20. God Given (2007)
Year Zero isn’t Nine Inch Nails’ strongest album, veering towards the kind of overproduced studio product that Grammys voters like – although there is still a distinct imprimatur to this mainstream blues-rock, as if finished with a black NIN wax seal. God Given is its pop moment, with distorted noises building the type of groove that Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera or Kylie Minogue might have tried out at the time in a moment of label-troubling moodiness.
19. Hope We Can Again (2020)
The musical pieces found in the six editions of Ghosts give off a similar vibe to that of a soundtrack for a Netflix series centered around a deadly accountant. However, there are a few standout tracks. While the incorporation of a spooky children’s music box has become a common trope for NIN, “Hope We Can Again” executes it brilliantly. The piano melody is both pure and emotional, accompanied by powerful ambient sounds. A piercing and unsettling sine wave prevents it from becoming overly gentle and pleasant.
18. God Break Down the Door (2018)
NIN’s fast-paced acid-breakbeat song includes saxophones and tuned percussion, incorporating a jazz influence reminiscent of David Bowie’s Blackstar. Trent Reznor’s satirical supper-club-style singing adds a touch of modern Bowie to the track. While it explores exciting new territory for the band, this track remains the most recent release from their Bad Witch mini-album in 2018.
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17. Something I Can Never Have (1989)
Prior to Hurt, there existed a stately ballad that served as the centerpiece of their first album, Pretty Hate Machine, showcasing Reznor’s wide-ranging vision from the start. The lyrics “You make this all go away” could be interpreted as a plea for the redemptive power of love, but also foreshadow the drug and alcohol dependence that would shape the following ten years.
Please disable this (2020).
Moving away from the average drawings, courteous piano and predictably clear emotion in most of the Ghosts content is this captivating 13-minute piece, the purpose of which is much more obscure. Mechanical noises clang in a hurried beat and feet crunch in unison on gravel while sirens wail through a haunting valley. A film noir soundtrack in the form of industrial sound.
15. Various Methods of Escape (2013)
By 2013, Reznor and his bandmate Atticus Ross had solidified their creative partnership. They were awarded an Oscar in 2010 for their score for The Social Network, which was brilliantly filled with anxiety-inducing music. This success led to the release of Hesitation Marks, the band’s fourth exceptional album, and potentially their most mainstream one yet. Previous standout albums include Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, and The Fragile. Hesitation Marks showcases Reznor’s exceptional songwriting abilities, particularly on tracks like Find My Way, All Time Low, and Disappointed. He also embraces R&B influences on the alluring falsetto of Various Methods of Escape.
14. Into the Void (1999)
The 30-year-old album, The Downward Spiral, did indeed depict a downward spiral in Trent Reznor’s life. During the making of the follow-up album, The Fragile, Reznor was struggling with drug addiction and even contemplated suicide. In the song “Into the Void”, he expresses his thoughts of the final destination. Despite the dark lyrics, the song is surprisingly groovy and sleek, with Reznor delivering his vocals while seemingly moonwalking on black linoleum, lamenting “I tried to save myself, but I keep slipping away”.
On the year 1999, witnessed the event known as “The Day the World Went Away.”
Utterly resistant to playlisting culture and indeed to ranking exercises like this, The Fragile lacks immediate pop singles, but offers a magnificently sprawling whole-album experience. Reznor said he intended it to sound like “someone struggling to put the pieces together” and the sequencing is cleverly topsy-turvy: The Day the World Went Away is a valedictory proto-Arcade Fire epic singalong, baffling you at side one, track two.
12. The Wretched (1999)
The track The Wretched on side one of The Fragile, following the killer one-two of We’re in This Together, showcases NIN’s skill at creating a slow and sleazy vibe – evident in their fantastic rendition of Adam and the Ants’ song Physical (You’re So). This song seamlessly blends elements of trip-hop and heavy metal as God asserts control over Reznor.
11. Less Than (2017)
Compared to Year Zero, the lead single on the Add Violence EP has a more mainstream pop-rock sound. The chorus is enviable, with powerful backing vocals that could be sung with emotional hand gestures. It could easily be a performance on a show like Good Morning America, but the heavy production and lyrics about oppressive leadership give it a darker tone.
10. March of the Pigs (1994)
Driven by a strong rhythm reminiscent of the energetic beat in Lust for Life, this song adds a touch of methamphetamine and creates a jittery effect. The result is a wild and fast-paced punk track with a nervous, offbeat twist. Reznor’s lyrics attack the music industry, referencing how he feels pressured to conform to their expectations: “All the executives are standing in a row / I give you everything you desire / Peel back the facade / Does that make you feel better?” The last line is delivered with a hint of humor, accompanied by a sarcastic and theatrical piano riff.
9. The Background World (2017)
Finishing off Add Violence, this 12-minute intense track ranks among NIN’s top works. The EP explores the concept of living in a simulation and The Background World tears through that veil saying, “The world is bleeding out / It folds itself in two / Behind the background world / It’s always bleeding through.” The catchy chorus sung by Reznor is unforgettable and he, along with Ross, seamlessly locks into a three-bar rhythm that stumbles and deteriorates with each repetition, resembling a late and distorted message from a perishing world.
8. Heresy (1994)
The dynamic between Reznor and God is intriguing – he appears to yearn for a belief system to provide direction and purpose, yet he harbors a strong skepticism towards institutionalized religion. In this song, Christianity in particular is harshly criticized with a bitter disdain: “God is no longer relevant, and no one seems to care.” This line may have resonated with many teenagers who slammed their bedroom doors shut, but Reznor’s powerful delivery and the provocative riff elevate it beyond mere teenage rebellion. One could even interpret it as a tribute to another iconic song of industrial blasphemy, Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.”
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7. Copy of a (2013)
Hesitation Marks brought to the forefront the techno influence that has always simmered within Nine Inch Nails’ music; the album’s second single, Copy of a, would be perfect for resonating off the hard concrete walls of a post-industrial nightclub. The song features a devious Detroit bassline and Reznor’s vocals, delivering one of his most addictive melodies, exude a suave and sinister vibe akin to that of an undercover agent. However, the robotic precision with which he repeats phrases hints at his artificial, non-human nature.
The 2005 release titled “The Hand That Feeds.”
The exhilarating noise of someone reviving themselves with a defibrillator. Reznor appeared to be in a hopeless state, nearly passing away from a heroin overdose in 2000, but he committed to rehabilitation and, five years later, emerged with this courageous comeback track. Featuring their most monumental and impressive riff to date, Reznor once again critiques organized religion, but his lyrics – “can you stand up from your submissive position?” – could be interpreted as a call to resist anything that may lead us astray.
5. Came Back Haunted (2013)
Reznor’s work captures the essence of humanity through its display of tension and release. His performances, filled with anger and powerlessness, also showcase moments of confidence and catharsis, highlighting our inherent flaws and brokenness. In his exhilarating song, “Came Back Haunted,” Reznor vulnerably stumbles through the title line, returning home after facing a personal battle. His fear and unease are mirrored in the eerie beat, but as the guitars kick in, Reznor’s voice becomes unbridled: “I couldn’t resist!” This song is a masterful examination of purity, temptation, and sin, and the irresistible pull they have on us.
4. Closer (1994)
Rewritten: Reznor takes control in every aspect of the most sexually charged goth song ever, with the provocative line “I want to fuck you like an animal” leaving a lasting impact on each generation of teenagers. However, Reznor is using sex as a means of escape from self-hatred and striving for a sense of divinity and transformation, singing “Help me become somebody else…you get me closer to God.” This distinctive sound remains unmatched in the world of popular music.
“Head Like a Hole” was released in 1989.
The first song on Nine Inch Nails’ first album demonstrated their desire to appeal to a wider audience: instead of just one hook, they included three. Although the lyrics focus on rejecting corrupt capitalism, the confident writing style makes the ironic line “bow down before the one you serve” appear as a direct order: this was a band worthy of worship. Their future works would delve deeper into the power dynamics of substances, wealth, and intimacy, often contradicting each other. Additionally, this track became a popular anthem among dominatrices.
2. Terrible Lie (1989)
Reznor resembles the character of Job from the Bible, angrily addressing a God who has abandoned him and a world falling apart. Alternatively, the lyrics could be interpreted as criticizing the broken promises of peace, prosperity, and unity after World War II. The song’s exploration of a spiritual and existential crisis progresses from petulant complaints (“I deserve a big apology”) to a state of complete desperation (“I desperately want to believe”). The band’s fusion of glam rock and dark techno only intensifies the song’s emotion. The repeated line in the title serves as a metaphorical jab at the sky, filled with anger and a sense of powerlessness.
1. Hurt (1994)
Johnny Cash’s emotional rendition transformed this song into an anti-My Way, serving as a requiem for someone at the end of their life, plagued by countless regrets. However, the original version is even more powerful. It is a ballad of powerlessness, sung by someone whose drug use and self-harm have merged into one. By this point, Reznor himself was an addict, and his trembling voice resonates with genuine self-loathing and confusion, before erupting into a furious condemnation of his own downfall. Despite a hint of dry humor in lines like “you could have it all / my empire of dirt” and “I wear this crown of shit,” the final distorted guitar chords signal only one thing: oblivion. This song is without a doubt one of the finest musical and theatrical compositions of the 1990s.
Source: theguardian.com
