English group was among others strongly criticized by the “National Organization for Women” (NOW). NOW accused The Prodigy of portraying and even promoting violence against women as “a form of entertainment.”
In addition, a number of stores did not even stock the single and some radio stations only played the song without the lyrics.
The band defended the song at the time, saying it was an homage to early hip-hop “B-boy” culture. The singer Keith Flint, who died in 2019, said in the “Rolling Stone” interview: “At the end of the day, the girls that come to our shows are hardcore girls and they don’t see it that way [problematisch].” In the same conversation, The Prodigy member Liam Howlett said about the song lyric: “It’s so offensive that it can’t actually mean anything. Therein lies the irony.”
The Prodigy on tour
The band is currently on tour in Europe. Four concerts in Germany have been announced for the end of November and beginning of December 2023. They will then play the halls in Düsseldorf (November 30th), Berlin (December 3rd), Frankfurt (December 4th) and Stuttgart (December 9th).