I neglected to mention in the previous post that a song from The Breeders’ breakthrough album, Last Splash, provided a sample for The Prodigy‘s biggest mainstream hit.

The electronic rock band’s fast and furious “Firestarter,” which hit #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, incorporates a guitar part from The Breeders’ “S.O.S.” That left-field inclusion gave Kim Deal a co-writing credit and some not-too-shabby royalty payments, as “Firestarter” was the first single off The Prodigy’s The Fat Of The Land, which debuted at #1 and went on to sell over 2.5 million copies. The additional change in Deal’s pocket likely helped during The Breeders’ unexpected hiatus following the success of Last Splash.

In December 2001, Jimmy Eat World covered “Firestarter,” making it the head-scratching flip to their season-appropriate take on Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” The emo rock quartet slows the song down to a march, but the change of pace doesn’t make “Firestarter” any less sinister. Rather, it amps up the narrator’s psychopathy, with the guitar feedback at the end made to sound like a siren answering the inevitable destruction. Hear here:

In 2004, Jimmy Eat World issued “Firestarter” for a second time, the title track to an EP. Last year, the band included it on a deluxe version of their 2001 Bleed American album, which collected B-sides, demos, live versions, and other previously unreleased tracks.

The latest from The Prodigy, Invaders Must Die, is released in Europe tomorrow, with a U.S. date set for March 3. The LP features guest drumming from Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl and some co-production help from James Rushent of Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Purchase Jimmy Eat World’s cover of “Firestarter” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.