Of the entire Prodigy electronic dance discography, the hit 1996 song “Firestarter” emerged as the hit that traveled far and wide.
And on Monday morning as news broke that the provocative frontman Keith Flint had died over the weekend, a mother shared that the song left a lasting impression on her.
After all, she gave birth to it by complete, hilarious accident.
All she wanted was to push out her first child, Liam, as the soothing tones of Enya washed over her. But she got the high-octane “Firestarter” on repeat instead.
Mills took to Twitter to share her memory in response to Flint’s passing Monday morning.
“So sad about Keith Flint. I gave birth to my eldest son accompanied by ‘Firestarter’ playing away because my husband had in a mad panic, picked up the wrong tape. And instead of giving birth to Enya and ocean sounds it was The Prodigy. I don’t regret it either,” Mills who is a radio presenter on BBC Humberside tweeted.
If you were of listening age you may have caught the controversial music video.
The timeless cultural artifact even went on to score a cover from Gene Simmons of KISS and a parody from ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic. But a song fit for delivery room? Not quite.
Obviously Prodigy wasn’t a part of the birth plan, but her husband Pete almost got it right.
“Pete had made a birthing tape for me in those days you could record onto tapes. I wanted Enya as I’ve always loved her music,” she tells TIME.
But in the hectic rush to the hospital, poor Pete yanked the wrong audio tape out of the player. “I told him my tape was in the tape machine. I’d been listening to it during last month of pregnancy. Little did I know he had been listening to Prodigy,” she explained.
So everyone in the delivery room was surprised to hear the guitar strains of “Firestarter” blaring out of the machine, but Mills just let it play as she pushed.
“I was in the throes of pushing and yelled holy hell at him. By that stage then, I wouldn’t have been bothered if the actual band was in the room. I just wanted labor to be over.” The midwife just laughed and said she’d “never heard a music choice quite as wild as that.”
By now dad is out of the dog house for his honest mistake.
“I’ve forgiven Pete now,” she joked. As for Liam, he has grown to be 21 years old and six-foot-seven and is still just as rock and roll.
“He has always been a lovely kid but has a stubborn streak. I can only put that down to the musical choice.”
