Why I don’t agree with The Prodigy changing their lyrics

I’m a comedian, writes Luisa Omielan – I know certain jokes and lyrics age badly. But ‘Smack My B**** Up’ reflected an attitude that was accepted at the time... it’s important we see the growth and the change

‘Smack My B**** Up’ – memorable, to say the least – has had a key change (Pat Pope/Shutterstock)

Keith Andrew Palmer, or “Maxim” as he is best known on stage, has been the lead singer of The Prodigy since Keith Flint’s death in 2019. But a lot more has changed since Flint passed away – even the lyrics to some of the band’s most famous (and controversial) songs.

Now, “Smack My B**** Up” – memorable, to say the least – has been altered to take away its unfortunate and grotesque reference to domestic violence, to “change my pitch up”. But I’m not necessarily sure it was right to change them.

In 1997, when the track was released, there was well-placed uproar. For years, that legacy has followed the band around. It was even voted “the most controversial song of all time”.

In my opinion, the fact that we are even talking about the song being “controversial” is a good thing. It forces the listener to confront why it’s problematic in the first place – rather than hiding it away.

In the UK alone, one in four women experience domestic abuse. One domestic abuse call is made to the police every 30 seconds. Sadly, much of this kind of abuse happens behind closed doors.

So, don’t let discomfort and disgust at The Prodigy’s lyrics suffer the same fate. Don’t let its original meaning become obscured (in previous years, the band defended the lyrics as “art”). Keep them – so we all know why it’s so wrong.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s heartening that men like Maxim are looking to change a bad legacy. Perhaps he knows women who have experienced abuse – or perhaps it’s simply a matter of The Prodigy growing up. With time and maturity, you realise some jokes, lyrics and comments were not worth the cheap shot.

I should know – I’m a comedian. I know from the industry how easy it is to see, on reflection, a youthful idea of what is “edgy” and “controversial” age badly. Sometimes, you realise something you used to think was funny was really just ignorance and piling on to an already vulnerable group.

People change. Times move forward – vocabulary, phrases and expressions evolve. People grow.

But do I agree with changing the lyrics altogether? It’s a positive gesture and a moment of allyship, but that song reflected an attitude that was accepted at the time. I think it’s important we see the growth and the change. Would you get away with writing something like that now? No. Domestic violence should never be used for entertainment. But rather than erasing history, we should learn from it.

If we expose songs like this and call them out for being offensive – educate people about the problems with it – maybe we wouldn’t see people following in The Prodigy’s outdated footsteps. The fact that we don’t always talk about these issues in the first place is, in my opinion, why in 2023 we are seeing comedian Matt Rife opening his latest Netflix comedy special, Natural Selection, with a domestic violence joke.

Rife has a huge female following who have played a hand in his huge success – sharing his viral content on social media. And Netflix knew his audience: they paid millions of dollars for access to his crowd (his hugely female crowd) and yet he still chose to punch down.

With outdated, dangerous “jokes” like that, why did it get commissioned? Let alone, make it to air? Who on earth thought a joke about a waitress getting a black eye because she couldn’t cook was funny – or even OK?

We should be asking those questions – and learning from the answers... just as we should be asking why The Prodigy scored such a hit with “Smack My B**** Up” in the first place.

Personally, I would like to see a world where we expect more from our artists, especially men. As a female comedian who has been in this game for nearly 20 years, I’ve seen and heard some of the worst of it.

For me, the ease at which men take their career into their own hands by courting controversy highlights an unfair double standard. As a female comic, you have to be consistently funny. One bad show or gig and it’s: “See, women aren’t funny.” But men keep getting away with it.

Intention matters. If there is any chance that the audience will take what you say at face value and won’t see the irony, then you are doing the joke wrong. And the same goes for other performers, too.

So far, Maxim hasn’t commented on the issue – but he should. That would have far more power than a change of lyrics.

Luisa Omielan is going on tour with her new stand up show Bitter. Spring 2024 www.luisaomielan.com